{{Unreferenced, date=April 2020 Perlage 02

Perlée and perlage are French words for ''pearl pattern'', a decorative metallic finish consisting of a pattern of small circles (''pearls'') applied to a surface by grinding. It is mostly used in the automotive and

watchmaking A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their part ...

industries as an indicator of expensive craftsmanship, particularly if applied by hand rather than machine. Perlage 03

Perlée in the watchmaking industry

Watch components that are given a perlée pattern may include the movement main plate and bridges, the inside of the watch case and the watch-case bottom. The perlée patterned parts of a wrist watch are commonly invisible from the outside except if the watch has a transparent casing or deliberately exposed internal parts. Further grinding patterns used by watchmakers include the ''clavus'' pattern, also known by the French term ''oeil-de-perdrix'' (partridge eye). 090108SpiritOSL3

Perlée in the automotive and aviation industries

The automotive industry has used perlée patterns on surfaces such as car dashboards since its infancy, but these days it is generally confined to luxury vehicles such as the

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car, designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti and manufactured in Molsheim, France, by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver P ...

. Many aircraft of the Golden Age of Aviation had perlée engine-turning finishing used on their sheetmetal components, with one of the best-known examples being Charles Lindbergh's '' Spirit of St. Louis'' trans-Atlantic Ryan NYP aircraft of 1927.

Perlée in the watchmaking industry

Perlée in the automotive and aviation industries

See also