ENGRAVER’S BALL VICE

The engraver’s ball vice is a vice of spherical shape and considerable weight, used almost exclusively by hand engravers. Placed on an annular support — a cushion of leather or a ring — which allows it to pivot freely in all directions, it firmly holds the piece to be engraved while letting it be oriented at will. The engraver thus turns the workpiece under the tool to present each line at the most favorable angle, without having to move their hand or interrupt their motion. The mass of the engraver’s ball vice ensures the stability essential to precision work, by absorbing the forces exerted by the graver. This traditional tool, inherited from Engraving on Metals and goldsmithing, remains central to the decorative crafts of watchmaking, where hand engraving adorns dials, cases, bridges, and movements. The Engraver’s ball vice illustrates the importance of holding devices in the decorative craftsmanship of fine watchmaking.