The VISIBLE and the INVISIBLE

Two penetrating questions. First, can artistry and precision inhabit the same space? Second, who ever heard of artistry hidden from view? Blancpain’s Le Brassus dedicated finishing workshop not only emphatically answers the first question in the affirmative, it confirms the latter.

Perhaps no aspect of fine watchmaking is more misunderstood than movement finishing. It seems that a large percentage of even the most sophisticated connoisseurs, those who can tick off the evolution of escapements, complications, and materials, have not devoted the same examination to the details or the history of finishing. However, without understanding that history, the traditions, and details of the craft woven into it, how can one distinguish between the average and the most sublime?

Two hundred years ago movement finishing was almost singularly focused on utility: protecting against oxidation and corrosion. By treating the surfaces and edges of the plates, bridges and steel components, those two enemies of longevity could be kept at bay. Over time, however, this concentration on functionality was broadened. Art had established itself, not only as a way of bestowing beauty to timepieces, but as a signal and demonstration of value. With dials and cases the initial subjects for artistic crafts, attention shifted to include the decoration of movements. Contributing to the new focus upon the appearance of the movement were the business practices of the grand Geneva watch houses which utilized movements, particularly for complicated timepieces, that were not, in fact, produced “in-house”. Rather, their movements came from sources located outside of the city, many from the Vallée de Joux, in the form of what were known as “ebauches”. These movement ebauches, although functional, were generally unfinished and, in some instances, consisted only of the complications. To distinguish their timepieces beyond adding the case, dial, hands, and, in some instances, the balance wheel and escapement, the Geneva watch houses began to embellish the ebauches through artistically applied decoration techniques. These finishes were bestowed upon the movement as a way for the watch houses to signal their prowess, demonstrate excellence, and, indeed, their brand identities. Working upon the ebauches, these Geneva watchmakers developed motifs and artisanal techniques that endure today: côte de genève (ribs and brushing applied to bridges), anglage (beveling of the edges of bridges and steel components), perlage (swirls in the form of circles applied to bridges and mainplates), poli miroir (mirror polishing of steel components), traits droits/traits tirés (fine brushing of the flat surfaces of steel components), moulures diamantées (fine polishing of countersinks). Today, these decorative motifs are practiced widely throughout the watch world, but how faithfully? What details and techniques underlie these motifs in modern timepieces? Returning to the question posed at the outset, how can one distinguish between the average and the sublime? The answers emerge in an informed, careful examination of the movement and, for certain elements, particularly finishing hidden from view, confidence in the integrity of the watch house. Thus, front and center, we offer Blancpain’s new Grande Double Sonnerie. Naturally for a timepiece this complicated with more than 1000 individual components, a catalog of the finishing of each element in Lettres du Brassus would yield a weighty tomb indeed. Instead, let’s examine representative components from the movement as examples of how Blancpain has respected artistic craft in the decoration of each one.

ANGLAGE 
Example: the perpetual calendar bridge. Even a brief glance upon this bridge, and, indeed all the bridges and mainplate, sets it apart from what is standard in the watch world. Nearly universally, these components are fashioned in brass and, far less commonly, in German silver. However, for the Grande Double Sonnerie Blancpain selected red gold for the bridges and mainplate, prizing the extra brilliance that emerges when it is finished. The form of the bridge signals the complexity of its finishing. Properly done, anglage finishing applied to the perimeter of a component is a time-consuming process; we will turn to the steps momentarily. However, this bridge has been open worked, thus, not only must the anglage finishing be brought to the exterior edges, it, as well, is required for all of the interior edges. This brings a five-fold increase in the amount of anglage as compared to a solid bridge! This, however, is only what emerges from a quick look. The details teach much more.

Savvy observers will spot sharp interior angles which watchmakers term “angles rentrants”. These are noteworthy as there is a crisp line dividing the two sides of the angled form. This one bridge, alone, has 43 sharp interior angles. There is a total of 148 sharp interior angles in the movement! These angles are the clue that shows both the method of finishing and, at the same time, rules out less costly, less painstaking, less time consuming, less artisanal methods. When a border is rounded in shape, electric rotary tools can be used to apply an edge bevel. Because rounded edges are far less demanding and time consuming to finish, it has become the norm throughout Switzerland to design watch components with rounded forms thus avoiding sharp interior angles. In place of an electric tool, the sharp interior angles on this bridge could only be achieved through an elaborate multi-step process, each stage of which demands skilled careful hand work.

It begins with an awl (which watchmakers term a “burin”). The artisan carves all of the edges to produce a 30 degree angle from the top surface. If this description conjures images of métiers d’art engraving, cling to that notion, as it is on the mark.

Careful thought underlies the choice of the bevel angle. Blancpain’s previous practice, and, for that matter the practice of much of the watch world, had been to apply a 45 degree bevel to the edges of components. By changing that angle to 30 degrees the shine of the finished bevel can more easily be seen by the owner. Steeper angles tend to be a bit less visible and, also, in certain positions, can cast reflections on neighboring elements. What follows the initial creation of the 30 degree angle is a series of wood polishing steps with progressively finer polishing compounds affixed to the wood. The final polishing compound step using a powder of 1 micron, is astonishing. To the touch, the 1 micron powder feels entirely smooth, but this polish stage is not, in fact, the final step. Respecting the grand tradition of the Vallée de Joux, Blancpain harvests the stems of gentian, a wild plant which grows near the workshop. With the addition of a secret mixture, it brings the final touch of brilliance to the surface.

Unseen in the artistry of bringing anglage to all of the complex edges of the bridge are the demands of watchmaking precision. Through all of these elaborate steps, the finishing craftsmen must carefully avoid distorting the shape of each component, particularly flatness. This is critical when a component is open worked, as improper handling may result in bending. Thus, the flatness is verified after all of the finishing operations have been completed.