Movement finishing is part science and part art, mixed in with a dash of superstition. Few people have mastered the necessary techniques to finish parts by hand to an outstanding quality, and there exists a significant difference in the quality of finishing across the board. While it is undeniably a pleasure to look at, beneath the surface lies hard work and a significant amount of trial and error, and evidence of the watchmaker’s very personal approach. As a general rule, a vast chasm lies between the level of finishing one will see in commercial and hand-finished timepieces.

For certain brands and many independent watchmakers, movement finishing has become another mode of artistic expression. The surface of the movement is transformed into a canvas for experimentation, or used as a way to pay tribute to tradition, or tie together the watchmaker’s design philosophies. From the mastery of traditional techniques in Bernhard Zwinz, Daniel Roth, or Petermann Bedat’s work, to the modern twists found in the pieces of Sylvain Pinaud, Romain Gauthier, and Krayon, each bring a signature style in executing their movement finishing. In this piece, we narrow in on techniques that are specific to Swiss finishing, exploring the processes, challenges, and quirks in creating this art.

To start with, it’s important to get a sense of the kinds of metals and materials each of these finishing techniques are performed on. Traditionally, brass, gold, steel, or German silver (a specialist member of the brass family) are used, but modern watchmaking has expanded to include materials such as titanium, new alloys, or even silicon, sapphire, ceramics and metalloids – of which a few on this list cannot be hand finished. Traditional finishing is first performed on the chosen metal, then typically plated with thin layers of gold, palladium, or rhodium, whereas some brands (such as Winnerl) preserve the finished parts in their final, hand-worked state.

The basis of movement finishing relies on perfect surface preparation. Gaël Petermann, of Petermann Bédat, explains that a different approach is required for each material. “When you start to make an angle or anything similar you need to start from a smooth surface. So we use different materials to smooth the surface, the