Bulgari Watch Case Polishing & Assembly

pingtsai · 2013-10-19T09:44:43Z

Explore Bulgari's watch case manufacturing, from hand-polishing to water resistance testing. Discover the craftsmanship behind luxury watch cases.

More on Bulgari Case-making: Polishing & Assembly

After case pieces have been designed, milled and stamped, they move on to turning and polishing to get closer to that finished refined look. All the polishing is done by hand.

Polished cases

A small assortment of cases in different stages of finishing

Final Assembly

The polished cases then move on to final assembly and quality control. In this step the crystal gasket is put in place and the glass is installed.

The glass is pressed in with a small press, securing the crystal in place.

More complicated cases consist of many parts that need to be assembled.

When the assembly of the cases has been completed, they are then tested for water resistance. The standard tests are for 30 meters, the tester in front, and 300 meters, the smaller tester in back. Actually the cases are tested to 40 and 400 meters and for periods of time of up to 3 hours.

The cases that pass the test for water resistance are then inspected again and are packed in soft resilient plastic to protect them.

Do you prefer polished, brushed or another type of finishing?

The next stop is Neuchâtel where we will see how the bracelets are made. To be continued...

This message has been edited by pingtsai on 2013-10-19 10:11:31

The Discussion

nilomis

Oct 19, 2013

I have a profound admiration for the art of case making...

Ping, Thank you for this wonderful photo report. I'm amazed to learn that Bulgari do all case finishing by hand and this, by my book, is a very important fact because requires very skilled and true artisans. After all, this is the main reason why we wear mechanical watches, IMHO. Cheers, Nilo

pingtsai

Oct 30, 2013

Thank you for your comments!

I am always amazed at the craftsmanship that goes into making cases. The photos were all taken by Mr. Don Corson

AnthonyTsai

Oct 20, 2013

Thanks for the report Ping

I always prefer a case that has both polished & brushed finishing when it comes to sports watches such as the Bulgari Diagono X-Pro. This combination gives me a better visual impression of the case. For dress watches which are slim, my preference is polished finish. Cheers, Anthony

pingtsai

Oct 30, 2013

That would be an awesome report in itself...

.....to see the making of a Diagono X-Pro case.

Bill

Oct 20, 2013

Great Report on the Bulgari case making

The pictures and the process really help us understand how much manual work goes into the assembly of fine watches. It is always a pleasure to get a behind the curtain look at what goes on at the manufacture. Looking forward to more. Bill

pingtsai

Oct 30, 2013

Yes there is more to come

Thanks to Mr. Don Corson for the photos, there will be more about Bulgari watchmaking in general.

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