Built by Hand, Backed by Experience
There’s a difference you can feel; in the weight, in the detail, in the story.
At Selco, we’ve been die-striking medallion dials for decades. Before CNC machines and digital renderings, we used a mechanical pantograph—a tool and technique with roots in the 18th century—to hand-cut dies to press our medallion dials. It was slow, precise, and beautiful.
Today, we use CNC milling to create those same dies with greater accuracy and consistency. The technology has changed. The craft hasn’t. Every medallion dial still begins with a blank disc of brass and ends with a hand-polished, die-struck emblem of recognition.
These dials aren’t manufactured; they’re crafted.
A die-struck medallion dial begins as a blank disc of brass, pressed under tons of pressure by a hardened steel die. That die—cut with painstaking precision down to individual thousandths of an inch using CNC milling—presses relief in the metal with raised, sculptural detail that’s both tactile and permanent. Unlike printed or etched designs, die-striking creates raised relief and depth you can feel and lightplay you can see. It’s a beautiful result of the hand-polishing processes. It’s the difference between a logo and a legacy. On a custom watch, a medallion dial adds weight, character, and a sense of richness, credibility and permanence—like a coin minted to mark a milestone moment.
Behind each one is a skilled hand. Cory, our lead dial maker, has been making dials for 35 years. She hand-burnishes every medallion dial before it’s cased. No one has found a way to automate craftsmanship—not like this. This is where art meets engineering; where the human touch of an artisan brings out the depth and creates a piece of mechanical artistry like no other.
Precision in Every Step
The average medallion dial involves more than 30 individual steps and processes to complete. Each one is an exercise in precision; and expression! Two-tone plating. Painted backgrounds. Full-color imprints. Hand-cut finishes. The options for customization are nearly limitless, but the result is always the same: a dial like no other, inspired by recognition, realized in old-world craftsmanship and techniques, and built to stand apart.
Recognition That Lasts
Many distributors aren’t aware such a level of customization and distinction is available. But it is; and it’s made in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Medallion dials give you something different to offer: something with weight, permanence, and meaning. A shining badge of honor like no other.
As testament to our skill and craft, we’ve earned several PPAI Gold Supplier Achievement awards for metal striking over the years. But the real reward is helping you offer something that is one of a kind and feels earned, not ordered.
Want to show your clients something they’ve never seen before?
Let’s talk about medallion dials.
