Two faces, two dials, two identities

High-performance escapement system with "triple chute" protection

To this day, when most people think of luxury watches, they think of a white-haired villain in a white lab coat, bending over on the workbench against the backdrop of the snow-capped Alps, busy organizing watch parts.

This is a lovely picture, but it does not represent the modern-not even traditional-watch industry well. Although this picturesque watchmaker may have existed 200 or 300 years ago, it is very likely that he is not making a whole watch, but a specialized component for a watch.

The typical image of a watchmaker: Philip Dufour at work

The watch industry was — and to a large extent still is — primarily a cottage industry, which means that watchmakers usually focus on a part, a group of parts, or an assembly of parts. Then, our dilapidated, gray-haired watchmaker delivered his components and dozens of other suppliers to another expert who specializes in assembling them into a "brand" as a whole.

In the past ten years or so, this process has undergone a fundamental change, which is mainly due to Hyundai's emphasis on the word manufacturing (in this sense, made by the brand). The company mergers (including acquisitions and mergers) that have occurred in the past two decades have led to mergers and blurring of boundaries, at least for big-name brands. But also among the behind-the-scenes suppliers, they continue to change hands and integrate into a larger whole.

For centuries, all watch parts have been hand-made using traditional tools and manual lathes, because that is all that is available; however, in the past 15 years, the way mechanical watches are made has undergone revolutionary changes.

One of the catalysts is CAD/CAM design tools for computers, and CNC and other computer-controlled machines, such as wire electric discharge (EDM), can improve the manufacturing accuracy of individual parts and promote the development of manufacturing processes that can no longer be described. It is done "by hand".

Base plates, bridges, levers and other flat parts are manufactured quickly and accurately by CNC machines, which makes efficient programming of machines one of today's biggest challenges. This is why today we can say that flat parts are usually made by engineers and programmers, not by trained watchmakers.

CNC machine for making watch cases in Les Artisans Boîtiers

For example, when I visited Roger Smith’s small workshop on the Isle of Man in 2008, he hired five technicians: four watchmakers and one engineer to run the then brand-new CNC machine.

In 2011, when Tutima officially opened the Glashütte factory, one of the 15 technicians working there was a CNC operator from outside the watch industry. At the time, the brand’s head of production described it as “the most creative engineer". His problem-solving ability allowed this small manufacturer to work with smaller tolerances and ultimately achieved better results for the brand's minute repeater.

The same can be said for turned parts, such as pinions, pivots, and valve stems. These tiny parts are usually made of hardened steel and turned on a lathe. The automatic computer-controlled long lathe is programmed to draw steel pipes, cut them to the proper length, and turn and thread them appropriately. They are run by operators, not watchmakers, so the machines work around the clock. These parts are no longer usually made by hand.

Some high-precision long lathes from Elwin

Another important catalyst for the entire industry to get rid of "handmade" is the world of new materials. These include nickel-phosphorus LIGA components and Mimotec's easy-to-use technology-which makes the components extremely precise and usually does not require lubrication.

LIGA is closely followed by silicon technology. Silicon is revolutionizing the escapement (and hairspring), allowing higher frequencies because wear and lubrication are not a problem.

Watchmaker Martin Braun once explained this to me very succinctly. "For many years, I have been thinking about improving the standard Swiss lever escapement for my movement. My vision is impossible to achieve with traditional materials and production methods. It is the silicon used in watchmaking [ The emergence of silicon] finally made me realize the solution I imagined."

In short, this has to do with the geometric angle of the Swiss lever escapement, which in his view represents a compromise between efficiency and capillary effect (keeping the oil in place). "This no longer needs to be observed, because the escapement, which is mainly composed of silicon, can operate without oil," he commented. Before his boutique brand Antoine Martin unfortunately went bankrupt, Braun finally did launch a perpetual calendar movement that included a silicon escapement.

What this fictional little watchmaker lives in his historic studio in recent history is undoubtedly the broader news of the late independent watchmaker George Daniels's studio. In his early years, Daniels restored and curated antique works for Sotheby's auction house, and later remarkably only produced a handful of timepieces by hand. In the final moments of his active career, his job is not much different from the job at the beginning.

Daniels’ studio showcases a visible love for his craftsmanship and its traditional execution methods, filled with treasures that are considered antique tools today and may be found in auctions or second-hand markets.

George Daniels demonstrates a technique in his Isle of Man studio, 2008

Philippe Dufour (Philippe Dufour) is still actively producing watches, and is now close to the ideal state of making hand-made watches imagined. However, it should be said that Dufour received his base plates-and other components from a supplier who manufactured them through CNC.

