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ARTISTIC CuSTomIzATIon oF zAnnETTI WATCHES

Right from the introduction

of its first finely crafted timepieces,

Zannetti distinguished itself by the extreme finesse

of the details gracing its personalized watches


SCuBA ART


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Gold white 18 Kt. (see price list for price)Gold red 18 Kt. (see price list for price)

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Truly the face of the watch, the dial is the expression of its innermost nature, displays its functions, and gives the watch its unique identity.

In this sense, the beauty of a Fine Watch dial is the most visible expression of the movement that brings it to life. In-deed, the layout of the mechanisms, wheels and complica-tions that form the movement dictate the dial’s appearance, in particular the position of the hands, sub-dials, apertures and other indications that compose it. The designers and crafts-men who imagine the dial therefore do so with the specifica-tions imposed by the movement in mind.

dial-making is an art and a craft in its own right that de-mands considerable expertise, and very often “secrets” that are handed down from one generation to the next. Visually, the dial must satisfy a dual requirement: it must be pleasing to the eye and legible at a glance. a host of information must be harmoniously conveyed by means of hands or apertures on a surface that often barely exceeds a few square centime-tres. Often a dial is separated into several sections and, be-yond its refinement and beauty, its decor must highlight and

distinguish these different zones. To achieve this, the Fine Watch dial-maker masters artisanal techniques that are often centuries-old.

The base of the dial is a sheet, sometimes gently cambe-red, of gold, silver or copper to which the dial-maker rivets tiny pins. he then traces the inner and outer contours of the hour-circle and other indicators. The dial is now ready to be decorated with engine-turning (guillochage).

In this centuries-old technique, which only a handful of craftsmen master, straight or circular lines are cut into the surface of the metal. Each line is just a few tenths of a mil-limetre wide and three to four hundredths deep. These lines overlap and intertwine to form an infinite variety of patterns that catch and reflect the light. One of the final stages is to diamond-drill then file the tiny holes that will carry the arbou-rs for the hands. Space is hollowed out for the sub-dials, and applied numerals and markers are added to the hour-circle.

Some Fine Watch dials are also enamelled, painted or set with diamonds and other precious stones. Thus each dial has its own, unique face.

DIAL: THE FACE OF THE WATCH

Zannetti ovum Jewellery “owl”, ref. R5G.a1R-B1.Y.a. Case with 18kt gold owl embellished with diamonds and rubies. dial hand-engraved and enamelled base in mother of pearl. automatic mechanical Swiss movement personalised. Limited and numbered edition


Enamel is transparent glass colored with metal oxides which, when applied to metal and heated to between 800°C and 1,200°C, melts and is bonded by fusion to the metal. Th-ree thin layers of this enamel, when polished, give the unique-ly pure and luminous white of a Fine Watch dial. Patterns can then be acid-engraved or manually engraved, and numerals and other markings transferred.

On a flinqué dial or an engine-turned dial, translucent enamel covers the metal base which has first been engraved with concentric lines or circles.

Superb coloured enamels are obtained by adding different metal oxides to transparent enamel. They are applied to the metal (usually gold) base with a quill or a very fine brush. The enamel is fired and the process repeated as many times as is ne-cessary to obtain the desired colour. a Fine Watch is enamelled using any of the three principal techniques.

CloisonnéThe enamellist traces the contours of the pattern using

fine gold wires, not even the width of a hair. The cells for-med by these wires are then filled with layer after layer of enamel. The enamellist performs this operation up to sixty times, and fires the piece twelve or fifteen times, as each colour fuses at a different temperature.

ChamplevéThe engraver incises the metal to form the details of the

chosen motif. The enamellist then fills these hollows with ena-mel, one colour at a time, firing each one in the furnace.

