ProfileAd Expo8 September 2026In Romanian
How a dial is made: Augustin Matei taught himself, over four years
Four years of attempts, a geology microscope and a jeweller who had said it could not be done: how Augustin built his dial technique on his own.
A profile from September 2026, built around the question in its title. A dial is made by hand, in the order drawing, engraving or micro-sculpture, then painting, all under a microscope; the drawing alone can take three days. The calibre is Swiss, the case comes from Germany and the strap is made by Vasile Uglai in Oradea.
Ad Expo goes back to the first step: a sheet of silver asked of a jeweller, to engrave a scene from Trajan's Column on it, and his answer that it could not be done. Watch repairers did not encourage the idea either; their trade is a different one. Four years followed, with pauses, broken cutters and a geology microscope, until the first finished watch.
The figure of four years appears almost identically in three interviews given years apart, to Republica, LIFE.ro and Gândul, where the quotes come from.
The full articleon adexpo.ro (opens in a new tab)The summary is written by the workshop. The article, its headline and its photographs belong to the publication.