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The Secret Craft of Gilt Dials – Know Dials Like a Pro
In vintage watch collecting, “gilt” or “gilt gloss” dials are among the most admired and misunderstood types of dial. Rather than referring simply to gold-coloured printing, a true gilt dial uses an electrochemical (galvanic) process to deposit a dark coating around masked areas, revealing underlying metal for lettering and markers.
Historical Context and Era of Use
The result is a luminous, mirror-like contrast: the black appears deep and rich, and the printed elements glow with metallic sheen, the gold colour on a gilt dial is not raised ink, but the underlying metal, seen in negative.
Gilt dials gained popularity primarily from the 1930s to the early 1960s, especially among brands like Rolex, Tudor, Universal Genève, and others seeking a refined, high-contrast look. They demanded more labor and skill than typical printed or painted dials.
Over time, as production volumes increased and cost pressures mounted during the mid-to-late 1960s, manufacturers gradually shifted to matte dials with painted (gilt-tone) printing, which were cheaper, faster, and more robust under mass production.
On the left: a 1958 Ref. 5508 Rolex Submariner with a mixed graphics silver gilt dial, the dial is a galvanic print, the two lines above 6 are printed raised
Because gilt dials require masking, plating, washing, and precise lacquer application, the process fell out of favor as markets demanded lower costs and easier manufacturing. By the late 1960s, the era of true gilt dials was essentially over in most major brands.
on the right: a 1930 Heuer gilt Mixed graphics dial: the retailer`s name, Mersmann, is printed raised on the dial
Why Electing Galvanic Over Conventional Printing?
From the sources and standard dial-manufacturing logic, here are reasons galvanic gilt was used when pure black printed dials with gold text would not suffice:
1. Adhesion & Sharpness Issues
On a deep glossy black base, directly printing gold ink can suffer from poor adhesion, smudging, or loss of sharp edge definition, especially during mass production or when the surface is highly reflective. The galvanic method avoids “inking on top of black” by masking the text first, ensuring edge clarity.
2. Durability and Preservation
Because the gilt text is part of the exposed metal rather than paint on surface, it is more resistant to fading, or washing off more robustly than ink-printed text.
on the right: a 1990`s matte raised print dial, notice the lower graphics definition
3. Superior Contrast and Luminance
The polished metal of the gilt areas (exposed bare metal) under lacquer achieves a reflectivity and glow that ink, even metallic ink, cannot match. The depth and lustre of metal under clear lacquer contribute to the visual appeal that collectors prize.
On the left: an early 1970`s Omega Speedster matte dial, the black base is painted and the write graphics are printed on top of it – good printing quality but a completely different feel
How the Galvanic Gilt Technique Works
The basic production method involves several careful steps.
1. Start with a blank metal dial — often brass, which is polished and then gold- or nickel- plated — to achieve the so called “silver” or “gold” gilt dials.
2. Apply a clear, insoluble masking lacquer in the positive areas (text, logos, markers) so that these parts will resist the later plating.
3. Submerge the dial in a galvanic bath containing black plating solution, under electric current. The masked areas are are not plated; the rest of the dial is coated in black metal.
4. After plating, the dial is washed to remove the mask, exposing the gilt (underlying) graphics.
5. A clear lacquer (or Zapon) is applied over the whole dial to protect the surface, add gloss, and seal the plating. 6. In some gilt dial dials, additional printing (e.g. Brand or model name, line breaks, secondary inscriptions) is done after lacquering on top of the protective layer. These are called “mixed print” dials.
Because the black layer is physically behind or around the gilt printing (not over it), the gilt parts are highly reflective and metallic — far more luminous than painted gilt text.
What Gives Galvanic Gilt Dials Their Luminous Quality
The striking luminosity of gilt dials comes from the fact that the text and markers are made of exposed plated metal and that the black coating is very thin, so when they catch light these dials are very reflective, whereas painted ink tends to diffuse light, metal reflects much more light than a matte which covers the metal base.