Miniature painting on enamelThis technique, which appeared circa 1620-1630, can

be likened to oil painting. The miniaturist outlines his subject on a surface that has been enamelled on both sides. The colour is then gradually built up using finely-ground enamel mixed to consistency with essential oil and fired between each application. The softest colours are usual-ly applied last of all, and fired a final time. Even at this ultimate stage, a blast of heat can still irremediably erase all or part of the work. Only at the very end of this long process will the enamellist discover whether his work is a success, or not. The piece is red-hot when taken out of the furnace then blackens as it cools down until the miracle of the colours is finally revealed.

Enameling is fraught with challenges but perhaps no aspect of it is as difficult as the creation of a painting in ena-mel. Painting in vitreous enamel is so demanding that in the past, masters of the craft such as the famous huaut family of Geneva were the recipients of honors and appointments as painter miniaturists to noble and royal courts.

The two greatest challenges in painting in vitreous ena-mel are the need for successive firings, and the fact that co-lors cannot be mixed to create new ones.

The former is an aspect, of course, of all enamel work but the number of firings increases as the depth and variety of colors achieved increases.

The latter presents a great challenge to the enamellist –the fact that colors cannot be mixed means that variation and gradation in color have to be achieved through the ca-reful use of layered firings as well as exquisitely challenging control of the distribution of individual granules of enamel (rather like Pointillist painting.)

Flinqué –guilloché ( engine turning) Overlaid with translucent colored enamel. This is the tech-

nique of placing enamel over guilloché (or in some cases en-graved metal) surfaces, which both increases the difficulty as well as the risk of the enameling process. The execution of the guilloche, needless to say, must be flawless, and rejection of the dial due to firing problems means not only a loss of the enamel work but also of the guilloché as well.

The payoff for success, of course, is a unique shimme-ring finish in which the enamel is illuminated both from in front and from behind by the myriad reflections from the mirror-bright surface of the engine turning. Champlevé enameling capitalizes on the affinity of enamel work for cle-an, clearly delineated geometric areas, giving a pronounced visual strength in contrast to the delicacy of cloisonné.

The hollowed out sections of the metal dial create wells into which powdered enamel is placed and fired, and the resulting juxtaposition of areas of clean, clear and brilliant color have the animation and liveliness of the late works of the great modernist painter and master of color, henri Matisse.

EnamellerEnamel is made from silica, feldspar and kaolin which

have been crushed into a powder then combined with metal oxides to obtain the required colour. The enameller mixes this powder with oil or water, depending how it will be ap-plied to a polished base in copper, gold or silver. In certain cases gold paillons are applied to the base layers to produce a shimmering pattern underneath the enamel. Each succes-sive layer of enamel is fired at high temperature. Once the enamel has fused to the metal, it is unalterable. a watch dial can be embellished with enamelled patterns, portraits or scenes using champlevé, cloisonné, cloisonné à jour or miniature painting techniques.

WONDERS OF ENAMEL


APPLIqUERaised numeral or hour-marker, applied to

or riveted to the dial. at Zannetti, appliques are sometimes diamond-set.

ARABICusual way of showing the numerals. arabic

numerals: 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.0. as opposed to Ro-man numerals: I, II,III...

BACKThe lower part of the case, fixed beneath the

case middle. The case, either in metal or in sap-phire crystal to reveal the movement, may be of the screw-down, snap-on, screw-on or hinged dust cover type.

Screw-down back: the back and the case middle are respectively fitted with a screw thread and are thus screwed to each other.

Snap-on back: the back is held on to the case middle by pressure.

Screw-on back: the back is held on to the case middle by four screws.

Hinged dust cover: the sapphire crystal is held on to the case middle by pressure, and the dust cover is hinged to the case middle, enabling one to open to reveal the movement.

BEzELupper part of the case which holds the glass.

It is fixed above the case middle.

BURINEngraver’s chisel.

CALIBEROriginally synonymous with size or dimen-

sion. Watchmakers then began to use the term to refer to the movement.

CARATA unit of the gold purity index for gold alloys.

Pure or fine gold weighs 24 carats. Watches and jewellery are crafted from 18-carat or 750 gold, an alloy containing 18/24ths or 75% of pure gold.

