With everything from polishing screws to striping on movements to altering the texture of metals, there’s a huge range in style and quality in high-end watchmaking. For example, movement striping can be found on watches of all prices, but when done right, like the Côtes de Genève on Philippe Dufour’s Simplicity, well things elevate to the realm of art. Details matter in watchmaking. It’s the smallest things that allow 400+ components to work harmoniously together to tell the time, accurately. It’s also the smallest things that can win over collectors and enthusiasts who closely examine timepieces through loupes with well-trained eyes.

Today, we’re focusing on some of the details of finishing in watchmaking. Continuing our exploration into some of the diverse techniques in watch finishing, we’re looking at both the aesthetic and functional purposes of five finishing methods and how they’re applied.

Côte de Genève / Striping

One of the last steps in decorating a movement, Côtes de Genève (also known as striping) is often applied to bridges after they have been cleaned, polished, and plated. The to-be-striped component is securely affixed to the lathe’s bed, and as the spindle turns, the craftsman guides the cutter across the surface, etching parallel lines into the piece. These lines, uniformly spaced and running in the same direction, are the defining characteristic of the Côtes de Genève pattern. While striping is often thought of primarily for its beauty, its origins have one foot in functional pragmatism. The systematic scratching and etching of striping captures dust, dirt, and other microparticles that may be stuck in the movement as the watch is closed. This ensures that the particulate doesn’t move around and interfere with moving components that power the timepiece.

Perlage

Typically applied to the base plate or bridges, perlage serves both an aesthetic and functional purpose, similar to striping. The process commences with the meticulous preparation of the component, ensuring it is thoroughly cleaned and polished to provide a flawless canvas. Skilled artisans utilize a drill press, equipped with a rotating spindle and a small, round burin. As the spindle turns, the craftsman guides the burin to create a series of overlapping circles, resulting in the distinctive, granular texture that defines perlage. Straightforward enough in theory, the practice of applying perlage relies heavily on attention to detail and muscle memory. If an artisan applies too little or too much pressure, or leaves too little or too much space, then the uniformity of the pattern disappears. While the uniformity of the perlage pattern is an aesthetic issue, perlage is yet another example of the marriage of form and function in watchmaking. Similar to Côtes de Genève, this finishing technique provides texture to ensure that microparticles do not impact chronometry.

Snailing

Often found on ratchet wheels and barrels, snailing involves the creation of a spiral pattern on the surface of a watch component. Snailing is achieved when an abrasive tube rotates on the surface while a ratchet wheel, for example, rotates in the opposite direction. Moving from the center with an arc-like movement, spirals are created on the surface of the component. One of the more difficult forms of finishing to visualize, there’s an often-cited, educational YouTube video on the topic that is worth a watch for those interested. Created 10+ years ago by a German watchmaker, Steffen Erich Pahlow, it dives into the process of snailing.

There is a spectrum of complexity in snailing. Moritz Grossmann, for example, has triple-band snailing on some of their timepieces. While snailing prevents oxidation and can be used to capture microparticles, triple-band or other “elevated” forms of snailing are primarily aesthetic and a show of the manufacturer’s capabilities.

Sandblasting

Matte finishes have become more and more popular in recent years. There’s something simply different about a matte surface, compared to the status quo of highly reflective, shiny metal finishes in high-end watchmaking. Sandblasting utilizes a high-pressure stream of sand or beads to alter the surface texture of metal. The effect of sandblasting can range from a satin-like sheen to a more granular texture. Found commonly on cases, bezels, and base plates, sandblasting components removes burs and provides a more rugged surface finish.

Guillochage

Popular on Abraham-Louis Breguet’s timepieces from the 18th century, guilloché has gone hand in hand with watchmaking for centuries. In the most simple terms, guillochage is the application of a pattern onto a surface (most commonly dials, historically cases as well). While CNC automation and stamping have become increasingly popular, the highest level of guillochage is done manually with a rose or straight-line engine lathe. That specialized machine uses a cam (or disc) that rotates while a cutting tool removes material in the shape of the pattern. The most difficult aspect of this finishing technique is the extremely narrow margins for error. If an artisan applies too much pressure, creating a cut that’s too deep, then the entire dial or case is ruined, no re-do’s. Kari Voutilainen and his dial-making manufacture, Comblémine, are renowned for their guillochage craftsmanship. Often found on the iconic Vingt-8, this is a phenomenal example of an independent watchmaker committed to traditional finishing methods.

It may be lost to some sense of nostalgia for 18th or 19th century watchmaking, but today’s era of independent craftsmanship brings a degree of finishing that is extremely rare to find in the entire history of watchmaking. Historically, most watchmaking was never finely finished. Thanks in large part to a global market and rising collector demands, we’re witnessing more and more brands revitalize long-lost finishing techniques and support rare handicraft artisans. Our belief is that handmade finishing will continue to remain niche with the rise of increasing automation, but that will only continue to reinforce how special it is.

A closer look at finishing techniques in high-end watchmaking

Côte de Genève / Striping

Perlage

Snailing

Sandblasting

Guillochage