9 of the best hand-made guilloché dials – no stamped or CNC-machined trickery

Borna Bošnjak

Of the traditional watch decoration techniques, which there are many, guilloché is among the best-known and most respected. While the technique of using specialised machines to engrave repeating patterns dates all the way back to the 1500s, it would take another two centuries before it would be applied to metals. Guilloché is usually applied to watch dials (and at times other components), by way of a rose engine lathe or straight-line engine, and is yet another skill that’s becoming more and more rare. The reason? As usual, it’s partly due to traditional watchmaking becoming more and more difficult to get into, but also because there aren’t any companies out there making this hand-operated, precision machinery anymore. Ask any independent watchmaker that uses traditional methods to make guilloché dials, and I’m sure they’d tell you how prized these vintage machines really are – names like Schaublin and Neuweiler und Engelsberger will have machinists’ ears perking up in no time. Those that can’t afford or find one are forced to make their own, which requires a whole different set of skills on top of those needed to make the dials in the first place, which is why guilloché is so well-respected in general. Here’s a selection of brands and makers that excel in their respective categories.

Atelier Wen Perception

Lots has been said about Atelier Wen’s dial-making process recently, but the fact of the matter is this. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more affordable dial that had been hand-engraved, in this case by Cheng Yucai and his team of artisans on one of Cheng’s self-designed machines – and that was always the main drawcard of the Perception. The design of the guilloché pattern itself is not the most complex out there, but it is neatly done, and still offers something distinctly different and hand-made that helps justify its asking price. Price: starting from US$3,288

Garrick S7

Up next is Garrick, a British independent watchmaker that prides itself on manufacturing a staggering number of components by hand, and in-house. One of these are the brand’s guilloché dials, which are decorated with both rose and straight-line engines to produce multiple patterns on the same dial. The Garrick S7 is the most affordable way to get there, with the choice of handset, dial colour, and open or closed caseback being up to the customer, while the movement is a modified, vintage Unitas calibre. Price: starting from £6,500 (~US$8,500)

Laine V38 Guilloché

Torsti Laine approaches traditional watchmaking with a contemporary mindset, which is unsurprising given his computer science background. He doesn’t shy away from using extremely high-tech CNC machines to produce some of the decoration on his watches, but entirely hand-made products are also a large part of his in-house dial-making process. The V38 Guilloché is an example of this, available with a choice of three different configurations that each contain three different guilloché patterns – all cut by hand, of course. Beneath the dial is a top-grade Vaucher 5401, though Laine additionally engraves the rotors in-house, too. Top tip: if you’re happy with just a single guilloché pattern on your dial (and a slightly larger case), you can opt for the Laine Gelidus 3 to shave a couple of thousand CHF off the asking price. Price: CHF 11,500 (~US$13,000)

Benzinger GAP 1

While there are companies out there specialising in guilloché work such as Metalem, Comblémine, and Décors Guillochés, it’s rare that you’ll find a fully-fledged watchmaker that’s also happy to make dials for other brands. Jochen Benzinger is one of the few exceptions, and when he doesn’t spend time making incredible dials for one of the three brands he’s lent his name to (Jaeger & Benzinger and Grieb & Benzinger are the two others), the German artisan makes dials for the likes of Chronoswiss, Glashütte Original, and Moritz Grossmann – and those are just some of the ones he’s actually allowed to namedrop. The Benzinger brand is the happy medium of the aforementioned three, and the GAP 1 is its most captivating model. The name is an acronym of “German Austrian Partnership”, referring to the movement it houses, as it was developed in collaboration with Habring². But we’re here to talk dials, of course – and the GAP 1 is available with a full suite of Benzinger’s most impressive work. Price: starting from CHF 12,500 (~US$14,500)

