Perlage, by hand or by machine
Overlapping circles on a plate nobody will look at. On the difference between finishing and decoration.
Perlage is the pattern of overlapping circles on the main plate, under the bridges, on a surface the wearer will never see without a loupe and a screwdriver. It is the oldest kind of finishing argument: who is it for?
The honest answer
A spinning abrasive peg, moved by hand, leaves circles of slightly different depth and spacing. A machine leaves perfect ones. Ours are made on a machine with the peg guided by hand, and the circles vary a little. We like the variation; we do not pretend it took a week.
What matters more is that the plate is finished at all. Dust and swarf hide in rough metal. A plate covered in circles has nowhere left to hide them.