All About Dials
The dial was the most visible part of a watch, coming in an incredible array of styles, fonts and colors on substrates from metal to porcelain to celluloid. Learn the basics of dial construction and the types of materials used, see the different layouts, and enjoy a section devoted to fancy dials and private labels.
Pressed
Single-Sunk
Single-Sunk
This was the simplest design, made from a copper disc with stamped depressions to create the lower level for the seconds hand, and used primarily on lower-grade pieces.
Single-Sunk
Single-Sunk
Single-Sunk
Single-sunk (or sunk) dials had a separate seconds bit that was soldered to the main dial. This was done so that the seconds hand could sit lower, allowing the hour hand to clear it.
Double-Sunk
Single-Sunk
Double-Sunk
Double-sunk dials were assembled from three separate pieces of different thicknesses, and were generally used on higher-grade watches. Triple-sunk dials were used on indicators.
Montgomery
Moorehouse and O'Hara
Montgomery
Henry Montgomery was the Inspector of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway from 1896 to 1923, patenting a design that he called the Safety Dial. It had marginal minute numbers that were all upright (not radial like other dials), red five minute subs that were slightly larger than the other minutes, and a '6' in the seconds bit that was smaller than the other hour numbers.
24-Hour
Moorehouse and O'Hara
Montgomery
The 24-hour dials were an import requirement for Canadian railways, which adopted this standard in the mid 1880s. The 13 to 24-hour Arabic markers were generally inside of the 12-hour ring, and there were many variations. Dials with combinations of Roman and Arabic characters together were common and could also be found in Montgomery styles.
Wind-Indicator
Moorehouse and O'Hara
Moorehouse and O'Hara
Elgin, Rockford, and Waltham were the only American factories that made pocket watch wind-indicators in quantity. When the watch is fully wound the indicator hand is starting at zero, marking the passing of the hours as the mainspring unspools. Note that the Rockford dial in the photo has the word "Wind" where the 24-hour marker is placed as a reminder.
Moorehouse and O'Hara
Moorehouse and O'Hara
Moorehouse and O'Hara
Josiah Moorehouse emigrated to America in 1854, eventually becoming employed as a dial painter by Nashua, Waltham, and Edward Howard while inventing his own distinctive style. Daniel O'Hara first worked for Waltham making watch cases, pairing with Edwin Weatherbee around 1890 in what would become the O'Hara Dial Co, makers of colored watch dials.
Ferguson Dials
That Famous Swiss Dial
Louis Ferguson of Louisiana applied for a patent on his design in November of 1907, which was granted a year later. He produced porcelain dials for many local factories, and they are valuable, so check the back of the dial for the appropriate patent stamps. Hands were originally supplied with the dial, and note the intentional color match between the hands and the numerals.
Composite Dials
Celluloid
Aftermarket
Melamine
Celluloid was a perfect medium for the film industry, though it was used for dials by a few watch companies. Invented in the 1860s, it was one of the very first thermoplastics, a polymer based on camphor, a natural form of wax harvested from evergreen trees.
Melamine
Aftermarket
Melamine
Melamine was an early laminate made with formaldehyde, arising from war-time material shortages during World War II and used in place of enamel. Melamine dials have a flat, dull look and surface cracks that will only worsen as they age and deteriorate.
Aftermarket
Aftermarket
Aftermarket
Aftermarket dials are post-WW II items on metal plates that were meant to replace damaged originals, made by Swiss firms like LaRose. The tip-offs are 5-minute markings that are too cherry-red, and sinks with incorrect diameters and indistinct edges.
Metallic Dials
Patterned
Patterned
Patterned
Patterned metal dials were painted or milled, and some were considered railroad grade as Hi-Visibility. Scenic settings, milled patterns, and the fact that they can't crack are some of the benefits.
Secometer
Patterned
Patterned
Metal dials made punch-outs possible for rotating seconds sub-dials under the main one, which were called secometers, an early form of digital display. Several firms like Waltham and Illinois made them.
Embossed
Patterned
Embossed
These are similar to patterned dials, except the patterns were raised, making them useful as a Braille dial. They were more popular in Europe, and relatively few American factories produced them.
Art-Deco
Patterned
Embossed
As watch patterns became more plain, the emphasis shifted to the dial in the 1920s. Patterns and raised numerals became common, and different fonts and multiple colors all emerged.
Center Speckled
Center Speckled
Center Speckled
These dials were very striking, with a standard white outer chapter for visibility around a gold-foil center sink. This was an ideal design to dress up what would have been a plain dial without losing function.
Black and Gold
Center Speckled
Center Speckled
Another version of the center speckled dial, but with a black outer chapter and a textured inner sink. Gilt characters, numerals, train tracks, and minute markers make this a very elegant look.
Raised Numeral
Center Speckled
Raised Numeral
A somewhat plain dial on a white painted background, but with gilt numerals that were well proud of the surface, which provided a dozen numbers for the hands to snag on and stall the watch.
Pinstripes
Center Speckled
Raised Numeral
Metal dials with pinstripes were fairly rare, because it meant interrupting the pattern to place sixty dots as minute markers before the addition of the raised gold numerals and the brushed center sink.
Skeletonized
Sunburst/Rayed
Skeletonized
Dials with most of the center chapter deliberately removed for increased visibility of the inner workings of the gear train were called skeletonized, and were offered as novelties by factories like NY Standard.
Military
Sunburst/Rayed
Skeletonized
Military dials from WWII had white characters painted onto a black background for clarity. Earlier versions used radium, a radioactive-decay isotope that glowed on the characters, the hands, and the numbers.
Sunburst/Rayed
Sunburst/Rayed
Sunburst/Rayed
A rayed patterned, so named for the rays of light from the sun, was made with a rose engine, which was a rotary tool that could cut repeating lines while expanding outward or shrinking inward.
Painted
Sunburst/Rayed
Sunburst/Rayed
Factories did offer painted flat dials, though usually in gray or one of the earth tones like tan. They never really caught on in the 16 and 18-size pieces, but were very popular on the 12-size dress watches.
Securing the Dial
Dial Feet
American watch dials had wire pegs soldered to the back of the dial to anchor it to the movement, using either taper pins or set screws. The larger sizes had two, three, and even four feet, and their location was not standard, varying by model and size. A few companies mounted the dial with screws passing through the movement, threading them into pockets on the dial back.
Pinned Dials
Watch dials were first held in place by brass taper pins before the practice of using set screws to secure the feet. They were a very poor design choice, with the pins forever getting lost and occasionally falling into the movement. The holes in the dial feet would become enlarged, making removal and installation difficult, leading to cracks and other damage.
Snap-On Dials
Smaller-size watches generally had snap-on dials to save room on the pillar plate, although a few larger models used them too. Since the only way to remove them was to pry them off, cracked and broken examples are all too common.
The Colors
Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Blue
By far the most common, achieved by heating the steel hands to 450° F.
Plum
Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Blue
Used primarily by Illinois, done by heating the steel hands to 400° F.
Black
Cobalt Blue
Black
Hamilton used black on later models, made by quenching the hot steel in oil.
White
Multi-Colored
Black
Black dials were for military service, using painted white hands for contrast.
Multi-Colored
Multi-Colored
Multi-Colored
Ferguson used the dial and hands as a system with matching the colors.
Gilt
Multi-Colored
Multi-Colored
Fancy hands, commonly called Louis XIV, were produced by gilding soft brass.
Restoration Highlights
One of Illinois's rarest watches was the 23-jewel Washington Lafayette. Only 190 were ever made.