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Golden Siena

Parmigiani Fleurier is one of those rare manufacturers that are vertically integrated, and able to produce all of its components in its many different workshops. Vaucher is well-known to be its movement subsidiary, but when it comes to dials, that would be Quadrance et Habillage. Similarly to Benzinger, QeH also makes dials for a number of other brands (though Trilobe is the only one that seems to be publicly confirmed), and my favourite is the grain d’orge pattern of the Tonda PF models. With this in mind, which watch to better show it off than the Tonda PF Golden Siena and its no-date layout? While this particular guilloché pattern is not as wildly three-dimensional as some others on this list, its regularity and simplicity are something else. It helps that the case and movement are pretty spectacular too, making for an excellent on-wrist experience. Price: CHF 23,500 (~US$27,000)

Andersen Genève Jumping Hours 40th Anniversary

Launched for the occasion of Andersen’s 40th anniversary, the new Jumping Hours is the celebration of a long line of jump hour watches that defined the Andersen’s own creations, and those for other brands. Instead of a brass blank, the dials are made of 21k blue gold, with a hand-engraved losanges magiques (magical lozenge) pattern occupying most of the space. To offer some contrast, the minutes sub-dial gets a classic hobnail pattern – and that’s pretty much it. There is no extraneous information that would otherwise distract from the wonderful guilloché. You do get a bit of a guilloché Easter egg with the rotor though, as it’s hand-engraved engraved with a grain d’orge pattern. Price: CHF 37,800 (~US$43,000)

Breguet Classique 7137

If we’re talking big-box brands and guilloché, Breguet needs to be a part of that conversation. This is fitting, given that Abraham-Louis Breguet was one of the first (if not the first) to introduce the art into watchmaking – yet another pioneering effort by the legendary watchmaker. Hoarding an enviable collection of hand-operated machinery such as rose engines, Breguet’s artisans have create pretty much any guilloché pattern you could think of. The Classique 7137 sports a uniquely asymmetrical dial that I might actually complain about had it not been for the basketweave, clous de Paris, and damier guilloché patterns that all give it incredible dimensions. And as an aside, I was actually going to award this spot to the Breguet 7337, but its latest update significantly simplified its dial and downgraded it to just one pattern. Price: US$46,000

J.N. Shapiro Resurgence

Just one glance at any dial made by Joshua Shapiro should tell you why he’s considered to be one of the greatest living names in guillochage. He began by making dials for other brands, but by 2018 presented his Infinity Series that put the J.N. Shapiro name on the map. The Resurgence continues in this legacy with even greater finishing, and bragging rights of being a watch fully made in the United States, interestingly also available in tantalum. Its unique dial is comprised of several rings, stepping down from the outer minute track to the centre as separate pieces of metal, each showcasing the Shapiro’s signature infinity pattern. Just to keep you on your toes, the dial is surrounded by a barleycorn pattern, and the small seconds sports a moire pattern. Price: starting from US$70,000

Voutilainen Vingt-8

As you read some of these buying guides focusing on highly traditional decoration techniques, I’m sure you’ll notice the same names popping up. Whether it’s enamel, movement decoration, or engine-turning, there’s no way Kari Voutilainen would be excluded. The Vingt-8 is Voutilainen’s first from-scratch creation, designed to be simple enough to be unobtrusive while being peppered with hand-crafted components whenever you do look closer. This particular example with a silver dial is so subtle that the intricate guilloché patterns don’t immediately jump at you, but you better believe they’re there, and they’re pretty much perfect. You can, of course, customise a Vingt-8 to your heart’s desire, just in case the clous de Paris perimeter, wave inner, and basket weave sub-seconds are somehow not to your liking. Price: starting from US$108,000

Time+Tide Timeless Pick: Roger W. Smith The Great Britain

Roger Smith’s Great Britain launched in 2014, during the very formative years of my watch obsession. And yet, I distinctly remember reading about it, and it being described as having “the most complex handmade dial ever made”. When you consider that it’s made from more than thirty individual hand-finished sterling silver parts, all decorated with varying guilloché patterns coming together to form a quarter of the GB flag, the descriptor starts to make sense. Other than the dial, it was also Smith’s first watch to house his development of the Daniels co-axial escapement, now featuring a single wheel nestled among the frosted and hand-engraved movement plates. Piece unique