The Love Of Details In Maitres du Temps Watches
Finishing, detailing, and decoration. These are all terms you hear applied to luxury watches, but what do they all mean? It can be confusing to understand the application of the terms, and they are sometimes used synonymously. I am going to use this automatic movement rotor from the Maitres du Temps Chapter Two watch to briefly explain a bit about these terms, and more importantly why they are important. First, read the message on the solid gold rotor to understand the basic sentiment behind why this is important. Watches are functional instruments but also pieces of masterwork, and art. Can you design and put together a watch? No, most people cannot. It takes years and years of skill and training, as well as a healthy helping of talent. There is as much engineering to learn as there is artistic technique. If there is anything you know about people who take great pride in their work, it is that they like to decorate what they make.
Finishing is an overall term of the fit and finish of a watch, as well as the state each piece of the watch is in. Is the watch put together well? Are the pieces files and polished properly? Finishing can blend into decoration when it comes to polishing metal surfaces, but not all polish types are for decoration purposes. Notice the edges of this rotor, and how they are polished and beveled. This is all hand done, and part of a finishing process after the basic gold structure of the rotor is formed. Plus, this process ensures that the rotor is even, balanced, and will spin properly.
Then you have detailing, which is part of the finishing process, and refers to the combined effort of finishing, decoration, but is also about the little touches on the watch aside from the metal. Such as whether or not areas are decoration, do the pieces of the watch fit together due to detailed design, and how well does the strap fit and match the case? How nicely is the crown and pushers integrated into the case, etc… Detailing has no specific definition, but can be used to discuss many of the features of the watch from how it is designed to specifically how it is put together and the “love” the watch makers put into the watch. Look at the nicely detailed rotor above. Not only does it have a unique ax-head design, but each major surface is decorated, there is a large of polish and finishing all over it along with written engravings – and most of it is done by hand. This would describe a well detailed movement rotor.
Next you have decoration which again has various meanings under the term as applied to fine watch making. Here, decoration is mostly the hand engraving on the gold rotor but can also include the hand beveling and polishing on the other surfaces. Much of the decoration is done under a microscope because it is too detailed for the naked eye. Workers sit all day looking into a microscope working the fine lines of the decorated patterns. A lot of the time they work with tools they make themselves. Decoration is at the heart of a lot of luxury watches after a company has gotten past the whole “make a nice looking watch with a cohesive set of complications.” Decoration is like the finishing touch on your masterpiece to let people know how much time and effort you put into it, which is funny because decoration can take more time to do than the rest of the process or putting together a watch.
So there you have it, a little discussion about these important elements of a luxury watch, and things you’ll certainly find in a Maitres du Temps watch. You can understand a bit more when you read “Masters and their craft, a lifelong pursuit of excellence.” The pictured gold rotor is off their $66,000 Chapter Two watch, which is a nice entry-level price compared to the $400,000 Chapter One watch, but that one isn’t an automatic.
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For sale on JamesList.com
75,000 $
1,150,000 €
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