Patent ID: 7628894

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a ceramic element to be fitted onto a watch case, a visible surface of which has features, wherein said visible surface is a watch surface exposed to being knocked, said process comprising: selectively depositing a photoresist layer on said visible surface, the thickness of said photoresist layer being at least equal to the height of said features, vacuum-depositing a first tie layer made of Ti, Ta, Cr, Th or alloys thereof by physical vapor deposition (PYD) with magnetron sputtering with a thickness of at least 100 nm on said surface thus selectively coated and maintained at a temperature below 100° C. at which said photoresist layer is kept intact, then, without venting atmosphere, depositing by PVD deposition a second layer made of Au, Pt, Ag, Ni, Pd, TiN, CrN, ZrN or alloys thereof with a thickness of at least 100 nm, and then dissolving said photoresist layer, so as to obtain the features on the visible surface of the ceramic element.