Welded bimetal external timepiece component

A method of manufacturing an external timepiece component, comprising:

• providing a metallic base made of a first material which is titanium and/or a first titanium alloy;
• providing at least one metallic cover plate made of a second material, the second material including a second metal chosen from among gold and platinum and palladium, and/or a second alloy including at least gold or platinum or palladium, the at least one cover plate being of a thickness greater than or equal to 0.5 millimetres;
• welding the at least one cover plate, without filler material, to the base to form a bimetallic blank, by bringing the cover plate and the base to a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the cover plate and than the melting temperature of the base;
• and
• shaping the bimetallic blank and/or machining to give the component a final form thereof,
• wherein the method is applied to making an external component which is a watch case claw, and wherein:
• a base made of titanium or titanium alloy is cut from a sheet or board, with cutouts and through apertures, to form a ladder-like structure with lateral support surfaces connected by cross-pieces;
• the cross-pieces are folded to form yokes;
• two gold cover plates are welded to the lateral support surfaces of the base, to form a bimetallic blank;
• a section of the bimetallic blank is cut;
• and
• the section is shaped by deformation to form the claw.