Beading, Beveling, Satin-finishing, Micro-blasting: the different watchmaking finishes

In watchmaking, there are various finishes used to decorate the movements within your watches. We tend to think that watch decorations are used solely for their aesthetic appeal, but we often forget their primary function: to conceal the small dust particles that can accumulate on the movement during machining. Indeed, their raised surfaces not only trap dust but also mask any machining marks that might be left during production.

There are several types of finishes that we will be able to describe in this article.

Beading: a round decoration

Perlage is a watchmaking decoration, easily recognizable thanks to its circular shape. Unlike the finish Geneva Coast On the wrist side, the perlage is more discreet and is placed in two less visible areas: on the dial side of the movement and on the back of the plates. On the first area, the dial conceals it, and on the second, since the movement is enclosed by the bridges, it is barely visible either. However, this does not detract from the beauty or the usefulness of this circular decoration. Thanks to its circular shape, perlage is often used in the recesses of the movement because it is the only decoration that can be applied in such a confined space.

Find this decoration on our model Alliance Moon Phase Perpetual and its movement C105.

The Angle

Beveling is an extremely meticulous watchmaking finish that involves removing the sharp edges between the surface and the sides, as well as creating a polished bevel. As with all watch decorations, beveling eliminates any machining marks that may have been left on the edges. These marks could impair the proper functioning of the mechanical movement, so it is essential to remove them. There are several methods used for beveling:

• Modern methods are defined by machining the parts. Angle cutting is then carried out by milling machines, and polishing is done chemically, mechanically, or with brushes.
• Then there are the traditional methods, which take much longer and require unique expertise and specific tools such as a burnisher, a grinding wheel, and many others. Traditional angling is a rare and expensive technique these days.

This is a watchmaking finish that you can find on our movements C105 and G100, present in our models Alliance.

The Satin Finish

Satin finishing is a decorative technique found on some watch movements. It is also called "drawn lines" or "stretching". This finish involves covering a surface with a series of fine, parallel scratches. These textured surfaces catch the light, creating attractive reflections while giving the treated surface a uniform appearance.

Microblasting

Microblasting is a watchmaking finishing technique defined as the treatment of a surface by impacting it with glass beads. These micro-beads are projected onto a surface to create subtle impacts without damaging the treated surface. This treatment is extremely versatile because, depending on the size of the glass beads and the force at which they are projected, a variety of results can be achieved.

Like all watchmaking finishes, in addition to the aesthetic aspect, which makes the treated surface textured, this finish also makes it possible to hide traces of machining.