Côtes de Genève is a movement finish made of fine, regular scratches laid down in parallel or concentric patterns. It was first developed to catch dust inside the case. The grooves have a fine, rough surface that picks up and holds dust, so it would not move around the movement.
How is Côtes de Genève made?
The parts are first electroplated with gold or rhodium. For the striping, each part sits on a lathe. The lathe turns the part and also moves it in a straight line. The cutting head is made of wood or sandpaper. It spins as it travels along rails. The head is set at a slight tilt to the part, so the abrasive meets the surface at an angle. The result is a run of fine, regular scratches laid side by side.
Where do you find Geneva stripes?
The stripes appear on movement plates and on automatic rotors. Traditional Swiss watchmaking uses the decoration mainly on bridges. The finish is found on cheap movements as well as high-end ones. One reason is that it is easy to do on automatic CNC machines. It is used, then, at both ends of the market.
Are there other kinds of Geneva stripes?
Watchmakers in Saxony took up the same finish. There it is known as Glashütte stripes. The look also has variants. Besides straight, parallel stripes, there is a circular version. It is made by putting the tool on a rotating carrier, so the stripes curve rather than run straight. Omega uses a sunburst form of Geneva striping on some of its movements.
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