SAVOIR FAIRE Swiss-made Savoir Faire, Chapter Four: The Story of a TAG Heuer Dial

This week, we’re taking you on a whirlwind tour of the legendary savoir faire at our dial-making manufacture. So get ready for a journey through the hallowed halls of Artecad.  

One of the largest specialist dial manufacturers in Switzerland, Artecad traces its origins back to 1885. At the time, the company was known as ‘Kohli’. It was nestled amongst the Jura mountain region in the north of Switzerland. For over a century, since its founding in 1885, the company was a single family-owned business. One of the major employers in the region, it has employed several generations of craftspeople who often inherit skills and expertise from one generation to the next. 

With new models being produced continuously (a design change of even 1 mm means a new model is created and the production process is altered), Artecad and TAG Heuer must work together closely to ensure our designs are executed with the necessary precision. 

So, let’s take a closer look at the process of making a TAG Heuer dial. 

Before dial-making even begins, it’s time to craft the tools themselves! It takes a mind-bending nine tools to make a single brass stamping or cutting tool. Each drilling tool is milled carefully on-site using 0.5mm diamond tools – a process that not all companies are willing to undergo.  A specific machine must even be designed to cut the diamond tools, but the watchmaking industry is a small one; it can often be difficult to find suppliers for the limited orders required.

Making dials involves several steps – from shaping the raw metal (either brass, gold silver, or titanium, each of which requires a slightly different treatment process) to applying the color and finishing. A dial is first cut from a raw brass plate, before stamping begins. At an eye-watering pressure of 280 tonnes, the stamping impacts both top and underside of the metal for an even surface. Some dials are stamped five or six times, some three, and must be heated or ‘baked’ at 700°F between each step to maintain the integrity and strength of the metal. After the stamping, a raw dial is then electroplated to prevent oxidation. 

Via electrical welding, two laser-cut ‘feet’ (of a tiny 0.25mm) are added to the dial to be used to fix to the movement – a revolutionary method that meant minuscule components no longer had to be fitted to the dial by hand. The dial is then drilled into, sandpapered down and polished, giving it a gleam that distinguishes it from other raw dials.

A “starburst” dial, as found on various TAG Heuer watches, requires extra finishing steps. A brass brush turns across the dial while it is washed in water. While the first stage is performed by a machine, a final wash must be completed by hand using soap, water, and a brush. 

Galvanic current is used to apply various finishes; an electrical current that is run through the tools used, this process can be used to apply gilding, protect the dial from water and sun damage, or apply protective varnish. It’s a similar process to the one used in the car industry, but must be used by hand extremely carefully in order to achieve optimum thickness. 

Varnish, polymers, and other finishes are applied to the dial to ensure color-fastness after color is applied. Any printing on the dial face is completed using a ‘cliche’, or engraved steel plate, with a silicone stamp to transfer the varnish from the plate to the dial. 

Between each operation, the dial is washed to remove any dust or debris; it’s a time-consuming process, but ensures nothing less than ultimate precision.

Numbers and indices are laser-cut from brass before being ‘turned’ or finished and coated with the luminescent liquid known as ‘SLN’ or Super-LumiNova®.  It is applied with a syringe, as the material is extremely valuable – at the same price by weight as gold!

With over 200 types of index, each being diamond-cut and turned multiple times, this is a painstaking process that requires many manual-only actions and incredible dexterity in our watchmakers. 

QC operates in two stages – the first when a new dial is developed at the prototyping stage (where the rejection rates can be as high as 50%) and the second once the dial is in production. At the final stages, we perform a visual quality control check. 

TAG Heuer and Artecad have also collaborated on the development of a groundbreaking restoration business; at first it seemed almost impossible to acquire the specific savoir faire to restore vintage models – nevermind the rare components, or obscure operations and materials.  But together, our watchmaking minds have managed to do exactly that – nearly 1000 dials per year are restored to their former glory using only manual operations and original materials. Our restorers often work from photographic evidence only – recreating lost indices, antique techniques and old methods of watchmaking to faithfully reproduce the original effects. 

Artecad has committed to a ten year plan to reduce emissions by 20%, adapting machines and building specifications to lower environmental impact.  For example, the acetone used to wash dials has been reduced, and solar or wind energy is now used preferentially. Continuous research, trial and error ensures that environmental impact is reduced wherever possible. 

At all stages of dial-making, Artecad uses a revolutionary paperless communication system to reduce waste while keeping close track of the dials at each stage of the manufacturing process. Recycling is also employed to make best use of metal ‘skeletons’ or leftovers from the various cutting processes. 

And there you have it, we’ve come full circle. At the end of all of these stages, you’ve got a dial that’s ready for assembly. The folks at ArteCad take a lot of pride in creating every single dial. It takes a lot of heart and a lot of effort, but when you see the final product, you know it’s all worth it.