Despite this, Dufour spends more time and energy on hand-made parts of watches than anyone else: he can’t get hand-made parts, archives and perfects the parts provided, the most important thing is that he is picky. Complete each piece by hand.

The few watches that emerge from Dufour's studio every year are indeed almost as close to what the hand-made watch industry can produce in this era when Daniels left.

"[Today’s company] didn’t see the big picture; a hand-made watch is more elegant—just like nature, it’s proportional. It’s important to let it flow, otherwise it’s just a box of gears," Daniels died in his death Tell me a few years ago.

Like Dufour, Daniels also emphasized completion. "Completion reflects perfection," he said, echoing Dufour's self-evident emotions.

As a newer product, Greubel Forsey is known for its high-end hand-made decoration and the importance of retaining traditional hand-craftsmanship. This is fully reflected in the brand's Hand Made 1.

Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1: Pay attention to "hand made" instead of "Swiss made"

Therefore, finishing is what we usually refer to in modern "hand-made" watches, because most mechanical watches are assembled by hand. This is where the boundaries are indeed blurred, and consumers are easily confused.

Many traditional movement decorations and finishes that are the hallmarks of the most exquisite timepieces can now be reproduced by automatic or semi-automatic machinery.

Some rose engine guilloche team at the Breguet factory

For example, Guilloche is a broad term used by every watchmaking company to refer to geometric patterns engraved on dials or flat moving parts (such as rotors). Although guilloche has traditionally been made using a rose engine and a straight cutter driven by a crank or pedal, today the term usually includes machine stamping and the use of a pantograph-an automatic pattern that uses "fingers" to transfer patterns from a large template. "Tracking" the system to the engraving machine that engraves small parts.

Audemars Piguet's pantograph is used to produce the Tapisserie dial

The price of a watch usually determines the type of guilloche pattern, but not always: Audemars Piguet and Ulysse Nardin often use pantographs to produce their luxurious dials.

Due to the time and skill of applying it, authentic guilloche patterns usually only appear on a limited number of watches, such as those from Roger Smith’s studio, Patek Philippe (hiring a separate craftsman) and other small, exclusive and mainly Independent company.

Breguet is undoubtedly the largest manufacturer of handmade guilloches, with its own facilities, dozens of new and old rosette machines, and even a guilloche training center in the center of the Swiss Jura Valley.

Few suppliers—such as Jochen Benzinger in Pforzheim, Germany and some high-end dial manufacturers in Switzerland—can produce this almost lost art.

Hand decoration goes beyond guilloche and engraving. Giulio Papi, head of Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi (APRP), has always firmly supported helping consumers understand the difference between "industrial" surface treatment and a fully completed movement by hand. For Papi and the others at Audemars Piguet, this is an important part of the art of fine watchmaking.

According to Papi, the bevel reflects the handmade quality of the watch. "The eyes of an expert will be able to recognize this by identifying the technology that has been used," Papi said.

Chamfering is a delicate surface treatment that increases the mechanical beauty of the movement by breaking the light, thereby adding extra luster. It can remove hard edges and any nicks and scratches that may appear during the manufacturing process, while maintaining perfect rules at a consistent (usually approximately) 45 degree angle. "It enhances the authenticity of watch art," Papi said.

This precision and beauty apply to all hand polishing and cutting, including Côtes de Genève, perlage (also known as engine rotation), sunray and other styles of brush polishing, as well as all finishing of each part, including drilling holes and even Between the teeth of the pinion.

Mid-priced and below watches use machine surface treatment (if any). Starting from the middle level, the finish may be part of machine applications-for example, complication vendors such as Dubois Dépraz and La Joux-Perret use machines that automatically apply pearls and Geneva waves.

In general, high-end luxury watches are hand-finished using the best examples of Gaupper Fuss, Lange, Vacheron Constantin, Kari Voutilainen, Breguet, Romain Gauthier, and of course Philippe Dufour.

Crafted by Philippe Dufour

“The production time of a high-end watch is higher than average,” Papi said. And this is the reason for the final difference: the time, energy and traditional expertise invested in watches distinguish hand-made from industrial-grade timepieces. In most cases, this will also be the price difference between a $5,000 watch and those that are much more expensive.

* This article was first published in the modern world on July 29, 2020. What is the definition of a manual mechanical watch?

Koppelfors Handmade 1: Making a watch in a traditional way (video)

How it was made: Inside the Breguet complication castle

Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1: Hands breathe life into metal

Silicon: an in-depth understanding of the material that unleashes a series of haute horological creativity

RGM Watch Company: A Case Study of American Internal Manufacturing

There are now some independent watchmakers who have hand-made additional base plates, screws and watch cases (without CNC). Everything except crystals, jewels and hairsprings.

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