Seconde Française - The dials

In this second episode, we take a look at the dials. They require very special expertise. Above and beyond its beauty and legibility, it must be crafted with extreme precision, as it serves as the canvas for so many elements.

The dials

To ensure that the hands move smoothly, without risk of contact with the glass or other parts of the dial, each dimension must be measured with precision to the nearest hundredth of a millimeter, carried out under a microscope.

Cutting

Our craftsmen begin their work by first shaping the outer rim and the central circle which houses the movement barrel. It is precisely in the latter that the famous round hands will nestle. Subsequently, the supports are meticulously welded onto the dials, ensuring precise placement of the mechanism for the next steps and for final assembly.

Polishing

This step prepares the dial to give its surface absolute perfection, eliminating micro-scratches. Using abrasive paper, a careful smoothing of the metal plate is carried out, eliminating residues from the machining process.

The 19.24 dials

For the Midnight Blue and Imperial Green models, the dials are made by enamelling. This decorative technique uses a mixture of glass and colored pigments applied to a metallic base, then fired at a high temperature. This process, often repeated several times, creates a smooth and shiny glazed surface, which in addition to being aesthetically pleasing is extremely durable.

For the White Ivory and Anthracite models, a thin layer of coating with a grained texture is applied, for a final result reminiscent of the surfaces of a sheet of high quality paper.

The final touch is to apply pad printing. For this, a pad is used to transfer ink from a metal plate to the dial, previously cleaned and dried to avoid any imperfections.

The 20.24 dials

The dial of the 20.24 models is embossed and has a satin brass finish. With a thickness of 0.8 mm, the difficulty is to hollow out the dial enough to create relief, without weakening it.

It is also important to accurately manage the application of paint to avoid clogging the grooves. It's all a question of subtle balance between depth and viscosity of the paint.

Colors

By relying on a Pantone, extremely precise color indications are obtained, going down to the hundredth of a percentage of paint (65.37% blue and 10.07% white for example). Despite this, challenges were encountered when applying the paint to the surface, which can cause the color to vary.

To guarantee a perfect shade, it was therefore necessary to adjust the color and submit it to various light tests - warm, white, soft - to ensure that it retained its beauty in all circumstances and under all conditions. possible lighting conditions.

The next chapter of this Production journey concerns the manufacture of cases.