Version francaiseGuillochage art
Guillochage consists of engraving hollow lines and intersect them to decorate jewels, dials and watches. The guillochage is an old profession of the watch industry. There remain only a few guillocheurs to carry out this very specific work.
If engraving is rather well known by all, it in is not the same for guillochage.
To "guilloche" means to decorate objects with engraved lines, and make them intersect in a way to produce an artistic patern. Two type of machines are used for this technique according to whether the artist wants to create straight or curved lines.
In the first case, the user sits in front of a machine called "straight line", in the second it operates the turn of guillochage. In the left hand, the guillocheur turns a crank and with his right hand, it actuates a mobile carriage equiped with a graver which engraves gold, platinum or brass.
The infinity of the possibilities of the drawings comes from what artists decide to choose among complete or partial intersection of straight lines or curves. The features thus obtained are about 3 to 4 hundredths of milimeter, even not the thickness of a hair, hence the recourse to two essential instruments: glasses and loupe.
If historically objects that one can decorate are multiple: mirrors, snuffboxes, box, this workshop works particularly on watches. Parts like the dial, the bottom and even the movements can be guilloched.
The parts are made one after the other, by hand, and it is an art of the watch industry which is addressed to jewels amateurs. Among the customers of this workshop appear most of the famous watch industry companies.
It is thus with a certain pride that we present those photographs.
If you are interessed, or if you have questions, send me an email.
Rene von Kaenel
