How many ways are there to add a logo to a watch? In which positions and how are they added, do you know?
There are several methods for adding a logo to a watch. Some of the most common methods include silk printing, pad printing, embossing, engraving, applique, and acid etching.
Have a general idea before you design the watch’s logo. Let’s get started
Types of Logo adding method on Watches
Printing Watch Logo:
This involves silk printing and pad printing, the logo directly onto the surface of the watch using special ink. This is a cost-effective method, but the logo may wear off over time.
Silk Printing
Silkscreen is made with a screen plate, Which is a tool with a lot of tiny holes in the silk printing plate of the silk printing area.
Then you use a flat panel（squeegee) scrap to make the ink go through the tiny hole attached on the logo area, The rest of the screen plate is blocked and cannot pass through the ink,
Usually, this method can only be for flat or small curved surfaces. Each silk printing can only print one color, if you want more than one color, you must make more stencils(screen plate) and do the printing many times.
Pros:
- Printing pattern with texture, thicker ink
- Suitable for watches’ product logo printing.
- The screen printing ink layer is thick and strong, with strong coverage force and rich layering.
- Screen printing equipment is simple, easy, and fast to operate, easy to make the tools, tool cost is low and adaptable performance. It can be printed not only on parallel surfaces but also on curved surfaces, spheres, and concave and convex substrates for screen printing.
Cons:
- Not suitable for printing on irregular surfaces
- Can not use for large-area product printing, such as outdoor advertising, signage, etc.; of course,
Application on watches:
- On Dial
- On Packaging, Leather packaging boxes (widely used for leather boxes.)
Pad printing
Using a curved pad printing head made of silicone rubber, the ink on the gravure plate is dipped into the surface of the pad printing head and then pressed onto the surface of the desired object to print out text, patterns, etc.
Pros
- High efficiency, fast speed, eliminating the drying process, and continuous multi-color printing
- Can print on irregular surface products
- Can print relatively fine patterns, generally can print 0.05mm fine lines
- Can print a wide range of materials: plastic, metal, ceramics, leather and other materials
Cons:
- The printed pattern has no texture, and the ink layer is relatively thin
- Not suitable for large-area printing
One way is Hot stamping Gold or silver Logo
Application on watches:
Hot stamping process, also known as thermal printing, is a class of metal material printing plate heat treatment heating, the application of foil, printed on the printed matter embossed with gold text content or pattern pattern processing technology.
Hot stamping process pattern clear, beautiful, and generous, color with dazzling, wear-resistant, aging resistance.
It can also play the icing on the cake, highlighting the actual effect of the design concept theme style, especially as a trademark logo, brand pattern on the actual effect is more very obvious.
Make the logo show metal texture, commonly used with metal materials, so that the logo and the overall show the contrast effect of light sand
- Leather packing box
- Discar
- Straps
What’s the difference of Pad screen and Silkscreen?
Pad printing and silk screen printing are two different methods of printing logos or designs onto various surfaces.
Pad printing involves the transfer of ink from a silicone pad onto the surface to be printed, which is usually a three-dimensional object. The silicone pad picks up ink from an etched printing plate and then transfers it to the surface of the object by pressing against it. This allows for precise and detailed printing on a variety of materials such as plastic, metal, and glass.
Silk screen printing, on the other hand, involves the use of a fine mesh screen stretched tightly over a frame. The design is created on the screen by blocking out certain areas with a stencil or emulsion, leaving the areas to be printed open. Ink is then applied to the screen and pressed through the open areas with a squeegee onto the surface to be printed. Silk screen printing is ideal for flat surfaces such as textiles, paper, and plastics.
In summary, pad printing is used for printing on 3D objects while silk screen printing is ideal for flat surfaces.
But now we mostly use the silkscreen
Acid Etching Watch Logo
Etching: This involves using a chemical solution to etch the logo onto the surface of the watch. This method creates a subtle, elegant effect and is often used on high-end watches.
Removal techniques that use chemical reactions or physical impacts on materials, it’s just like how water drops can through the stone.
Pros
Fast, low cost, low cost of tooling, can produce metal parts with intaglio patterns or textures.
