Process for manufacturing a strengthened timepiece component and corresponding timepiece component and timepiece

Abstract

The manufacturing process produces a part (10), from a micromachinable material, the part (10) forming a blank of the timepiece component and comprising at least one surface having an initial roughness. It comprises a step of mechanical strengthening treatment of the part in an etching fluid intended to decrease the roughness of said surface. For example, a substrate of said micromachinable material is provided; the substrate is at least partially covered with a protective coating containing at least one aperture; the substrate is etched through the aperture in the protective coating and an etched surface is thus obtained; the mechanical strengthening treatment is applied to said etched surface through the aperture in the protective coating; and then the protective coating is removed. The etching fluid may be a plasma or a liquid chemical etchant.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.