Machine finishing VS hand finishing VS fully hand finished

Hello

I am doing some research on this topic, and I could not find a comprehensive guide that explains the agreed upon basics.

From what I have gathered, machine finishing implies that automation was used to treat the movement parts to a desired level.

Hand finished seems to mean that machines where used then traditional hand finishing using traditional tools where used to overcome the limitations of hand finishing.

Fully hand finished such as a Dufour or Patek 5204 or Greubel is when only traditional tools where used from the get go, resulting in what is considered the finest quality.

If that is accurate, what exactly are the tools used for each and how would you be able to differentiate using a loupe?

More so, can we state some examples movements that clearly show the difference with images? That would be fantastic!!!

💰3 Marketplace Listings for Philippe Dufour›

One of the best ways of spotting true hand finishing is observing the bevelling of the bridges

By: andrea~ : October 22nd, 2022-11:55

If the anglage is mirror polished, without marks, and rounded then you are dealing with hand finishing. What's even more impressive is when two bevels meet to form an interior angle or exterior point. It takes a lot more time for a watchmaker to file inte...

Most highest end would be hand finished by that standard, only a very few would be fully hand finished

By: Spangles - Dr. Tabby : October 22nd, 2022-16:54

The GF Hand Made 1, but not other GF, for example. Dufour is wonderful, but the movement plates are cut by machine by a third party vendor, then finished, so not sure how that really falls.

Yeah, I think the GF Hand Made 1 is in a league of it's own there. I can't think of anyone not using cnc and modern equipment to rough out most parts. That said, I've been thinking about this lately since there's all sorts of nuance in this.

By: Fastwong : October 23rd, 2022-00:33

I was comparing the new Ferdinand Berthoud FB3 with the GF Signature 1 recently and it was really interesting to have them side by side. FB proudly say that all of their components are finished by hand. The frosted dial for example is sand blasted with re...

These are very well thought out and articulated points!

By: Spangles - Dr. Tabby : October 25th, 2022-19:51

You're right there is a lot of nuance, and I agree that finishing is both way over emphasized and also in need of better understanding from collectors. I came to watchtime on Sunday and got to try on the FB3. It was very nice. Roland at RGM was super nice...