A unit of weight for precious stones. One carat corresponds to 0.2 grams.

CASEThe watch case is generally composed of

three parts: the case middle, the bezel and the case back.

Case middleThe middle part of the case, placed between

the bezel and the back. It houses the movement.

CHAMFERINGalso known as beveling or in French, angla-

ge. here, the sharp edge between the surface and the flank of a component is manually cut or filed away to a smooth 45° curve, followed by

polishing with a mechanical buffer. a chamfer is typically used to increase resistance to wear, or for aesthetic reasons.

CHAMPLEVéHand engraving technique. Champlevé con-

sists of hollowing out a metal plate with a flat graver, thus forming small cavities to receive the enamel.

CHRONOGRAPHWatch complication enabling measurement

of the duration of an event. a classic chro-nograph comprises a chronograph or seconds hand circling the dial and another hand adding up the minutes on a counter or totalizer. Some have additional counters. Be careful not to con-fuse a chronograph with a chronometer.

CHRONOMETERA watch featuring high precision certified

by an official body. In Switzerland, rating cer-tificates are granted, on a one-by-one basis, by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute). Be careful not to confuse a chrono-meter with a chronograph.

CIRCULAR GRAININGIn French, called perlage due to the finished

resemblance to a row of tiny pearls. here, the main plate and attached bridges are etched with a pattern of interlaced circles or bead shapes. To create the pattern, the flat end of a piece of pegwood coated with emery paste is fitted into a rotating head and pressed meticulously down on the plate to make perfectly linear rows.

CIRCULAR SATIN BRUSHINGa polishing technique used for a case, and

resulting in a velvety, tunnel-like image.

CIRCULAR SATIN FINISHTo form fine circular lines on the surface of

a metal movement component, using a hand la-the or fine emery paper.

COUNTERIn a classic chronograph, a subdial indica-

ting the time elapsed in minutes. There are also counters for hours or fractions of a second.

CROWNA button (which is often fluted), operated

between the thumb and forefinger that is pulled into various positions and turned, generally to set the time or adjust the date. On mechanical watches, the crown (or winding crown) also ser-ves to wind the movement.

DIALPlate with a metal base, visible through a

glass, which carries certain indications such as

the hours, minutes and seconds. On Zannetti watches, dials base are generally in brass or silver.

DIAMONDPrecious stone: pure crystallized carbon,

generally colorless, occasionally pink, yellow or blue in colour. a diamond, which is exceptional-ly hard, scratches all other bodies, but can only be scratched by itself.

ELECTROLySISChemical decomposition achieved by the

action of an electric current. Certain metals are electrolyzed in order to apply them on others in fine layers.

EMBOSSINGStamping a motif in metal with imprints em-

bossed using a press.

EMERALDGreen colored gemstone, a variety of beryl.

Most widely used gemstone cut for emeralds.

ENGRAVINGa deeply creative skill where aesthetically

pleasing shapes and flourishes are etched on ca-ses and dials. The artist first creates the design with a pencil sketch, then transfers it to the me-tal surface with a burin for fine lines, or a graver for broader furrows, focusing on the tiny canvas through a binocular microscope.

FINE WORKINGPart of the case hand-finishing. This stage

includes trimming or filing off of residue mate-rial, and it’s here that attachments are soldered, hinges are made for cases with dust covers and their openings adjusted, and preparations are made for polishing.

FOLD-OVER CLASPa clasp that opens by folding over, without

being detached from the two parts of the bra-celet.

GALVANIzATIONalso known as electroplating, this is the process of applying a protective coating over a metal to prevent rusting, which helps keep the material free from impediment (damp or sea air can all create corrosion over time) and in perfect wor-king order for much longer. during galvaniza-tion, one metal is electrochemically covered with another – for example, bridges and plates are protected by a fine layer of rhodium. Electro-plating can also be used to change a dial’s color.

GEMMOLOGISTSpecialist of fine stones and precious stones,

scientifically called “gems”.

GLOSSARy


GEM-SETTERCraftsman who sets fine stones or precious

stones.

