After an extensive development phase and thorough testing, we are delighted to offer high quality – in-house fabricated – heat-blued steel hands. At the Ickler workshops, the hands are laser-cut, circumventing the need for expensive stamping processes and allowing us to produce the steel hands in smaller quantities of 50 to 100 sets. Our unique production process makes it possible to produce the hands with a stunning, homogenous blue coloring.

In 2012 we offered an initial series of blued hands for the limited edition of the Pilot OR2 (photos below). At that time, the laser cutting step was outsourced. The further processing (surface and bluing) was performed in-house, before sending the hands to Switzerland for filling with Superluminova.

  

 

 This was a costly manufacturing process, which we have now streamlined. The laser cutting is now performed in-house using our Trumpf laser, allowing us complete flexibility. The first model to feature our new heat-blued steel hands is the ARCHIMEDE DeckWatch (photos below).

For our 90th anniversary (1924 – 2014) we also offered the ARCHIMEDE Pilot Chronograph (Trikompax, special dial, special rotor, limited to 50 pieces) with heat blued steel hands (photo of the dial and the raw hands below). Meanwhile, we offer all Pilot models (ARCHIMEDE) and Pharo models (LIMES) with heat blued steel hands.

 

ICKLER heat blued steel hands – Made in Pforzheim / Germany.

     
The ARCHIMEDE Pilot OR2 – Limited Edition 2012 The first heat blued steel hands made by Ickler A first test of laser cutting on our Trumpf Laser
     
The DeckWatch steel hands – raw and after bluing The heat blued minute hands and the appropriate inlay The inlay is set into the hand
     
The finished, blued steel hands are set onto the movement The ARCHIMEDE DeckWatch with new hands Limited Edition ’90 Years Ickler’: Pilot Chronograph
Trikompax with heat blued ARCHIMEDE steel logo
   
Technical drawings ARCHIMEDE Pilot GMT with heat blued steel hands LIMES Pharo with heat blued steel hands