What is Guilloche?

Guilloche is a technique for engraving geometric patterns.  It was originally done on ivory and wood, but as technology developed, artisans were able to guilloche patterns on harder substances like metals.  It’s a process that’s been around since the middle ages, and is still appreciated to this day.  In fact, it’s more popular than ever thanks to advances in tech.  Today, the hard part is finding a manufacturer that still does it by hand!  Well, finding one might not be so hard, but affording it might be.

One might say it’s a dying art form.  It’s a very time consuming, meticulous process with fewer manufacturers holding to tradition every year.  Personally, I enjoy the many geometric styles and I think it’s funny to look at a watch and appreciate all that’s gone into making the dial.  Most of the time, the intricacies and effort of the dial are overlooked while the movement gets all the cred.  

Anyway, here’s a YouTube video to show you Guilloche better than I can explain.