About
Kees Engelbarts - Hand Engraver
Unique Handmade Watches · Geneva
Originally born in the Netherlands, Kees Engelbarts studied Engraving at the Vakschool Schoonhoven, after which he went to Idar-Oberstein, Germany, where he studied at the Fachhochschule für Edelstein- und Schmuckgestaltung. He then moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where, after a few years working for various companies, he became an Independent Engraver.
Fascinated by Japanese and East-Asian myths, much of his early work drew inspiration from them. Many of his dials depict Asian dragons, their intricate design being both interesting to engrave and to look at when finished.
He later developed his own approach to skeleton movements, removing material by hand until only what is needed remains. The result is abstract and organic: a contrast between technical mechanics and the shapes that hold them together.
The Craft
From Wish to Finished Piece
Each timepiece is unique and highly complex. There is no template: every one is drawn, made and finished from scratch.
When he takes on a commission, Kees plans the dial together with the client: a collaboration that moves from their wishes and ideas to his final design. His own pieces, by contrast, follow a freer, more open creative process.
Kees was the first to use Mokume Gane on watch dials, a traditional Japanese metalworking technique in which layers of different metals are fused into a single sheet and then worked by hand to reveal a pattern similar to wood grain.
See the timepieces →