The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Omega Sa

Montres Rado S.a.

Thomas Froelicher

Pascal Grossenbacher

Alexandre Netuschill

Guido Plankert

Christophe Henzirohs

Hakim El Kadiri

A dial for a timepiece includes a support and a mother-of-pearl sheet, the mother-of-pearl sheet having a front face and a rear face facing the support and on which a pattern has been printed. The mother-of-pearl sheet has a thickness between 50 μm and 100 μm so that the pattern printed on the rear face of the mother-of-pearl sheet appears transparently through the mother-of-pearl under normal conditions of illumination.

Dial for a timepiece and method for manufacturing the same

A method for the galvanoplastic deposition of a gold alloy on an electrode dipped into a bath including gold metal, organometallic compounds, a wetting agent, a sequestering agent and free cyanide, the alloy metals being copper metal and silver metal allowing a mirror-bright yellow gold alloy to be deposited on the electrode characterized in that the bath respects a proportion of 21.53% gold, 78.31% copper and 0.16% silver.

Method of obtaining a 18 carats 3N gold alloy

An element including a body including at least one recess forming the pattern cavity for a decoration, the at least one recess being entirely filled by a galvanic deposition in order to form an element inlaid with at least one metallic decoration with improved visual quality. The element includes a device for fixedly securing the at least one metallic decoration communicating with the at least one recess in order to improve the securing of the at least one decoration against said element.

Device for fixedly securing a metallic inlay

To fabricate an external timepiece element in which there is inserted at least one decoration, the decoration is formed of anterior and posterior parts respectively intended to emerge from the external element and to serve as a mechanism of anchoring the decoration in the external element. A master mold is provided, the master mold including a hollow pattern cavity matching dimensions of the anterior part of the decoration. The decoration is placed in the pattern cavity. The master mold is filled by the galvanic deposition of a metal. The external element obtained is removed from the master mold.

Method for inserting a decoration in an external timepiece element deposited by electroforming and an external element made in accordance with this method

Method for securing a decoration () to an external timepiece element () coated with a galvanically deposited metallic layer (). Instead of the decoration (), a dummy part () is temporarily placed in the hole () pierced in the external element (), and the galvanic deposition () is then carried out. After the deposition has been levelled, the dummy part () is removed and the decoration is placed in the hole ().

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Le Landeron, Switzerland

Thomas Froelicher