No limitations for various pattern designs, especially fine patterns.
High precision, can process metal materials as thin as 0.02mm thick
No burr, Smooth hole, or pressure point, the product does not deform, does not affect the function of the product, and is suitable for high requirements for the finish of the product
Cons：
With MOQ requirements, somewhat higher cost than stamping, much lower cost than laser
Application on watches:
- On Dial
- On Case back
- On Case
- On Strap Buckle
UP or Applique Watch Logo：
This involves adding a separate piece of material with the logo onto the surface of the watch. This method allows for a more intricate design and can create a three-dimensional effect.
Engraving or 3D Laser engraving
This involves using a laser or a diamond-tipped tool to engrave the logo onto the surface of the watch. This method is precise and produces a high-quality finish. So 3D laser engraving is commonly used
Laser engraving, also called laser engraving or laser marking, is a kind of surface treatment process using optical principles. The laser beam is used to engrave a permanent mark on the surface of a material or inside a transparent material.
Using laser ink (with metallic optical color changing anti-counterfeiting ink), advanced laser printing technology is used to screen print or roll print the laser ink on various flat and smooth transparent materials.
A laser marking machine can accurately laser mark on any shaped watch cover and case, which can be a line, logo LOGO, text, number, pattern, two-dimensional code, etc. The markings are durable and do not fall off so the whole watch shows a different temperament, and it is environmentally friendly and anti-counterfeit.
Pros：
The mesh can be cut to a very small, dense, textured, long-lasting preservation
Cons：
The edges will have burrs, there are blackened to show the high cost of the mold
Can not change the color, only make the logo with display the product material itself color
Application on watches:
- On Dial
- On Case back
- On Case
- On Strap Buckle
Embossing Watch Logo
Embossing involves pressing the logo into the surface of the watch using a mold. This creates a raised logo that is durable and long-lasting.
The logo and the product are formed in one piece, making it convex or concave.
It is a special type of production and processing technology in the production and processing of decorative surface layers of printed matter, which uses a concave and convex mold to produce plastic deformation of the surface layer substrate under a certain pressure, and then carries out artistic production and processing of the surface layer of products, such as dial, case back, crown or strap buckle
Pros：
The printing and pressing of various convex graphics and patterns, showing different shades of patterns, with a very obvious sense of relief patterns, improve the three-dimensional logo and artistic impact.
Low processing cost, fast speed, simple staff arrangement
Cons:
High tooling costs.
After finalization, it is generally not possible to change, which is not conducive to updating new products and high R&D costs.
Application on watches:
- Case
- Case back
- Discar
- Buckle
- Leather Watch packages
Some watch brand’s logos have nice skeleton designs, it is mostly using the embossed method.
Above different methods used will depend on the type of watch, the logo design, and the desired effect.
Where to Add the Logo for Watches?
Well now that we have looked into various ways to get your logo onto the watches physically, you might find yourself asking how to integrate this into your design. Sometimes it’s difficult knowing how to print a logo on watches without it becoming very samey. Here is where you can add the logo on a watch.
- On the case
- On the case back
- On the dial
- On the straps
- On the crown
- On package
- On the other place, But it it rare
- On the movement
- On the hands
What Requirements for your Logo of Watches?
Typically, the diameter of a men’s watch dial ranges from 38mm to 46mm, while the diameter of a women’s watch dial ranges from 26mm to 38mm.
When you design your logo, make sure the logo is simple and the pattern is not too complicated. You can design a text logo and a picture logo, because the size of the wording is smaller and the logo is placed on the crown is also small. If you design too complex, the details are not visible, So remember:
- No complicated colors
- Not much wide design, can not too wide, as the limit of product size, such as crown and dial.
- Make it simple
Pensamento final:
In summary, is the logo printing and processing of some knowledge, the watch is a relatively small product, can not be entangled in many small details, such as the face of the word to have a lot of color, the word nail can not have too much slope, logo some small fine lines and so on.
Simple, atmospheric, is the style that people like now. Remember, the more complex the design and details, the more it costs.
