Since Joshua Shapiro introduced his Infinity Weave pattern to the world in 2018, it has remained one of the most extraordinary and technically demanding guilloché motifs in watchmaking. At a glance, it recalls the familiar order of a basketweave, which is itself the most complex of traditional patterns achievable by engine-turning, but linger, and the pattern deepens. Each square reveals itself to be a finer weave nested within, a visual recursion executed one line at a time entirely by hand on a straight-line engine. It was an astonishing debut that challenged the limits of the craft.

For those who know what they are looking at, and even for those who simply respond to its beauty, the Infinity Weave has become something of a grail. A watch is certainly more than any one aspect but there are times when the level of craft, thought, and execution poured into one element is so complete that it justifies the existence of the whole. Now Shapiro is offering it in a watch that is not only his smallest, but also among his more accessible models – the Infinity Series Pure in steel at US$26,000.

The Infinity Series Pure is available in two configurations: rose gold hands on a frosted silver dial and white gold hands on a blackened zirconium dial

The watch follows the Resurgence Series, launched in 2023, which set out to be the most thoroughly American-made watches possible, featuring in-house haute horlogerie movements and complex, multi-part engine-turned dials, starting at US$70,000 in steel. The Infinity Series Pure marks a return to where it all began, bringing his singular achievement within reach of a broader audience. It adopts much of the same formula as the original Infinity Series with which he debuted in 2018. The latter paired intricately engine-turned dials with high-end movements from Uhren Werke Dresden, a movement manufacturer founded by Marco Lang. This time, however, the Infinity Series Pure is equipped with a manually wound movement from La Joux-Perret.

J.N. Shapiro

 Shapiro is an educator by profession and background. He holds a Master’s degree in history and spent years teaching high school before turning to watchmaking. He came to horology through one of its most arcane corners – guilloché – and despite that, treats the tradition with reverence, studying its history in depth, mastering lost techniques, and crediting his influences with care, which shows a level of respect not just for the craft, but for the lineage behind it.

Joshua Shapiro

Shapiro started engine-turning in 2013 and in 2018, he founded the J. N. Shapiro watch company in Los Angeles. His journey has been an inspiring one, but no less inspiring than the man himself. Shapiro is not just an engine-turner of remarkable skill, but one of humility, discipline, and scholarly rigour. He doesn’t merely master patterns; he studies the history and origins, the work of others, and masters the full scope of operations involved from polishing his own cutting tools, to fabricating his own pattern bars, to refining cutter angles beyond the canonical 160 degrees laid out by George Daniels. His cutters use a wider included angle of 170 degrees that reduces friction and allows shallower, more precise cuts. In the case of his signature Infinity Weave – a basket weave within a basket weave – he had to develop his own pattern bar. Completing just one Infinity dial takes him about a week.

Today, his company operates out of a 7,000-square-foot workshop in California, staffed by a team of 14, including four machinists, three engineers, five watchmakers, and engine-turners. For those who wish to understand his philosophy and get a glimpse of the process in action, his full 2018 lecture at the Horological Society of New York is essential viewing. It provides an insight into how tradition, education and invention come together in the hands of one of the most thoughtful artisans working today.

Infinity Series Pure

 The Infinity Series Pure has a stainless steel case that measures 37mm wide and 8.8mm high including the crystal, making it both the smallest and slimmest model. It is available in two versions – white gold hands on a blackened zirconium dial and the other with rose gold hands on a frosted silver dial.

The Infinity Series Pure carries forward many of the same hallmarks but is presented in more classical proportions; the case is in stainless steel and measures 37mm

Three-part case with wide, sturdy lugs and a crown engraved with the infinity symbol. It measures 7.4mm in height excluding crystal

Like the original Infinity Series, the dial is made using painstakingly traditional methods, following the principles laid out by George Daniels. It features three guilloche patterns, excluding the ratchet-bottomed pattern on the chapter ring plate. The outer edge is decorated with a barleycorn motif cut on a rose engine, the central portion showcases a basketweave, and the small seconds subdial is rendered in the signature Infinity Weave. The work demands significant effort and patience; any mistake is immediately visible to the naked eye. The Infinity Weave is even more demanding, as each miniature basket must be engine-turned individually one line at a time without slipping into the larger baskets.

The dial features a barleycorn pattern on the outeredge, the central portion showcases a basketweave, and the small seconds subdial is rendered in the signature Infinity Weave

A closer look at the Infinity Weave pattern. The miniature baskets are about the size of the five-second markers.

Thereafter, the silver dial is bleached using a traditional method known as Breguet frosting, a form of depletion gilding that produces a matte white surface on silver. Shapiro is among the few who continues to employ this technique to achieve white dials instead of the more common galvanic treatment. In a galvanic process, the dial is electroplated with rhodium, which gives it a bright white appearance. Breguet frosting, on the other hand, involves gently heating the dial to form a thin oxide layer, which is then removed in an acid solution. The process is repeated several times to purify the silver, leaving the dial with an evenly white surface.

As for the zirconium dial, it is heated with a blowtorch to achieve a dark grey colour. When exposed to high temperatures in air, zirconium forms a stable oxide layer on its surface, primarily zirconium dioxide, which results in a uniform, matte grey finish. The final colour and texture depend on both the temperature and duration of heating, and the process must be carefully controlled to avoid flaking or uneven tones.

The zirconium dial is heat-treated to achieve a dark grey finish

The index rings are circular grained and secured to the main dial with tiny screws. The font for the Arabic numerals was custom designed for Shapiro. They are engraved on the index plate and filled with Indian ink, as are the minutes and small seconds divisions. The dial also spots the signature open-tipped Breguet hands. They are first laser-cut to achieve the sharply defined inner tip, then manually rounded and polished by hand.

The signature open-tipped Breguet hands are rounded and polished by hand

The Infinity Series Pure is powered by a manual winding La Joux-Perret F200 which offers a 90-hour power reserve and runs at 21,600vph in 21 jewels. Unlike the first two series, the movement is concealed behind a solid case back that has been engine turned with a phased wave pattern.

Unlike his earlier series, this model is not customisable. It’s limited to 18 pieces in each configuration with deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of this year.

Tech Specs

Movement: Manual-winding La Joux-Perret F200; 90-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes and small seconds
Case: 37mm × 8.8mm (including crystal; 7.4mm without); 316L Stainless Steel; 50m water resistance
Dial: Silver dial with rose gold hands or blackened zirconium dial with white gold hands
Strap:  Alligator leather strap
Availability: Limited edition of 18 pieces in each configuration
Price:  USD 26,000 (excluding taxes)