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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Glossary · Trade

Rose engine

A specialised ornamental lathe used to cut repeating guilloché patterns.

Explanation

Working against a patterned rosette that guides the cutting tool as the work rotates and oscillates, the rose engine produces the repeating wavy or basket-weave guilloché seen on fine dials and case backs, distinct from the straight-line straight-line engine used for barleycorn patterns.