GEMSETTINGPrecious stones – diamonds, rubies, sapphi-

res or emeralds – are set manually at Zannetti, in the traditional way. They are never adhesively bonded, but positioned ultra-securely by folding over the metal collars that surround them. Sto-nes must be fastidiously placed (level, pointing in the same direction and all at the same height) to bring out their full shimmer and radiance.

GLASSThin transparent plate through which one

reads off the time, and which protects the dial. A glass may also be fitted on the case back to reveal the movement. The glasses used for Zannetti watches are always in scratch-resistant sapphire and may thus also be referred to as sap-phire crystals.

HANDMetal part which points to various indica-

tions on the dial. at Zannetti, it may take a va-riety of shapes and forms,

HOUR MARKERSymbolic character serving to indicate the

subdivisions of time, on the dial. The hour mar-kers, whether pointed baton or rounded baton, may be flat (painted) or raised (appliques). They are to be distinguished from numerals, which are characters representing numbers.

JEWELIn a movement, a synthetic ruby that serves

to reduce friction on the staffs of the pivots. Je-wels belong to the “other parts” category.

LUGS (HORNS)Parts extending from the case middle betwe-

en which a spring bar holds the strap or bracelet.

LUMINESCENTWhich emits light and is therefore visible at

night. The luminescent substance, applied by Zannetti on the hands, numerals or hour-mar-kers is non radioactive.

MANUALLy WOUNDa manually wound movement is a mechani-

cal movement that is wound by hand (using the winding crown).

MOVEMENTThere are three types of movements, or cali-

bers, which drive Patek Philippe watches:Mechanical manually wound movementsMechanical self-winding movementsQuartz movements

NUMERALCharacter representing a number used to

indicate the units of time on the dial. The ara-bic, Roman or Breguet style numerals may be flat (painted) or raised (appliques). They are different from symbolic characters such as hour markers.

PLATINUMPrecious metal. 950 platinum (95% pure pla-

tinum and 5% other metals) is used for making watches. It is the hardest material of all to work and tools often break in the process. It takes th-ree to four times longer than working gold.

POLISHINGOne of the most important finishing ope-

rations, polishing brings each aspect of a watch into sharp relief, highlighting everything from gemsetting and enameling to the engraving.

POWER RESERVEa complication that indicates the state of the

power reserve: the time during which a mecha-nical movement can continue running without being wound, ranging from 48 hours to 10 days for Patek Philippe watches.

PUSH-BUTTON (PUSH-PIECE)A button finger pressed to activate certain

functions, such as those of a chronograph.

RELIEFhand engraving technique, also called

pounced ornament. Relief is a “trompe l’oeil” or optical illusion type of modelling in the man-ner of bas-relief, created using a graver.

ROTORComponent of self-winding movements, sy-

nonymous with oscillating weight. The rotor is a heavy part which rotates or oscillates thanks to wrist movements and automatically winds the mainspring.

SAPPHIRETransparent synthetic material for watch

glasses (or crystals) which has the property of being scratch-resistant.

gemstone, a variety of corundum. It is gene-rally blue, but may be pink, yellow, etc.

SATIN BRUSHINGa polishing technique where the surface of

the metal is “drawn out” or smoothed with a tool coated in fine emery paste to achieve a matt appearance and a finely striated effect.

SELF-WINDINGa self-winding movement is a mechanical

movement that is wound by wrist movements thanks to the oscillating weight (or rotor).

SKELETONRefers to a movement that is open worked

and engraved by hand.

SMALL SECONDS HANDSeconds indicated on a small subdial, and

not in the center.

STRAPStrip/band of leather (or other non-metal

material) that holds the watch to the wrist.

TIME zONESSimultaneous indication of the time in seve-

ral time zones. The most common models are dual time zone watches which give home time and local time in the place one is traveling to.

WINDINGWinding the spring of a mechanical watch.

This winding may be done manually or automa-tically by wrist movements.

GLOSSARy

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