Made in Glashütte: 12 Inserting chatons

The ruby set in gold—an aesthetic treat. In the past, this also had technical benefits: to perfectly define and maintain the spacing of the wheels. The ruby bearings for the wheel pivots were set, not pressed. A gold setting was ideal for this as the material is soft, allowing the stone to be set well. In addition, the stone in the polished chaton develops its “fire” when the red ruby is reflected in the hollow of the chaton. Inserting and screwing chatons in place requires a particularly steady hand. Watchmakers sometimes even hold their breath, because one slight wobble and the polishing starts all over again. Modern manufacturing accuracies no longer require setting. The stones can be pressed directly into the plates. But where does that leave the fire? This tradition and the perfect interplay of color and light, of cut and polish, live on in our finest watches.