ABTW: Visiting Glashütte Original’s Watch Dial Manufactory In Pforzheim, Germany

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Visiting Glashütte Original’s Watch Dial Manufactory In Pforzheim, Germany

APR 24, 2019

Sponsored Content specially produced by aBlogtoWatch for Glashütte Original

Nicknamed as the Golden City, Pforzheim is an historically important watchmaking and jewelry hub in Germany, with specialized industrial roots leading back to 1767. In 2017, Pforzheim celebrated its 250th anniversary as the Golden City. Today, the city accounts for nearly 70 percent of the total German jewelry and silverware sales, with over 80% of all jewelry that is exported from Germany crafted here.

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It is no surprise, then, that one of the most jewel-like components in any true luxury timepiece, its dial, is also crafted here for every Glashütte Original watch. Whereas cases are exposed and, therefore, need to be robustly designed and made, watch dials live in a perfectly isolated space and are only removed from their terrarium once in a blue moon, when the watch is serviced — and even at times like these, the dials are handled only by the trained and cautious hands of a Glashütte Original watchmaker — and nobody else. So, while the finely crafted Glashütte Original movement often remains the center of attention, there is just as much beauty and delicacy to be cherished in these magnificent dials.

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Watch dials, once their appearance and technical properties have been finalized through painstaking design tweaks and prototyping, begin their lives as blank sheets or “ribbons” of metal, namely brass or, in the case of some Glashütte Original timepieces, German silver. German silver is an alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc — it does not, in fact, have any silver in it — that gives off a special hue when compared to other metals more frequently used in watchmaking.

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Dials are held securely with tiny, soldered-on feet that are individually added to each and every piece and then refined. Tolerances measured in thousands of a millimeter are to be taken into account when installing these barely visible cylinders of metal. Each of these is then to be fine-tuned by hand to ensure that the blank is in a refined state as it advances on to the next procedures.

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The finer details of other dials, such as the most recently introduced 2019 version of the Glashütte Original Sixties Annual Edition, are created using other creative methods. This unique dial pattern was inspired by timepieces that are part of Glashütte Original’s heritage — in this instance, dating back to the 1960s. First, a flat, blank piece of dial is made, using the aforementioned pressing method, followed by the use of a specially produced tool that is capable of stamping this complex pattern onto the blank. It is only after the tiny “islands” of the pattern have been transferred that the dial gets curved: Its edges are bent downward to highlight a much more three-dimensional and equally vintage flair.

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Yet, other types of indices are crafted entirely by hand. The Sixties Annual Edition — pictured above in fiery orange for 2019 — features the aforementioned diamond-cut, recessed indices, along with a combination of transfer-printed Arabic numerals and hand-applied luminescent pips. On every dial, each of the twelve luminescent dots at the edge of the periphery of the dial is applied by hand, under a microscope for enhanced precision.

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Some sections of dials require the dedicated attention of specialized craftspeople. Seen above is the moon phase arch on the dial of the PanoMaticLunar. The arch displays multiple subtle design treats, including its multi-tiered construction. The periphery of the arch is highlighted by a recessed area that surrounds it, while the moon-phase disc is peeking from a beautifully recessed aperture. To keep this difficult-to-produce and extremely complex segment of the dial — thanks to its several layers, curves, angles, and surface treatments — in line with the quality and refinement of the larger dial, it has to be masked, hand-filed, and hand-polished under powerful magnification. The finished dial is a case study in both dial design and manufacturing, as well as tangible proof that superbly delicate and extremely precise manufacturing can, indeed, yield highly emotional and truly beautiful results.

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From the most minimalistic to the most complicated, every Glashütte Original timepiece owes its striking beauty and personality to the exquisite work that is performed day-to-day in the company’s manufactories. Its Pforzheim watch dial manufactory has been developed and advanced in ways to ensure remarkable levels of quality, as well as the technical prowess that allows Glashütte Original to be so creative and distinctive in its watch designs. Genuine expertise, deep-rooted respect for the tools and techniques of the trade, and absolute dedication to attaining outstanding levels of quality make the German-made, in-house-produced dials of Glashütte Original functional pieces of art.

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