Cloisonné is a way of decorating a dial in which cells made from metal strips or wire, usually gold, hold enamel. It is the oldest enamelling method still practised. Because each cell takes its own colour, the enameller can build detailed patterns or scenes. It is still rare and expensive, and few people master it.
How is a cloisonné dial made?
The enameller first outlines each area of the design with wire of fine silver or fine gold. On a watch dial, these wires can be as fine as a human hair. They are either soldered or glued in place. Purists who still solder their cloisons use the method for fine watch faces and costly jewellery. Each cell is then filled with vitreous enamel in its own colour. When the fillings have dried completely, the dial is fired in a kiln. Once fired, the enamel is ground flat and smooth with lapidary tools.
Where it comes from
The technique began in the jewellery of the ancient Near East. The earliest undisputed enamelled objects are Mycenaean rings found in a tomb on Cyprus. They are dated to the 12th century BC. No enamelling method still in use is older. In watchmaking it survives as a specialist craft. Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie and Andersen Genève have both used it for several series of worldtimer watches with artistic dials.
Not to be confused with
Champlevé also divides a dial into separate areas. The difference lies in how the walls are made. In champlevé, the craftsman carves into the metal dial itself. Cloisonné builds the walls up from wire instead. Plique-à-jour also uses metal cells, but their backing is only temporary. It is usually removed in an acid bath. Cloisonné wires are fixed to the dial and stay there.
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