A method for fabricating an external element or a timepiece dial from non-conductive material, by performing or repeating a basic cycle of making a base from a non-conductive, or ceramic, or glass. or sapphire substrate; dry coating the base with a first sacrificial protective metal layer; etching a decoration with an ultrashort pulse laser to a depth at least equal to the local thickness of the first layer; dry coating the decoration and the remaining part of the first layer with a second metal and/or coloured decorative treatment layer; chemically removing each first layer; and before or after chemical removal of each first layer, mechanically levelling on the upper level of the base the compound thus formed.

A layer of lanthanum boride of stoichiometry LaB.sub.x where x is between 9 and 12 is deposited on substrate, for example a stainless steel watch dial, and subsequently treated with a laser, such that the portion(s) of the layer treated with the laser change colour according to the laser power. This produces multicoloured surfaces having high resistance to corrosion and abrasion. The layer of LaB.sub.x is deposited by PVD and by cathode sputtering, using a LaB.sub.6 target of purple-violet colour, such that the colour of the deposited layer differs from the colour of the target. The laser treatment at specific powers changes the stoichiometry of the layer in the treatment portions, such that the colour of these portions changes according to the stoichiometry obtained. At higher powers, the laser will remove the layer of LaB.sub.x. Thus the colour of the treated portions is determined by the material of the substrate.

A method of manufacturing an external part of a timepiece, including: providing a metallic base made of a first material including 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 or platinum, and/or a second alloy including at least gold or platinum, the at least one cover plate being of a thickness greater than or equal to 0.5 millimeters; brazing the cover plate onto the base with a braze material chosen for brazing titanium with gold or respectively platinum to form a bimetallic blank; and shaping the bimetallic blank to give the external part its final form.

A method for depositing a rare material in a thin layer at the surface of an horological or jewellery external part includes providing a rough part of rare material, shaping the rough part of rare material so that it is adapted to be used as a target part for a PVD method, depositing material of the target part at the surface of a substrate consisting of an horological or jewellery eternal part by a PVD method so as to cover the external part.

The invention relates to a method for decorating a timepiece component comprising: a) a step of preparation of the timepiece component optionally comprising a first step of depositing a first material on the timepiece component to form a first sub-layer, b) a second step of depositing a second material on the timepiece component obtained in step a) to form a second sub-layer, c) a colouring step comprising the deposition of a third coloured material on the timepiece component obtained in step b) to form a coloured external decorative layer,

According to the invention, at least step b) and step c) are achieved by a physical vapour deposition method.

The invention relates to a method for decorating a timepiece component comprising: a) a step of preparation of the timepiece component optionally comprising a first step of depositing a first material on the timepiece component to form a first sub-layer, b) a second step of depositing a second material on the timepiece component obtained in step a) to form a second sub-layer, c) a colouring step comprising the deposition of a third coloured material on the timepiece component obtained in step b) to form a coloured external decorative layer, According to the invention, at least step b) and step c) are achieved by a physical vapour deposition method.

A method for protecting a watch magnet against corrosion, wherein a magnet is provided, and that a surface preparation operation is carried out on the magnet, before subjecting it to an ion implantation treatment, in order to create an impervious surface layer acting as a barrier against oxidation with all of the surface bonds saturated by the implanted ions, in order to prevent the corrosion of the magnet in a humid environment, under the usual conditions for wearing watches.

A layer of lanthanum boride of stoichiometry LaB.sub.x where x is between 9 and 12 is deposited on substrate, for example a stainless steel watch dial, and subsequently treated with a laser, such that the portion(s) of the layer treated with the laser change colour according to the laser power. This produces multicoloured surfaces having high resistance to corrosion and abrasion. The layer of LaB.sub.x is deposited by PVD and by cathode sputtering, using a LaB.sub.6 target of purple-violet colour, such that the colour of the deposited layer differs from the colour of the target. The laser treatment at specific powers changes the stoichiometry of the layer in the treatment portions, such that the colour of these portions changes according to the stoichiometry obtained. At higher powers, the laser will remove the layer of LaB.sub.x. Thus the colour of the treated portions is determined by the material of the substrate.

A layer of lanthanum boride of stoichiometry LaB.sub.x where x is between 9 and 12 is deposited on substrate, for example a stainless steel watch dial, and subsequently treated with a laser, such that the portion(s) of the layer treated with the laser change colour according to the laser power. This produces multicoloured surfaces having high resistance to corrosion and abrasion. The layer of LaB.sub.x is deposited by PVD and by cathode sputtering, using a LaB.sub.6 target of purple-violet colour, such that the colour of the deposited layer differs from the colour of the target. The laser treatment at specific powers changes the stoichiometry of the layer in the treatment portions, such that the colour of these portions changes according to the stoichiometry obtained. At higher powers, the laser will remove the layer of LaB.sub.x. Thus the colour of the treated portions is determined by the material of the substrate.

A method that is for manufacturing a timepiece provided with a personalized decoration, visible in particular when the timepiece is worn, includes constructing the timepiece and producing the personalized decoration on all or part of a body of the timepiece. Producing the personalized decoration includes selecting from a human-machine interface of an electronic device a single portion of a reference digital graphical representation, in particular of an ephemeral reference digital graphic representation, and applying a coating of decorative material on all or part of the body of the timepiece as a function of the descriptive characteristics of the selected single portion.