Why Are There Jewels In Watches
Jewelry has always been alluring. Be it because it was a symbol of status, served some religious purpose, or was as protection. Jewelry has been a part of every culture. Jewelry, just because it was pretty, really didn't evolve until the time of Romans.
Nowadays jewelry is back to serving multiple reasons. Sometimes all at the same time. Take for an example birthstone jewelry. The origins maybe shrouded in mystery but it held strong throughout the ages.
Each month is associated with a certain jewel as well as certain qualities. Then there are the reasons of functional use, like diamonds for drill bits. As for watches, the gems usually used are rubies, sapphires, garnets, and diamonds. After 1900, rubies that were used were synthetic, but before that, the gems used were either too small or too flawed to use as jewelry; however, the high cost of the gems weren't what made the watches pricey.
Because the reduction of friction is so important in watches, jewels were the perfect answer. Jewels could be made very smooth and because jewels are so hard, they tend to not wear down so fast. The shapes that the jewels are fashioned determined how the gem is used. Take for instance:
If the jewel is hole shaped, that gem is used to fit over gear axles.
Cap or flat jewels are placed on the end of the axle.
Pallet or brick shaped are placed on the pallet fork that is what makes the escape wheel to engage and release.
A roller jewel is placed on the large balance wheel swinging back and forth. This engages with the pallet fork, which is located on the end opposite of the pallet jewels.
Another reason that the jewels are so carefully shaped is so that the lubricating oil is drawn to the gears where it is needed.
Here is a watch example, the Elgin watch. In these particular watches, there are just seven jewels alone used throughout just the escapement and balance.
The basic break down of the watch is cap and hole jewels that total four, the pallet that total two and the roller.
Here is a watch example, the Elgin watch. In these particular watches, there are just seven jewels alone used throughout just the escapement and balance.
The basic break down of the watch is cap and hole jewels that total four, the pallet that total two and the roller.
Then for the gear train, there are eight hole jewels.
The center wheel contains another two.
In addition, on the escape wheel and pallet fork, there are two to four cap jewels. Making the total of jewels used is between 25 to 27.
Pocket watches use jewels for the mainspring barrel. The watch has a "motor wheel" instead of a going wheel. So this wheel is needed to jewel the mainspring wheel. This can bring the count of jewels used to twenty-three, which is normal for pocket watches. In automatically wound watches, there additional jewels to effectively use the energy that moving the wrist makes to wind the watch. That takes forty jewels.
When speaking of Shock Resistant watches, the jewels used need to be able to carry the balance staff that is mounted in springs, which can be heavy. These jewels take the shock and are useful in helping in preventing breakage of the balance tips, which are very tiny. When the shock is great enough to engage these jewels, the balance staff's thicker parts will bump up against the plates that the shock protection jewels are mounted on. This will cause the watch to stop for a second but this prevents any damage done.
When speaking of Shock Resistant watches, the jewels used need to be able to carry the balance staff that is mounted in springs, which can be heavy. These jewels take the shock and are useful in helping in preventing breakage of the balance tips, which are very tiny. When the shock is great enough to engage these jewels, the balance staff's thicker parts will bump up against the plates that the shock protection jewels are mounted on. This will cause the watch to stop for a second but this prevents any damage done.
So when watches contain more jewels, the jewels usually are of higher quality and more costly. The public has associated the number not the quality of the jewels as the reason to the price. This is why some watch makers have added additional jewels to raise the cost even though these "extra" jewels have no use in the watch.
Over the centuries, the use of jewels and the types of "jewelry" that they are used in have evolved from not just being pretty, having symbolic or spiritual uses to now include actual functional uses as well.
Over the centuries, the use of jewels and the types of "jewelry" that they are used in have evolved from not just being pretty, having symbolic or spiritual uses to now include actual functional uses as well.
