The watch face, also called the dial, is one of the most important elements of a watch as it’s what first strikes the eye. The dial shows the current time, month and sometimes day as well. It can tell you a lot about the quality of the finish, the features used, the innovative solutions, as well as the brand itself and its reputation. Therefore, it's worth getting to know the unique techniques for decorating dials.

The decoration of the dial is one of the finishes of the watch face, or rather its surface. There are many types of decorating techniques. They affect the aesthetic qualities, not only of the main part of the watch, but also of its entire construction. There are 4 basic types of decoration in watchmaking, but many more can be distinguished like Clous de Paris, Open Heart, Skeleton and Panda.

The first watch decoration is sunray brushing (also known as sunray pattern). It’s a mechanical surface treatment which makes the dial look more interesting. The pattern resembles sun rays running from the centre to the edges of the piece. Its subtle effect can be admired in the sunlight. This type of decoration is perfect for minimalist designs that highlight the beauty of the dial.

Guilloché is another decorating technique in which geometric patterns are engraved into the dial by engine turning. The patterns include straight lines that connect with each other forming circles, semicircles and wavy curves. Lines are usually etched into the dial via a hand-operated lathe, which requires concentration and precision from the engraver. Therefore, it’s not surprising that this type of decoration is mostly used in luxury watches offered by prestigious brands.

Enamelling is the result of the manual work of skilled craftsmen. The technique is rarely used. It’s synonymous with watchmaking craftsmanship. Enamelling involves carefully applying individual layers of enamel in different colours and polishing it until the desired shine is achieved. In addition, such paint can be used as an adhesive. Before the last layer of paint dries, the dial can be additionally covered with the enamel powder in gold or silver colour. The powder solidifies together with the paint. The enamelled timepieces are beautiful and eye-catching. If you’re looking for an enamelled watch, check out the Seiko Presage collection.

If you love stunning accessories, then mother-of-pearl dials should be a hit for you. This decoration gives an intriguing effect to watches as they can shine in different colours depending on the light. The mother-of-pearl (also known as nacre) is extracted from the inner shell layer of certain oysters. The material is applied on the certain area, i.e. dials, jewellery, works of arts etc. and then left to dry.

Since you’ve already read about different dial finishes, we encourage you to find out more about indices and hands. Both indices and hands are primarily used for telling the time, but that’s not their only function. They are also used to decorate the dial and increase the beauty of the watch.

Looking through the various models, you have surely noticed that the indices may be replaced by diamonds, zircons, Swarovski crystals etc. Also, they can take a variety of forms, shapes and sizes. The most common are Arabic and Roman numerals. The numerals can also be combined with each other in various forms. For instance, a California dial refers to a clock face that includes half Roman (usually 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock) and half Arabic numerals (usually 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock). The Roman and Arabic numerals can also be used alternately. The number 4 is sometimes written as IIII on the dials to maintain a symmetrical arrangement. In terms of shapes, they can range from square and rectangular bars to conical and quadrilateral figures.

The hands, like the indices, can also be a decoration of the dial. The watch owners hardly ever admire their design, but it’s worth looking at at least two forms, namely a broad arrow and bluing.

A broad arrow is an arrow shaped like a spearhead; It indicates the military origin of the model. Initially, it was a symbol used in the heraldry of England, but later it transferred to other areas. Bluing, however, refers to the thermal or chemical treatment of steel hands. Steel oxidises at high temperature and as a result the steel hands subjected to this process acquire a dark blue colour.

The watch faces are often equipped with additional functions, e.g. date windows, retrograde displays, chronograph sub-dials, tachymeters, telemeters, slide rules, moon phase indicators, day/night indicators etc. Their good layout contributes to the unique design of the dial. As you can see, these, and many other additional features, determine the final appearance of the watch.

A dial is an important part of every watch. The watch face usually determines whether you like a particular model or not. In our store, you’ll find a lot of different watches, which differ from each other in terms of decoration, layout of functions, time display etc. Check out our offer and choose your favourite model.