Watchmaking process

Dial

Technologically, the dial is a very demanding part to make. The starting point is making a perfect master which is then multiplied through a process called electrodeposition. You can imagine the process like "growing" dials in the image of the master. And that’s just the beginning. A number of decorative and finishing techniques follow – metal plating, attaching indices, printing designs to name just a few. There are easier ways of making dials but none of them offers as many finish options as this one.

Crystal

The spherical crystals of our watches are made of sapphire. Their shape plays an important part in the overall appearance of the watch and our designers pay them a lot of attention. They are made in Switzerland and their back is coated with a thin layer of antireflective material. The reason why we use sapphire crystals is simple – they are very hard and therefore virtually scratch-proof. The most popular method of personalising the crystal of your watch is printing.

Sweep seconds hand

The central seconds hand is not the most important time indicator on any watch but we see it as one of the most attractive details. We pay it the utmost attention – from the original design to the technical drawings and the finishing of it by hand. It is a very demanding job for a watchmaker to achieve a mirror finish on such a minuscule object. To give the seconds hand the beautiful metalic blue shade, it is heat treated in a process called annealing. The important trick of the trade is an even distribution of heat. Differences in the order of single degrees may spoil the final result. ROBOT customers who like the seconds hand as much as we do often have it personalised by adding their intitials or a miniature of a dear object. When this happens, we enjoy the making of it even more. And if you prefer your seconds hand in red we'll be happy to oblige.

Cap

The cap that holds the seconds hand on the shaft is machined first and then finished by hand. We can finish the surface by mirror polishing, straight or pattern brushing and a range of blasting techniques. The techniques can be combined to achieve a very attractive result. The last step in the process is electroplating which adds the right shade while preserving the surface structure. The cap can also be painted in gloss or matt paints which is the preferred option for those who want their watch to show their favourite colour. It might seem excessive to devote so much attention to such a tiny part but the result can be stunning and well worth the effort.

Crown

The crown is the proverbial cherry on the cake and we pay a lot of attention to it. From the original design to its finishing we give it a lot of time and thought. Like the other parts, it is machined by our production partner and then finished in our workshop. The crown can be decorated using all the previously described finishing methods. Custom decoration of the crown is one of the most popular personalisation options.

Strap

A ROBOT watch and hand-sewn leather strap made by SimaPrague go literally hand in hand. Thanks to our collaboration with this leading producer our designers can be sure that their ideas will materialise without compromises. The greatest advantage of hand made straps is the customisation of colours, shapes, lengths and stitching details.