Jan 12, 2020 Leave a message

Dial small kingdom great wisdom carving

Time passed quickly, invisible and intangible. As time goes by, things are a matter of course. In order to see the time and grasp the minute and second, the watch plays a key role.

A major innovation of the Industrial Revolution is the accurate measurement and unified record of time. Ancient civilizations scattered in every corner of the earth in ancient times originally had their own unique time recording method. By 1884, Greenwich, a small town on the outskirts of London, was officially established as the standard point of world time. Since then, clocks around the world have a common rhythm. Although we ca n't control the rate and direction of time, at least people around the world can record the passage of time through clocks together.

A good watch starts with a carved dial! From letterpress printing to guilloché engraving, from gem setting to coating of luminous materials. These skills are very professional, which is a fusion of aesthetics and technology between designers and engineers, which requires special equipment and highly qualified staff. Most horological manufacturers simply design the faceplate and then make it by a specialized watchmaker.

The first process: substrate

The customer submits design drawings, and the engineer is responsible for converting them into engineering design specification manufacturing processes. Dial work and complexity depend on the degree of design, movement function, and finish required. Use the machine to process some small holes on the face plate (for fixing the time scale, LOGO, etc.). Next harden the dial to 90--120 Vickers. It is then cleaned and polished to prepare for the next decoration process.

The second process: decoration

Guilloche is a long-time engraving technique that was invented in the 17th century. This method has been used to decorate dials and cases for centuries. The essence is to sculpt a Hypotrochoid on the dial. There used to be a Newsaw engraving machine, but now there are laser equipment to complete this process.

The third process: dial carving

Have you ever lamented that the numbers on the dial are so perfect? These numbers, track patterns, logos, etc. have been intaglio printed on the dial for centuries.

First, the numbers, scales, and logos required by the dial are engraved on the metal plate to form a printed gravure (both were previously engraved by hand, and now they are etched by chemical processes). In this way, there is only ink residue in the recessed graduated groove, and then the printing union uses an elastic silicon ball to press the concave plate to pick up the ink, and then transfer it to the dial!

The fourth process: gem setting

Over the years, the watch industry has become increasingly popular with unusual materials. Brands such as Rolex and Earl have been using some very strange materials. Various gems appear on the dial: 400,000 years ago, petrified corals, meteorites, Dalmatian jasper, lapis lazuli, agate, turquoise, malachite, tiger's eye, platinum ore, abalone shell and rare Opal and so on. Processing and installing exotic gemstones is quite challenging. Most gemstones are very brittle and cutting holes is not easy. Nowadays, dial manufacturers use laser cutting machines to process gemstones.

Fifth process: dial coloring

Achieving perfect color on the dial is also an art in itself. There are two main technologies, namely metal plating and four-color printing. Many different colors can be achieved by plating, whether it is yellow, rose or colored gold, rhodium. The problem with electroplating is that the time that the original plate of the dial is immersed in the chemical bath must be very precise. Even one second more time will be different colors. Four-color printing is similar to printing color newspapers. The key is accurate positioning.


If you still don't understand, please contact us.

CKlaser is a national high-tech enterprise integrating laser equipment research and development, production, sales and service. 

Since its establishment, CK Laser has always attached importance to R & D innovation and adhered to the self-developed product line. It has formed a top team of more than 60 senior software engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and industrial designers who have been in the laser field for more than ten years. Technical R & D team.


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