The Fine Art of Guillochage is Alive and well at Breguet

To the naked, untrained eye, a guilloché dial is decorated with a lovely pattern (or several), a decorative texture that enhances the character of a watch’s dial. The symmetry and accuracy of the engraving appear effortless. However, looking deeper into how the pattern takes shape at a haute horlogerie manufacture paints a different story entirely. The ability to produce precise engravings in repetitive patterns using a fine tool to remove metal from the piece is a feat of extraordinary craftsmanship. Patience, precision, and passion for the craft are vital to the artisan, who, at the top manufactures, has undergone years of training to perfect his or her skills. It’s no wonder that guilloché engraving is so highly regarded in the watchmaking world.

The name guillochage has uncertain origins. Some attribute it to a French engineer named Guillot who lived in the mid 1700s, who is credited with inventing the engine turning machine for engraving metal with precise patterns. Yet engine-turning engraving had been practiced in some shape or other since the 1500’s, so this origin story has some notable inconsistencies. Regardless of its moniker’s origins, guillochage is widely recognized as an exceptional metier d’art in watchmaking circles.

The process involves first hollowing out with a hand graver any areas of the watch dial involved with a particular indication, including subdials for second hands, power reserve, and moon phase. Depending on the watch design and its complications, different areas may need to be smoothed out. After the watch face has a smooth finish, it’s attached to an engine turning machine. The watch’s face is held securely in position as the craftsman begins the precise process of engraving the dial, assisted by the machine’s ability to apply even pressure.

With its impeccable artistry, guillochage displays the craftsman’s skill and adds character to a watch’s dial by creating intricate, elegant patterns. On a more practical level, guilloché engraving can create distinctions between sections of the dial displaying different functions, enhancing readability.

Breguet has been producing dials with engine-turned engraving for more than two centuries. In fact, Abraham-Louis Breguet began offering his watches with engine-turned dials of his own design in the 1780s. Today, engine-turning is a true hallmark of the Breguet brand, and this year’s Classique Hora Mundi 5727 shows that the technique is alive and well at the Geneva-based manufacture.

The Breguet Classique Hora Mundi features a dial with three different guillochage patterns, each placed and designed to complement the watch’s functions: a flame pattern, a cross weave motif, and Clous de Paris (meaning hobnail). These beautiful designs thus serve both form and function, and are executed with all of the manufacture’s signature elegance and precision.