gadalex
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Thanks for sharing Gerard.
One of the most common alternative methods used today besides those mentioned, is CNC, which Comblemine provides to clients who wish to offer a more reasonable price for their finished watches. Although I have seen at least one company make a big deal about using Kari Voutilainen for their dials and only after I kept prodding them for more details (publicly on IG) did they finally admit that they used CNC dials rather than rose engine (this was a CHF 28k watch so full disclosure should have been forthcoming). In fact, after they did finally respond, two potential buyers of the watch messaged me privately to thank me for pushing them to respond as they assumed it was a high end Comblemine dial.
I think that what frustrates me most is that companies like Patek and FPJ stamp their dials and still charge a huge premium for their watches. AP has also recently released a APRO chrono with a pattern (not guillcohe, granted) that is stamped: said watch is $185,000.
There are also other well known and peripheral players offering traditional guilloche: Roger Smith, Urban Jurgensen (no doubt once Kari re-starts the company, this will all be in house), Atelier Wen (using a self taught artisan who works out of a cave with machines he built himself!), Svend Andersen (outsourced I'm pretty sure - I have included a couple of images below of their recent work for an Asprey collaboration), Daniel Roth on his Jean Daniel Nicolas watches, Garrick in the UK and Chronoswiss.
So thankfully there is no shortage!
Regards,
Baruch
More posts:
My passion for handmade guilloche.
One of the crafts associated with dial decoration is the handmade guilloche on rose engines which I appreciate a lot. Not to be confused with stamped or laser engraved guilloche with is only decoration and no art. The work is mostly done on century old ma...
So lovely
Here's my latest addition in that realm: Question for you: have you closely considered the highly traditional guilloche that's now coming out of Los Angeles? ...
Or, how about the traditional guilloché from Pennsylvania?
RGM does great work and they are a joy to work with
Yes,RGM is a company that I seriously have on my radar.
The make really good looking watches!
This Breguet is beautiful !
The guys from LA do a top job ,...but I feel that their watches are too ambitiously priced.
I know
The very similar 5157 with just two hands, and a slimmer case is really nice, and felt like more of a purists choice, but I could not turn down the long seconds hand on this 5177
These are beautiful.
But I think many ppl don’t understand that even hand-made guilloche is made by a machine - with the master turning the wheel to make the dial. As opposed to being stamped. Shapiro from LA is also doing amazing things. I love the guilloche on my CS. ...
It is not only turning a wheel.
You need to control speed,pressure and starting/ending simultaneously by hand. Then it also becomes more difficult the finer the pattern is,especially with guilloche patterns getting smaller with every layer. Jochen Benzinger once told me that it needed h...
I think people do understand when it comes to guilloche.
Now when talking about finishing parts, yes, I wholeheartedly agree. People don’t understand that just by virtue of holding something in one’s hand does not denote hand finishing !
Totally agree.
It’s really an art form. Interaction between man and machine. This is turning quite philosophical. 🧐
Clou de Paris might be the most sober
and not showy guilloche there is, like that pattern a lot
Mmmmmmmmmm... sooooo beautiful!
One of my fave photos below that showcases.... Photo below was done using an orange light from the left side and a white light from the right. Enjoy the fascinating 3D effect ...
Thanks for sharing Gerard.
One of the most common alternative methods used today besides those mentioned, is CNC, which Comblemine provides to clients who wish to offer a more reasonable price for their finished watches. Although I have seen at least one company make a big deal abo...
The Journe stamped guilloche never bothered me...
UNTIL I acquired this Breguet. It's the same guilloche pattern used the same way on the dial, but it's just so much finer on the rose-engined-Breguet than on the stamped Journe. ...
And there is something satisfying to know that this was executed by the hand of a master.
The Breguet guilloche in general is very finely executed.
Good points.
Nothing wrong with CNC made guilloche for as long as the companies are open about it. You mention Garrick and Chronoswiss : I like their products a lot!
Thanks,Nicolas!
A & S is such an interesting brand. I am lately strongly interested by their Nebula model ....
Interesting post
Im a big fan of breguet because of their guilloche dial, one question did other brand mentioned in this thread uses gold dial plate before silver coated ?
I believe Breguet is the only one using gold plates.
Most others are using silver or brass.
Great collection
I’m also a big fan of guilloche. It is mind blowing how many big brands like patek and FPJ just stamp…
