Most of the machines used today to do this type of work were made between 1850 and 1948. Figure 1 shows a typical rose engine used for revolving work. As the spindle revolves, it rocks from side to side as the touch piece follows the shape of the rose as it turns. The cutting tool is held in a slide rest that is stationary and held by hand against the work as this takes place. RGM and Engine-Turning All of our textured dial watches here at RGM are hand cut on a rose engine, straight line machine or both, the beauty of a hand cut dial cannot be reproduced by stamping or embossing.
Many companies try to imitate the engine-turned look by stamping dials.
This process can look good, but in no way does it capture the beauty and light reflective qualities of a real engine-turned dial. There are only a handful of craftsmen in the world who can do this type of work anymore. We are proud to keep this high quality art form alive and well in our watches. It is a very expensive endeavor, with most dials taking up to 3 hours to cut the texture. This does not include the time and work to make the plate and to finish the dial after the engine-turning.