Scottish Watches Podcast #804 : Artistically Bringing a Smile To The Dial

Chris Alexander, The Dial Artist, has become an international sensation! The big focus is the new Christopher Ward Xander, a collaboration more than a year in the making that saw Chris hand-paint around 1,300 individual components across 150 watches in just 50 days, before the whole thing sold out on launch day.

Click here to read along and see the photos in our show notes as you listen – http://www.scottishwatches.co.uk/2026/08/10/scottish-watches-podcast-804-artistically-bringing-a-smile-to-the-dial/

We get into how the project came together, what it takes to paint components of a skeleton movement, the realities of maintaining consistency across hundreds of individually finished parts, and the rather brutal 18-hour days needed to get it finished.

But that’s only part of the story. Chris also talks about his recent collaborations with Spinnaker, Sartory Billard and others, including the technical challenges of luminous dials, colour-changing paints, forced copper patination and ceramic-based lacquers.

We also get into where his ideas actually come from, some of the experiments that have gone spectacularly wrong, the materials and techniques he still wants to explore, and his experiences at watch events including Chicago Windup.

He talks about why these shows are such an important part of the watch community, how a conversation at a watch event can lead to collaborations, friendships and unexpected discoveries.

Scottish Watches Podcast #577: The Dial Artist and The World Of Watch CustomisationScottish Watches Podcast #677: The Dial Artist Reveals All – Collabs and Crazy CreationsScottish Watches Podcast #705: Art Attack – With The Dial Artist and Black BadgerChristopher Ward The Twelve XanderRikki is wearing his Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Lumière. Christopher Ward x seconde/seconde/ The Twelve Snake.Scottish Watches Podcast #775: We Talk To Christopher Ward’s CEO About The New Sealander WatchesWatch Alert: Christopher Ward C63 Sealander (2.0)C63 Sealander Automatic PistachioCOPPER OXIDE, EETS 24K LEAF COLD LAB SERIES 1.24Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic – Razzle Dazzle Limited EditionL’epee clock.DAY41 – THE DIAL ARTIST LIMITED EDITIONSB10 JUMPING HOUR 250TH ANNIVERSARY  A Living Surface

Apiar  Gen1.1 UndergroundMING x J.N. Shapiro 37.06 LightningWill It DialL’epee Oxidized dialRomain Jerome Titanic DNA.https://www.instagram.com/thedialartist/ https://www.thedialartist.com/ 

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