Method of manufacturing watch dials and watch dials produced by this method

A method of manufacturing a watch dial with symbols in relief, comprising the following steps:

• taking a plate made of an aluminum-base material capable of undergoing anodizing, intended to form a dial and not yet provided with reliefs,
• establishing on an upper face of said plate, by selectively masking certain parts thereof and etching the unmasked remaining parts, a design appearing in form of smooth non-etched portions and rough etched portions,
• applying to said plate a basic surface treatment of anodizing which converts said material at the surface of said plate into an oxidized layer having an incrusted nature and tenacity, and which gives said surface a predetermined aspect
• subsequently causing said plate to undergo an embossing operation for forming relief elements raised from said upper face and designed to correspond to the desired symbols, said embossing causing said aluminum-base material to appear bare, free of oxidizing, on all visible side surfaces of said relief embossed elements, and said incrusted nature and tenacity of said oxidation caused by said anodizing ensuring a clear and crackless demarcation between said bare side surfaces and the remaining anodized surface of said plate at the foot of said side surfaces,
• removing by a fine grinding or polishing operation said oxidized layer applied by said basic surface treatment of anodizing from the upper surface of said relief elements, said grinding or polishing operation eliminating at the same time said smooth/rough design from said upper surface of said relief elements,
• applying to said bared upper and side surfaces of said elements in relief a finishing treatment giving them a particular aspect,
• said finishing treatment affecting said bared upper and side surfaces of said elements in relief and conferring upon them, by causing said particular aspect to appear likewise on both said upper and said side surfaces of said relief elements, an appearance of real appliques standing out from a background having said predetermined aspect given by said first basic surface treatment of anodizing, said background also exhibiting said design in the form of smooth non-etched portions and rough etched portions, which remains, only on said background in spite of the subsequent carrying out of said surface treatment of anodizing, as a marbling in the aspect of the finished dial.