AI Transparency

How Subdial uses AI

We use AI tools (large language models, primarily Anthropic Claude) to assist with research aggregation, draft generation, and editorial review. Every published piece is reviewed and edited by Subdial Editors before publication. No factual claim is published without verification against primary sources.

What AI helps with

Research aggregation. AI helps us survey the public record on a maker — press archives, Wikipedia, manufacturer history pages, auction results — and synthesize it into a structured outline an editor can verify and refine.
First-draft generation. An editor may use AI to produce a first draft from a verified outline. The draft is then edited line-by-line for voice, accuracy, and tone.
Hero images and abstract illustrations. The hero images on hub pages may be AI-generated (gpt-image-1). Specific watch product photography is never AI-generated.

Where AI is not used

Specific watch photography. AI image models still struggle with horological detail — dial layouts, hour-marker geometry, complications, brand signatures. Every watch image on the site is a manufacturer press image, a Wikimedia Commons photo, or licensed editorial photography, and is credited.
Quantitative facts without verification. No price, founding date, production figure, or auction record is published unless it has been verified by an editor against a primary source.
Final editorial judgment. What we cover, how we frame it, and what we recommend are decided by editors — not models.

Why we publish this policy

AI is now part of how editorial works. The reader's question is no longer "did you use AI" — it's "did you use it responsibly." This page exists so readers can answer that question for themselves.

Questions or corrections? Email editors@subdial.ai.

On AI in editorial

Does Subdial use AI to write articles?

We use AI tools to assist with research, fact-aggregation, and first-draft generation. Every piece is reviewed and edited by Subdial Editors before publication. Factual claims (dates, prices, model references, auction results) are independently verified against authoritative sources before publication.

Are watch prices and historical facts AI-generated?

No fact is published unverified. Prices, founding dates, auction records, and model references come from primary sources (manufacturer press archives, auction house catalogs, brand encyclopedias). When AI helps draft a section, the editor verifies every quantitative claim against a primary source before approval.

Does Subdial use AI-generated images?

Hero images and abstract editorial illustrations may be AI-generated. Specific watch product photography is sourced from manufacturer press kits, Wikimedia Commons, or licensed image archives — never AI-generated, because AI struggles with horological detail (dial layouts, hour markers, complications). All product images are credited.

What is Subdial?

Subdial is an editorial publication covering luxury watchmaking — Swiss heritage houses, dive watches, vintage timepieces, and the makers worth knowing. Coverage includes Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Omega, Tudor, and dozens more. Editorial focus: history, signature collections, what to look for when buying, and how value holds.

Which Swiss watch brands are the most prestigious?

The "Holy Trinity" of Swiss watchmaking is Patek Philippe (founded 1839), Audemars Piguet (1875), and Vacheron Constantin (1755) — the three houses widely considered the apex of haute horlogerie. Rolex is the most recognized worldwide; Jaeger-LeCoultre supplies movements to many top brands; Blancpain is the oldest continuously operating watchmaker (founded 1735). Independent makers like F.P. Journe and Richard Mille operate at the same tier with smaller production runs.

What makes a watch "Swiss made"?

Swiss law requires that a watch labeled "Swiss made" must have its movement assembled in Switzerland, its movement cased in Switzerland, undergone final inspection by the manufacturer in Switzerland, and have at least 60% of its production cost incurred in Switzerland. The standard is enforced by the Federal Council and the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.