Excellence established on the borders of Franche-Comté
Patois Bernard is a Franche-Comté family business specializing in electroplating since 1970. The company’s clients come from the luxury industry sector, including watchmaking. On average, the company processes one million parts per year.
Improving even more a thousand-year-old technique
Electroplating is an electrochemical technique that allows the deposition of thin layers of metal on an object. The metal is initially in liquid form, compounded with a solvent. The application of a direct current “detaches” the metal from its solution and deposits it pure, on the object.
This technique would have been used in ancient Egypt. The electric current was then obtained empirically by chemical reaction. Electroplating was really developed in the 19th century when Volta manufactured the first batteries. The technique has been refined ever since.
Palladium more expensive than gold
The Apose brand entrusts Patois Bernard with the difficult palladium coating of the flange of its watches. This operation is delicate because the flange of Apose watches has very thin indexes that appear directly above the dial. Palladium is a precious metal (much more expensive than gold) from the platinum family. It gives the parts it covers a superb silver appearance that does not tarnish over time.
