Dial restoration and conservation is a very specialised area of conservation and restoration, and should only be under taken by a professional dial restorer.
Dials fall into three catagories:-
Brass Dials
Painted Dials
Enamel Dials
Brass Dials
Brass dials typically consist of a brass back plate, silvered chapter ring and brass decorative spandrels in the corners. There can also be flat dials, which have been silvered with black wax filled numerals.
This type of dial restoration is under taken in house with all the same care and consideration as the restoration and conservation of the movements.
Painted Dials
Painted dials are steel dials that have been painted with various paints. These dials do suffer from the paint rubbing off the dial or in the case of the numerals, the Indian Ink being rubbed off. This happens because when setting the hands fingers rub against the dial. This work is not undertaken in house but can be arranged through a skilled artizan who specialises in painted dial restorations.
Enamel Dials
These dials are based on copper and have a covering of glasspowder, which is fired onto the surface to form the dial. Because of the materials these dials are made from, they are very delicate and easily damaged, particularly around dial appatures such as winding holes. These dials are by far the most difficult to repair and restore. J A Alcock & Son, along with specialised ceramic restorers, are able to perform these difficult and skillful restorations without any difficulty.
