The watches are not simple devices of timekeeping, but multi-faceted items of engineering and craftsmanship. As you may have come to observe in the specifications of a watch, there is a term such as 17 jewels or 21 jewels, and you may have questioned yourself about what it is all about. One of the most common questions of first-time collectors is, What are jewels in a watch? Are they actual gemstones, and what are their uses?
In this guide, we will learn everything about jewels in a watch, including their meaning, purpose, history, and the importance of the number of jewels in a watch.
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What Is A Jewel In A Watch?
A jewel in a watch is a tiny, artificial gemstone (typically synthetic sapphire or ruby) situated within the mechanism of a watch. These jewels are not merely ornaments, but they serve a functional purpose.
In response to the question of what jewels mean in a watch, we are supposed to know that jewels are bearings. They are located at strategic positions within the movement to minimize friction where metals would otherwise rub against each other.
Therefore, the term jewel may be glamorous; however, these are not diamonds or luxury gems.
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What Do Jewels in a Watch Do?
Most individuals question what jewels are in a watch. The easiest answer is that they serve to make the gears and pivots move with ease.
There are hundreds of small components in a mechanical watch, gears, wheels, and springs, in constant interaction. The absence of jewels would lead to rapid wear and tear of the metal parts, which would lower the precision and the lifespan of the watch.
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Jewels have three key functions:-
- Reduce Friction: The synthetic rubies are very smooth, and they do not have much resistance to the rotation of pivots and gears.
- Increase Durability: Jewels reduce excessive wear because of the minimization of the amount of metal-on-metal contact.
- Improve Accuracy: Reduced friction will translate to greater consistency in movement, and this also means more precise timekeeping.
Therefore, the reader will know the answer to the question of what the jewels in a watch do when pondering over it, which is efficiency, precision, and enduring wear and tear.
A Brief History of Jewels In a Watch
Jewels in watches were initially used in the early 1700s, and watchmakers originally tried to use natural sapphires and rubies. These were natural gemstones that were costly and hard to cut, and therefore, bearing watches was a luxurious good.
In recent times, jewels have been replaced with synthetic jewels. To make synthetic ruby and sapphire, the chemical makeup is the same as the natural stones; however, the synthetic stones can be produced at a tiny fraction of the cost. This increased the usage of jewels, and by the 20th century, they were a part of most of the quality mechanical watches.
What Does 17 Jewels in a Watch Mean?
When you search for watches, What does 17 jewels in a watch mean is one of the most asked questions.
A 17-jewel watch is a generic design of a mechanical movement that has jewels stored in all the pivot points, which is important. Conventionally, 17 jewels were believed to be a minimum for a fully jeweled mechanical watch.
These jewels mainly include:-
- Balance staff pivots (2 jewels)
- Pallet staff pivots (2 jewels)
- Escape wheel pivots (2 jewels)
- Fourth wheel pivots (2 jewels)
- Third wheel pivots (2 jewels)
- Center wheel pivots (2 jewels)
- Pallet jewels (2 jewels)
- Balance cap jewels (2 jewels)
- Impulse jewel (1 jewel)
In total, that is 17 jewels. Thus, when someone reads what 17 jewels mean in a watch, it simply means a completely jewelled movement that can serve efficiently.
Does More Jewel Mean a Better Watch?
The next question most people ask is: what is the highest number of jewels in a watch? There are watches with 17 jewels, 21, 25, 31, and other complicated watches with over 40.
Nevertheless, the greater the number of jewels, the greater the quality is not necessary. Jewels are only added in the places of necessity; additional jewels may also be used in the automatic winding mechanism, chronograph, and other complications.
Indeed, jewel watches with such a huge number of jewels (50, 80, or even 100 jewels) are usually utilized in marketing, but not in functionality. Most common mechanical watches would be limited to 17 to 25 jewels, which is their typical limit.
As such, posing the question, what are jewels in a watch, keep in mind that they are very necessary when it comes to performance, the number of jewels in a watch does not necessarily translate into high-quality workmanship.
Types of Jewels Used in Watches
When we talk about what are the jewels in a watch? We are referring to specific placements and functions:-
- Hole Jewels: Small jewels that are drilled to act as pivot bearings on rotating parts.
- Cap Jewels: Flat jewels that are fitted above the hole jewels to store the lubrication and enhance performance.
- Pallet Jewels: Linked to the pallet fork of the escapement mechanism, to regulate the movement of gears.
- Impulse Jewel: One jewel on the balance wheel, which is in contact with the pallet fork.
The jewels play a specific purpose, and when combined, they form a system of friction-resistance.
How Many Jewels Should a Watch Have?
The jewels in a watch are dependent on its complexity.
- 17 jewels: Criteria of the majority of mechanical watches.
- 21 to 25 jewels: Typical of automatic watches that have extra moving elements in the rotor and gear train.
- 25+ jewels: They are only available in expensive chronographs or watches that are complicated with additional features.
Gems of Contemporary Quartz Watches
The question of whether quartz watches have jewels or not has always been a puzzle to many people, but there are some cases when they do. Although the quartz movements do not depend as much on mechanical gear trains, some of the higher-end quartz watches do use jewels to reduce friction in key areas.
Importance of a Jewel in a Watch for Collectors
To a collector, it is one of the aspects of enjoying horology to know what is done on the jewels within a watch. Jewel count can reveal:
- The kind of movement (manual, automatic, or complicated).
- A 17-jewel mechanical watch is regarded as generally complete in the quality of engineering.
- The production period – the earlier jewel watches were rarer and more rare and expensive.
Final Thoughts
So, what do jewels in a watch mean? Inside the movement, they are bearings made of synthetic rubies or sapphires. They are not ornamental, but play a vital part in removing friction, enhancing precision, and increasing the longevity of a watch.
