xelorrolex Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 (edited) The outsanding weaving pattern that forms the square and lozenge motif of “Grand Tapisserie” is decoratively engraved in a remarkable way thanks to machines that are half a century old. This highly intricate guillochage captures the light and accentuates the timepiece's geometric relief. I really wonder how the rep industry are able nowadays to replicate this so accurately !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0uW37FnCLM The brass dial is engraved by a burin (a precision metalwork chisel) that reproduces the motif on a disc attached to the machine, like a pantograph. A pointer rotates across the disc from the periphery to the centre. The system is combined with a tool that forms the little lozenges between the squares,” explains engineer Nicholas Prost, who heads the decorative engraving project. The process takes between 20 and 50 minutes, depending on the dial's diameter. It's a delicate operation. A mere skip is all it takes to damage the piece as the slightest impact is as visible as dust on a mirror. As the 'piquetage' gets closer to the circle's centre, the rhythm gets faster and hails the birth of a brand new dial, ready to be sent out for the finishing processes. Since the birth of Royal Oak in 1972, the guillochage work had been exclusively subcontracted to a dial-work artisan. In order to produce this element in the workshop, the horology brand recovered 40 year old machines in Canada and the United States. The machines were then completely overhauled and improved over the period of a year before they took their place in the manufacturing process 3 years ago. Impressive ! @ all the lucky Royal Oak Rep owners (esspecially the new 15400) Please, feel free to share your expercience .... Enjoy your day ! Xel Edited September 29, 2013 by xelorrolex 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CokeSmurf Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 Damn, that is some intricate work! Going to be interesting to see how the rep makers do this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martijnp Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 very precisely work. Interesting to see. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceocorona Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 So thats how the factories look in China? Kidding, lol. That is some serious work to get the details done right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpohl402 Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Very cool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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