Genuine Porcelain Watch Dial

Appreciate beauty, embrace culture, and savor life.

One of Three Genuine Porcelain Dials Worldwide

Porcelain have always been a symbol of timeless beauty, carrying the civilization and wisdom of humanity for thousands of years. Its delicate texture, glossy luster, and subtle variations in color are truly captivating.

In fact, since the inception of timepieces, people have never ceased in their attempts to incorporate porcelain into watch cases. However, this has proven to be a challenging endeavor. Porcelain, fired from clay and other crude material, almost invariably fails to meet the level of smoothness required by the precise movements of a watch.

For the thin (less than 1mm) porcelain tiles that are used as standalone dials, it must be mirror-smooth, with a maximum error of 0.05mm between the highest and lowest points on its surface.

So, when we look back at the history of watchmaking, we find only a handful of timepieces that truly possess the smooth and lustrous porcelain dials. They are a rare and highly sought-after treasure among collectors, whether it's the Messen in Rolex 16520 or Arita ware in Seiko’s Presage.

Today, Halcyon Origin arrives with its unique Oriental charm.

Halcyon, One of Three Genuine Porcelain Dials Worldwide

Utterly Revering Traditional Craftsmanship

In order to authentically showcase the allure of Jingdezhen porcelain, known as the "Porcelain Capital of the World," we strictly adhere to traditional porcelain-making techniques. 

Made by the unique Lingnan porcelain clay from Jingdezhen.

 Hand-scraping the base blank of the dial with a knife.

The skilled craftsman blows the porcelain glaze onto the dial using his mouth.

Starting from the clay, we meticulously handcraft the base, delicately blowing porcelain glaze onto it. The firing process takes place in enormous “dragon” kilns that have preserved centuries of tradition. Only local pine branches are used as fuel. It is in this environment that the unique minerals and pine resin vaporize onto the porcelain glaze, forming countless, imperceptible bubbles. These bubbles create intricate light reflections and refractions, which are the essence of beauty of Jingdezhen porcelain.

The dense bubbles resulting from Jingdezhen's unique materials and firing techniques. These tiny and irregularly distributed bubbles cause complex refraction and reflection of light, thereby endowing the ceramics with their distinctive glossy sheen.

Of course, the raw environment presents both beauty and significant challenges. Dragon kilns are filled with dust, impurities, grease, and the uncontrollable temperatures due to their enormous size, resulting in an extremely low yield rate.

Huge and famous, yet covered in soot and filled with 'danger,' the dragon kiln.

To achieve a captivating luster, the tile must undergo a complex process that includes billet making, billet sharpening, glaze making, glaze blowing, wood preparation, wood filling, and kiln sealing. 

The unique Jingdezhen glaze, which requires more than 24 hours of firing at 1,400 degrees Celsius in a massive 1,000-year-old kiln known as the Dragon Kiln, is fueled by local pine wood.

Appreciate beauty, embrace culture, and savor life.

However, all these efforts are undoubtedly worthwhile. The dial produced in this manner exhibit a unique play of light and shadow. They possess elegance and subtlety, intricate craftsmanship, and exquisite delicacy. Whether paired with porcelain paintings or admired on their own, they leave a lasting impression and never lose their charm. With a simple lift of your hand, you can engage in a conversation with this magnificent piece of art and become fully immersed in its beauty.