Breguet craftsmanship and watch decorations
The art of watchmaking is at the very heart of the Maison’s craft with more than thirty different decoration methods and watchmaking techniques coming together to adorn their timepieces. The components crafted are often visible through a crystalline caseback but Breguet, as a prestigious watchmaker, applies the same finishing even to elements that are not visible, leading to the creation of exceptional timepieces.
Guilloché
Ingenious watchmaker, A.L. Breguet was also a pioneer in the field of design. His inventions were aimed at making the information on the dial more legible, leading him to adopt a technique that had been used to embellish luxury creations since the 16th century : guilloché. Breguet applied it to its dials to counter the effect of light rays on smooth surfaces and thus improve legibility. A signature of fine watchmaking, today this decoration is applied by hand by the Maison’s artisans to the dials, rotors, mainplates and casebacks. These components are made of the finest materials such as gold, platinum or mother-of-pearl.
Hand engraving
Engraving is an ornamental art form in its own right. The master engraver sculpts the finest materials free hand, using a range of tools that have been meticulously shaped and adapted to their hand. The surfaces are shaped, creating reliefs with precision, care and patience, aware that the slightest slip of the hand can undo several days’ work. The resulting finishes give Breguet watches an unparalleled elegance and unique identity.
“Grand feu” enamelling
More than simply decorating the dial, this is a highly specialised craft that requires discipline, patience and technical mastery. The process begins with first crushing and then grinding the enamel to a fine powder. Once this powder is calibrated and purified, it is then applied in layers with a brush to embellish the creation, grain by grain, in a series of stages depending on the desired finish (translucent or opaque). The artisan must anticipate the possible distortions and adapt their technique according to the shape of the pieces they are decorating, bearing in mind that the changes in certain oxides during the high temperature firing process may cause colour variations. This means that extra special attention is required for each firing. The last step of this meticulous process is to apply the finishing touches to the piece to ensure that it adheres to the pre-determined standards and quality criteria set by Maison Breguet.
Gem-setting
This decorative art consists of embellishing certain parts of the watch with precious stones. They are attached using subtle, discreet metal claws cut directly into the material itself. Breguet uses several gem-setting techniques such as snow settings, which aims to reduce the visibility of the surface on which the stones are set, or invisible settings for baguette-cut diamonds.
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Plan your visitWatchmaking techniques
Anglage, one of the finishing techniques that relies on skills being handed down from generation to generation, is characterised by its complexity. Used for shaping and polishing angles, normally at 45°, anglage, also known as bevelling, serves two functions: the first is is practicality, as it eliminates burrs and machining marks that could be detrimental to the operation and reliability of the movement, but above all it serves an aesthetic purpose, thanks to the subtle interplay between the shine of the satin-finished faces and the polished angles. Each surface is reworked by hand, altered and then polished using several tools and abrasive materials in order to achieve the smoothest of finishes.
Snailing is a decorative finish that forms circular or spiral motifs on certain metal surfaces. It creates subtle plays of light and highlights the care given to the movement's components.
Perlage consists in applying small, regular, overlapping circles to the movement components. This decorative finish creates a luminous texture and highlights the care devoted to surfaces that are often only partially visible.
This craft is used to enhance manufactured metal parts by eliminating any irregularities and burrs, leaving a smooth, shiny finish. The parts exposed to light and wear in particular are polished. Various techniques are used throughout the creation process of a Breguet watch in order to to obtain finishes ranging from a flat polish to an ultra smooth finish, or even to create radiant rounded curves.
Straight stripes are a decorative finish formed of regular, parallel bands applied to the movement components. They give structure to the surface, soften reflections and highlight the geometry of the bridges.
Microblasting consists in projecting fine beads onto a metal surface to create a matte, even and slightly textured finish. This finish softens reflections and enhances the contrast with polished or satin-finished surfaces.
The sunburst finish is a decorative finish composed of radiating lines that extend from a central point. It animates the surface with circular reflections and brings depth to components or dials.
Stretching and dressing are operations used to prepare or finish metal surfaces through the regular working of the material. They create clean, flat and even surfaces, essential to both visual quality and assembly precision.
The frosted effect creates a matte and finely textured surface, animated by subtle, irregular reliefs. This finish brings depth and contrast, with a mineral appearance that catches the light without excessive shine.
