GLau
[Patek Moderator]
14528
Ulysse is the only brand I know that is able to...
...produce different types (champlevé, cloisonné, enamel painting) of enamel dials, for its own and other brands' watches, after the purchase of Donze Candran (a specialist enamel dial maker). I only have their champlevé pictorial dials (Dragon and Serpent) and they are done extremely well. After close inspections under a loupe for many times, I could not find bubbles or noticeable imperfections.
Patek also has in-house capabilities and additionally use independent enamellers (such as Anita Porchet who also does work for VC, Paiget rose dials, J. Dorze Pailonnē dials) on a non-exclusive basis to supplement its own enamel production. Suzanne Rohr, based on an article I read, does contracting work just for Patek for enamel paintings. The 5131s are done by a mother and son team and I am assuming that they are Patek full time employees. The 5131 cloisonné enamel dials do contain some imperfections (and I have seen several of these under a loupe). I think the reason for the 5131 cloisonné imperfections vs none noticed for Ulysse champlevé is that the different techniques result in different outcomes after the firing procedure.
Other brands might have a few enamellers to produce their own pieces but mihgt not have enough capacities like Ulysse's Donze which does contract works for others (such as Vulcain for it Pegasus dials).
Hope this is helpful.
Gordon
Which watch brands have the best enamel dials?
I was wondering about the opinions of collectors, which brands do you feel make the best enamel dials? Please elaborate on why. Do you think they are the best looking? Do you think they are the best quality? Do you think they are the best value? Thank you...
I like enamel dials...
Best is sometimes relative. But here are a few things I look for... Grand Feu enamel is a true high-heat enamel. There are other "cold enamel" processes that are not true traditional high-heat enameling, some brands call this "lacquer dials" (like Patek P...
What about Jaquet Droz and their enamel pieces?
What do you think of their quality of workmanship? I am speaking primarily of their Pailonnē enameled dials. John
Again, a different kind of enamel process...
Palionne enamel is significantly different from grand feu enameling. I have seen many Jacquet Droz pieces with Palionne enamel dials and they are done quite nicely. There is less competition here, and Jacquet Droz is one of the larger producers of Palionn...
JD's enamel dials use a ceramic base plate...
The reason is that you don't need counter-enameling on the backside of the dial. That's the reason why they can offer an unbeatable price point on enamel dials as the production process is totally different than a traditionally crafted enamel dial.
Does somebody other than J*D…
…offer a paillonee dial? Who, pray tell? The J*D dial is a beast: it can be dense and impenetrable, or lucid and transparent, depending on the light. It took between 9 and 11 firings of enamel over the sunburst base to achieve the final result, accordi...
Yes, there are...
Palionne enamel dials are not exclusive to Jaquet Droz. Some companies, such as Van Cleef and Arpels have claimed they make legitimate Palionne enamel dials as well. Nice link in your profile!
Patrick, this is almost a reference post...
thanks for taking the time to put it together! One question though - regarding the Richard Lange Pour Le Merite and its three-part enamel dial. You state that joining these three fragile parts together was a challenge. However, if I look at vintage pocket...
I actually noticed the same thing.
Thank you for your thoughtful post Magnus. And thanks for the compliment! When I was at the Lange factory, the regional president with whom I was with informed me of the difficulty on the dial. I said that there have been two or three part or more enamel ...
You cannot approach the topic by brands but rather by dial makers...
Almost none (if none) of the brands you talk about makes its enamel dials itself (exception: JLC makes SOME itself and JD does it industrially on a ceramic base but that's another story). They all use specialized sub-contractors for their dials. The best ...
Good point!
One that I had mostly forgotten to consider. Thank you for your valuable input.
I quite like some of the enameling work by Ulysse Nardin
They have made many pieces over the years, some in the grand feu style, and other variants. There is an excellent reference section on the UN forum here: They have a number of current models with enamel offerings including the new Marine Chronometre Manu...
UN bought Donze Cadrans in 2011
and made it a part of their manufacture. Donze Cadrans, now part of UN, does the enamel dials, and I believe they do some for other brands. Here is the Marine Manufacture as you stated, Dave. This is the only watch with an enamel dial that I own, and it d...
A few samples
Lange Lange PLM Vacheron Breguet The new Debethune Th new JLC duometre Lang & Heyne Albert Chrono Sorry, not had this one on, but Samwan one this beauty and has great photos How about this UN This JLC But I will close with a side by side VC I just wis...
This is a difficult question to answer.
Brands like VC, Lange, JD, UN, MB Villeret and others produce watches with beautiful enamel dials. None of them can claim theirs are the best. It is undeniable that some enamel dials are out sourced. The quality is beyond the brands' control. I have perso...
You mention Speake-Marin...
The Resilience model is a good, affordable alternative to the world of enamel dials. ...
Counter question: Which watch manufacturer produces its own enamel dials? ...
If buying an existing enameller does not qualify, then I think Piaget might be the only one. Consequently, the search for the "best enamel dial watchbrand" should be reduced to the one able to afford the best enamellers, or the one with the tightest quali...
Ulysse is the only brand I know that is able to...
...produce different types (champlevé, cloisonné, enamel painting) of enamel dials, for its own and other brands' watches, after the purchase of Donze Candran (a specialist enamel dial maker). I only have their champlevé pictorial dials (Dragon and Serpen...
Donzé also makes (made?) enamel dials for Patek ...
... as you can see on this picture I shot two years ago: Other customer brands include(d) R. Dubius, Bovet, JLC, Lang&Heyne, Breguet, and Omega. Regarding Omega, I have been informed that the Swatch Group now has own facilities to produce enamel di...
Bespoke enamel dials
Does anyone happen to know if any brand offers BESPOKE enamel dials? I think VC is the only possibility so far...
Ulysse Nardin did accept custom orders ...
... here is a strikingly beautiful example, from our UN enamel dial reference gallery: This was the original design, assembling the favourite animals of the customer's daughter: And this is what the final product looked like: Marcus ...
Who is the Enameler for Jaquet Droz's Pailonné Dials
Does Jaquet Droz use the same person to do their pailonné enamel work? If so, who is it? Does that person work exclusively for Jaquet Droz?
At the begining it was Anita Porchet who also does work for other brands
but Paillonnee work only for J*D Here is a post from a visit we made a few years ago Enjoy, Mike
Do you know who does Blancpain's enamel dials?
And do you have an idea about their quality compared to others? It appears to be a recent addition to the Blancpain line. Best, Magnus
Personally
I like this one. Enamel part is so small, which truly makes it hard to produce. Plus watch is also very usable and functional with it being a worldtimer. It's pure art PLUS functionality! ...
I read in a HK watch magazine
That Hermes raided and now has many of the top enamel artists, not necessary to make watch dials, but for bracelets and etc.