GENEVA STRIPES (COTES DE GENEVE)

It is sometimes said that this decoration was sometimes made to catch the dust of the watches which historically did not have the waterproofness of those of our days.

However, this is more attributed to the beading on the case back, in particular on parts surrounding the gear train.

The Geneva stripes can be made manually on a support that will be made for the occasion. The way to do it is well explained in the book La montres de Georges Daniels.

For the semi-artisanal method, the Geneva stripes can already be made by machine for relatively modest quantities.

If you want, you can start the waves at different levels on each room and create unique sceneries each time.

For the industrial method it will be possible to adjust the machines perfectly, for example to avoid the beginning of a wave on an engraving which could give an aesthetic aspect of the engraving.

After adjustment of the machine all the parts will be almost identical. It should be noted, however, that the Geneva stripes are almost non-existent on all movements with an annual production of more than 50’ooo units.