Dial

Specification

Technical parameters

Overview

A dial is a thin plate, usually brass, with a finish applied and indices attached or printed. On the underside are dial feet — small posts that pass through the main plate and are held by dial foot screws or clamps. Those feet are what fix the dial in position, and they are the most commonly broken part of any dial.

Finish is where the character comes from. Sunburst brushing radiates from the centre and shifts with the light; guilloché is an engine-turned geometric pattern; lacquer gives a deep, glossy colour; and galvanic plating produces coloured metallic surfaces. Applied indices are separate metal pieces fixed through the dial, while printed indices are simply ink on the surface.

Luminous material is the other variable. Modern watches use a strontium aluminate compound that charges under light and glows for hours without any radiation source. Older watches used radium-based paint, which is genuinely hazardous and requires specialist handling — if you suspect a dial is radium-lumed, stop and get advice before working on it.

What matters about it

• Dial feet locate and fix the dial to the movement
• Finish determines how light behaves on the face
• Applied indices are separate parts; printed ones are not
• Modern lume charges from light and is non-radioactive
• Centre hole and feet must match the movement exactly

Practical notes

• Check that the feet align with the plate holes before any pressure at all.
• Never lift a dial by its feet — lift by the edge with brass tweezers.
• Confirm hand clearance at every hand before setting the final one.
• Photograph the dial position before removal so the feet go back the same way.

Compatible with