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Understanding the Watch Face
There's a reason they call the watch dial the face . It's the watch's most distinctive part, the first part that wearers and on-lookers will notice, hence, the "face" is the one of the most crucial factors
for any collector in deciding to buy one. Watch designers have many ways to make their faces stand out in a crowded showcase. Here are a few of them.
Dial treatments. Some dials feature decorative patterns, achieved by a process like embossing or engine-turning, also known by its French name, guilloche. In that process, an intricate pattern is
engraved on the dial, often wavy lines, scallops, or a sunray , or soleil design ( soleil is French for sun ), with straight lines emanating from a central point at the center of the dial. Dials can be so
silvered , i.e. covered with a thin layer of silver to give them a metallic sheen, or enameled. Mother-of-pearl dials, used mostly on women's watches but occasionally on men's, have become
extremely popular of late. Made of the inside layer of certain seashells, they have a lustrous, satiny look.
Watch hands. There are a wide variety of watch hands. Some of the most common are lozenge , shaped like an elongated diamond; feuille, pointed at both ends and thickest at the center; baton,
having the same width the entire length, like a pencil; Breguet, with a small, hollow circle near the tip (named after the great 17 th century watch-maker who invented the style); and dauphine,
thickest at one end, then tapering off to a point at the other, like an elongated triangle. Sports watches, especially diving watches, often have luminous hands. Most are coated with a
photoluminescent material often marketed under the trademarks LumiBrite, LumiNova or SuperLuminova.
Hour markers. These can be numerals, either Roman or any of a variety of Arabic numerals Breguet, Paris, Gothic, cubic, Greek or skeleton. Or they can be dots, short lines (also called indexes
or indices ) or diamonds. There can be 12 of them, or four, or even none.
Subdials. These are both fashionable and functional. ( See the Watch Complications article) Designers play with subdials, sometimes making them in different colors or materials than the main
dial.
Retrograde indicators. Lately these have become all the rage for mechanical watches. Retrograde hands move across an arc on the dial instead of around it in the traditional circle. When they
reach the end of the arc, they snap back to the starting position and begin the motion again. They are a feature of antique pocket watches that designers have updated to great effect on
contemporary high-mechanical pieces.
Calendar windows. Nowadays large date windows, sometimes called by their French name, grands guichets, are in vogue on both mechanical and quartz watches.
for any collector in deciding to buy one. Watch designers have many ways to make their faces stand out in a crowded showcase. Here are a few of them.
Dial treatments. Some dials feature decorative patterns, achieved by a process like embossing or engine-turning, also known by its French name, guilloche. In that process, an intricate pattern is
engraved on the dial, often wavy lines, scallops, or a sunray , or soleil design ( soleil is French for sun ), with straight lines emanating from a central point at the center of the dial. Dials can be so
silvered , i.e. covered with a thin layer of silver to give them a metallic sheen, or enameled. Mother-of-pearl dials, used mostly on women's watches but occasionally on men's, have become
extremely popular of late. Made of the inside layer of certain seashells, they have a lustrous, satiny look.
Watch hands. There are a wide variety of watch hands. Some of the most common are lozenge , shaped like an elongated diamond; feuille, pointed at both ends and thickest at the center; baton,
having the same width the entire length, like a pencil; Breguet, with a small, hollow circle near the tip (named after the great 17 th century watch-maker who invented the style); and dauphine,
thickest at one end, then tapering off to a point at the other, like an elongated triangle. Sports watches, especially diving watches, often have luminous hands. Most are coated with a
photoluminescent material often marketed under the trademarks LumiBrite, LumiNova or SuperLuminova.
Hour markers. These can be numerals, either Roman or any of a variety of Arabic numerals Breguet, Paris, Gothic, cubic, Greek or skeleton. Or they can be dots, short lines (also called indexes
or indices ) or diamonds. There can be 12 of them, or four, or even none.
Subdials. These are both fashionable and functional. ( See the Watch Complications article) Designers play with subdials, sometimes making them in different colors or materials than the main
dial.
Retrograde indicators. Lately these have become all the rage for mechanical watches. Retrograde hands move across an arc on the dial instead of around it in the traditional circle. When they
reach the end of the arc, they snap back to the starting position and begin the motion again. They are a feature of antique pocket watches that designers have updated to great effect on
contemporary high-mechanical pieces.
Calendar windows. Nowadays large date windows, sometimes called by their French name, grands guichets, are in vogue on both mechanical and quartz watches.
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