Aging, Tropicalization, and Best in Category
Over time, gilt dials can undergo changes: the Zapon lacquer may develop fine cracks or “spidering,” or the black galvanic layer may thin or shift. Black can shift toward brown tones, yielding the so-called “tropical” effect prized by collectors. The warmth and variation in the black-to-brown hue, combined with the metallic glow of the gilt, are among the most sought-after visual effects in vintage dials.
This bis an extensive topic and we may look at gilt dial developments in detail in a new topic Because of the technical difficulty and limited era of production, gilt dials often occupy the “top tier” of dial craftsmanship from their age — they represent a marriage of form, technique, and visual impact rarely matched by simpler alternatives.
Distinguishing Galvanic Gilt from Painted or Gilt-Tone Dials
Knowing how to tell a true gilt dial from a printed or gilt-tone imitation is essential:
• Recessed or sunken effect: In a true gilt, the black plating sits slightly above or around the printed text, making the gilt elements appear recessed. In painted dials, text lies directly on top of the black.
on the left: a 1950`s Angelus chronograph silver gilt dial with mixed graphics and tropicalized brown
• Edges of text: Under magnification, the gilt text in galvanic plates can show slightly soft due to plating diffusion, but the characters are usually and more sharply edged.
on the right: a classic gilt galvanic dial, notice the gold-tone printing is below the black glossy layer
• Layering and relief: The black plating tends to be thicker than the clear lacquer mask and can show micro-relief. Sometimes the gilt elements appear marginally lower than surrounding black.
on the left: a classic gilt galvanic dial, notice the gold-tone printing is below the black glossy layer
• Gloss and sheen quality: Galvanic gilt dials show a deep gloss even decades later, whereas painted gilt-tone dials tend to flatten or lose shine over time.
on the right: a classic gilt galvanic dial, notice the gold-tone printing is below the black glossy layer
Why the Technique Was Superseded
By the mid-1960s, the galvanic method began to disappear from large-scale production. It wasn’t just about cost — though the multiple steps of masking, electroplating, washing, and lacquering were expensive and time-consuming — but also about technological evolution.
on the left: a mid 1990`s Breguet Type XX chronograph dial with a semi-matt finish, the dial does not have the warm look of the older galvanic dials
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, dial printing inks underwent a significant transformation. The introduction of improved oil-based and resin-stabilised pigments made it possible to achieve sharper adhesion and finer detail even on glossy or dark bases.
on the right and below: a 1967 Submariner “Meters First”, this is part of the the first generation of Rolex matte dials
Early gilt dials had relied on galvanic plating because traditional inks struggled to “grip” onto polished or enamel-like black surfaces — they smudged easily and produced uneven edges. Once ink chemistry evolved, dial makers could finally print black dials directly and apply logos, text, and scales over them with far greater precision.
This technological leap allowed factories to abandon the labor-intensive galvanic process without losing aesthetic quality. Pad printing became the new standards, enabling thinner, more consistent layers of paint, higher legibility, and more industrial repeatability.
From roughly 1966 onward, most Swiss manufacturers transitioned to matte or semi-gloss black dials, printed with modern inks rather than electroplated coatings. The new method was faster, cheaper, and less fragile, though it sacrificed the unique metallic depth and warmth of the earlier gilt dials. That depth — the sense that text “floats” beneath the surface — remains the hallmark of true galvanic dials, and the reason they continue to captivate collectors today.
on the right: notice how the printing sits on top of the black paint layer
Galvanic gilt dials occupy a rare and celebrated niche in vintage horology. Their method reveals the metal beneath the surface, producing a glow and depth unmatched by ink. Though they were gradually replaced by more economical methods, well-preserved gilt dials remain some of the most beautiful and collectible faces in fine watches.
Distinguishing them from conventional printed or gilt-tone dials requires knowledge of masking, plating behavior, text depth, and gloss quality — skills that separate serious collectors from casual observers.
