The fabulous geometric patterns of guilloché have intrigued high-end watchmakers for centuries. Engraving repeat straight lines or geometrical patterns on metal harks back to the 1500s, but it was Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) who instigated the decorative technique in watchmaking, hand-turning gold dials on a rose engine lathe – an instrument ideal for embellishing timepieces with complex and unique designs. Whether sunburst, barleycorn, clous de Paris (hobnail), tapisserie (flat-topped squares) or other ornamental motifs, these intricate, precise and sometimes overlapping engravings reflect the painstaking handiwork required in haute horlogerie.

A geometric pattern inspired by the spirals of a pinecone is the sole feature on the front of the Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse bespoke watch, released in December by Parmigiani Fleurier in tribute to Michel Parmigiani’s birthday. Intriguingly, time is displayed at the back of the watchcase via rose gold hour and minute markers on a white jade chapter ring. It is also delivered acoustically through ‘cathedral’ gongs denoting the hours, quarters and minutes at the press of a button.

It is the splendid guilloché, though, that dominates this ‘secret’ minute-repeater watch. Meticulous craftsmanship transforms the fine engravings into a veritable visual feast and a sensory experience. Created by a master of guilloché, Yann von Kaenel, the ornamentation is imbued with the precision of the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio – a mathematical sequence that chimes with nature. The artisanal technique renders the translucent pastel-green grand-feu enamel of the case cover rich in detail and texture, displaying spiralling geometric patterns that allude to infinity while dazzling in a vibrant play of light.

Montblanc uses a special stamp to adorn its Star Legacy watches with guilloché. Two recent Automatic Date and Chronograph Day & Date models come with a fetching green dial embellished with an exploding star guilloché motif that replicates an aerial view of the Mont Blanc mountain. White luminescent rhodium-coated Roman numerals and sword-shaped hour and minute hands also highlight the watch face. Open casebacks offer glimpses of the movement within.

A salmon-coloured dial with a hand-guilloché central medallion and satin-brushed chapter ring distinguishes a standout edition of Chopard’s iconic L.U.C 1860 line. The breathtakingly beautiful hue of the gold dial perfectly complements the 36.5mm Lucent Steel case – a material composed of 80% recycled elements and treated as a precious metal. The hand-guilloché pattern radiates from the ornate Chopard logo at 12 o’clock and its symmetrical aspect lends a sense of balance and proportion to a sleek timepiece housing an ultra-thin L.U.C 96.40-L mechanical self-winding movement. As an additional decorative aspect, the bridges of the movement are adorned with the Côtes de Genève pattern.

Set in 18-carat white gold and framed by a slender bezel, Vacheron Constantin’s Metiers d’Art Les Univers Infinis watch face is a vision of majestic doves in flight rendered in contrasting hues of red and white. In this extraordinary ode to decorative horological arts, the gold base of the 40mm dial is crafted using engraving and champlevé enamelling techniques, with the overall décor further embellished with 40 brilliant-cut diamonds. The birds are enhanced by intricate hand-guilloché patterns in gold, while gold skeletonised hands denote the time.

Louis Erard demonstrates its command of the traditional metiers d’art for a second time with the Excellence Guilloché Main II watch. Featuring matte black varnish and a distinctly contemporary vibe, the interlocking square patterns of the diamond-like motif on the dial were realised in the time-honoured manner of hand guilloché using a rose engine. Each dial took several hours of painstaking and dexterous craftsmanship to complete and the machine even required the invention and manufacture of new cams. Powered by the Sellita SW261-1 automatic movement, this 42mm steel model is limited to 99 pieces.

Breguet’s Marine Tourbillion Equation Marchante 5887 gloriously captures the infinite precision and fine detail of intricate patterns weaved by master artisans. Housed in a 43.9mm platinum case, the aesthetics of its black-finish gold dial are enriched by hand-executed engine-turned decoration in the form of a hand-guilloché wave motif. This striking pattern is in keeping with the watchmaker’s nautical roots, as is the dial’s anchor-shaped retrograde hand denoting the date across an arc-shaped scale. Furthermore, the platinum peripheral oscillating weight of the automatic-winding calibre 581DPE, which displays a running equation of time and offers 80 hours of power reserve, is decorated with guilloché depicting the silhouette of the Royal Louis warship, while its single barrel is adorned with a hand-engraved compass rose.

German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne has elevated some recent additions to its Lange 1 line with eye-catching guilloché. Take the Little Lange 1 in 750 white gold, in which the signature grey dial pairs beautifully with the precious hue of its 36.8mm case. The patterns of the recessed guilloché dials are shimmering delights, their lines glistening like the spokes of a wheel as the watch hands rotate. Meanwhile, the diamond-set version of the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase creates the effect of snow falling on a winter’s day partly through multiple guilloché engravings on the dial.

Playing with matching colourful hues, Franck Muller added the Cintrée Curvex Nuance to its most distinctive line last year. Fronting a bidirectional automatic movement and framed by a signature curved, contoured case studded with diamonds, the striking dial is beautifully embellished with stamped guilloché in a sun pattern and 25 layers of lacquer; it also has a new sub-dial around the date aperture at six o’clock. Hand-sewn alligator-leather straps – hand-set with six brilliant-cut diamonds – are colour-coordinated with the numerals on the dial, a colour scheme giving the timepieces an undoubted visual appeal.