Gold beneath the black: Paulin and Hodinkee bring back the true gilt dial
Scottish watchmaker Paulin shows on video how the galvanically gilded dial of its Mara dive watch for Hodinkee is made. The edition is limited to 250 pieces.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Video: YouTube · Paulin Watches · youtube.com
Scottish watch brand Paulin published a video on its YouTube channel about a special edition developed with the watch site Hodinkee. It shows how the dial of the “Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee” is gilded using a traditional process. Paulin calls it its first gilt dial – a technique that, according to Gear Patrol, had all but disappeared since the 1960s.
Gear Patrol and Men's Journal describe the process in several steps: a brass plate is electroplated in gold, the markings are printed with a protective resist, and a matte black galvanic bath follows. When the resist is removed, the gold markings appear. According to Men's Journal, the gilding is done by a production partner in Germany. Hodinkee's Sarah Reid told the magazine: “we wanted the real thing, made the way it was in the 1950s.”
The watch has a 39.7-millimetre steel case and a Miyota 9039 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve, and is water-resistant to 100 metres. The edition is limited to 250 pieces and costs 1,000 dollars. Gear Patrol reports it sold out on the day of release; Men's Journal gives mid-November as the date for first deliveries.