There is no such person who has never heard of knights in sparkling armor and ringing chain mail. And even though the knights themselves remained only on the pages of books and in films, today everyone can feel like a noble warrior and ring their chain mail - or rather, a Milanese watch bracelet created using chain mail weaving technology.
The art of Milanese weaving: the luxury of Italy, the reliability of Germany
By the time the bad old chivalry had left the stage of history, the Baroque era had begun to flourish in Milan. Italian jewelers, taking a closer look at the knight's chain mail, gasped in admiration and immediately took up the technique of chain mail weaving. They improved it by developing their own weaving technique - by hand, using gold and silver spirals. Milanese bracelets, belts and jewelry immediately conquered Europe - and for this the Milanese did not even have to rattle their sabers.
The first to think about wearing a watch on a Milanese bracelet were watchmakers from the German city of Pforzheim, the jewelry and watch capital of Germany. The inspiration first came to watchmakers from the Staib company - in 1922 they produced the first watches on Milanese weave bracelets. They were such a success that their competitors from Vollmer immediately launched their own line of watches with Milanese bracelets. At that time, the manufacturing process was so complex that it included over 85 stages.
The luxury of a Milanese bracelet is incomparable: it is a smooth, shiny metal fabric with amazing patterns and textures. Modern technologies make it possible to create weaving from very large, brutal and heavy, to so small that the bracelet feels more like silk. It is always pleasantly cool, incredibly durable and will suit any style or look: business, classic, romantic, even informal.
But beauty is not everything: the Milanese bracelet does not absorb moisture, and therefore will easily survive humidity and heat, which will destroy a leather strap. The hand under such a bracelet does not sweat, and due to its smoothness and long-term polishing, it does not pluck hairs, does not scratch the skin and does not fray the edge of the sleeve. The bracelet is very durable, does not deform over time, and a darkened or scratched surface can always be repolished.
Subtleties of weaving - how to create a Milanese bracelet
Everything is very simple: first you will need a material that is at the same time smooth, durable, stable (i.e. not prone to deformation), and aesthetic. It should be flexible enough for weaving, easy to polish and, of course, look chic. In a word, take steel, gold, silver, platinum - and you won’t go wrong.
Then you will need a lot of patience to turn the metal into wire 0,2 to 2 mm thick and weave it into a blank - a long piece of fabric from which you will later cut bracelets. When the fabric is ready, do not forget to crimp and seal its edges, otherwise it will unravel like an old sock.
As the canvas is formed, sharp edges and corners inevitably arise, so the next necessary stage is trimming. This is followed by compression - now this is an automated process, because... for it you need to act on the metal with very great force. Depending on the force of impact, the pattern and structure of the canvas appears. You can get both large links and small ones - no larger than a grain of millet.
After processing, the metal becomes hard, so after each stage you need to burn it in the oven to maintain its plasticity - otherwise you won’t be able to weave anything. For example, for steel bracelets, the firing temperature is over 1000 degrees Celsius.
When firing is completed, the canvas must be shaken and wound on hard rubber to impart flexibility. If you are working on gold or especially thin bracelets, then you will have to work by hand. After winding, the web can be cut into blanks. Add a clasp, remove the remaining sharp edges again, clean, polish, dry - and you will have amazingly beautiful Milanese bracelets.
TOP 5 Milanese bracelets
Nowadays, many companies offer watches with Milanese weave bracelets, but we have selected the most striking and unusual models.
Adriatica A3707.B114Q
Remember we talked about millet grain? So here it is - one of the bracelets with the finest weave. It forms an iridescent pattern, and although all the links are the same, it seems as if the bracelet is woven from 2-3 metals. In fact, it is made of steel, which is coated with an ultra-thin coating of titanium - one of the most durable materials. A layer of chrome is applied on top of it, which gives a noble and deep black color. As always, Swiss quality is at an unattainable height.
Bering ber-14240-163
The Scandinavian spirit of perseverance and restraint is the basis for Bering models. They created another bracelet with a fine weave that looks more like silk fabric with a pattern of tiny squares. This texture is very pleasant to the touch, and despite the fine workmanship, the bracelet is very durable - it is made of ion-coated steel. By the way, the layer of this coating is hypoallergenic, so even a person with an allergy to metal can wear such a watch.
Emporio Armani AR11069
But what are we all about small links? Large bracelets can also attract all the attention of your interlocutor - especially this model. Its pattern is reminiscent of a knitted wool scarf, in addition, each link is slightly curved, and due to this, hundreds of steel reflections play on the surface of the bracelet. The silver-white steel looks discreet and elegant.
Pierre Ricaud P91082.B114Q
But if you really want to feel like a knight, then choose the heavy, large, truly chainmail weave of this bracelet. It is distinguished by the pleasant heaviness and color of blued steel, impeccably strict design, reliability and durability of titanium coating. The links of weaving softly reflect, but their shine is muted and does not catch the eye.
Emporio Armani AR11129
Of course, there are also many options for milanese bracelets for beautiful ladies, but let's look at the one with the most original weave. This is an ion-plated steel bracelet that is simple and smooth on the inside, but on the outside! The weave forms an ever-changing pattern, shimmering like dragon scales. This effect occurs due to the notching on the links and the bias weave. The bracelet seems to change all the time under the shimmer of pale gold and pinkish-golden shades.
