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Behind The Dial: Why Jewels Matter In Watches
Behind the dial of every mechanical watch sits a movement. This movement is made of many parts including gears, springs, pinions, and little pink bearings called jewels. These jewels play an important role in the function of a watch movement.
In this article, we will explain what a jewel is, what they are made of, what their function is in a watch. We will answer a couple of questions regarding the number of jewels in a movement and why some movements have fewer than others. Let's start at the beginning:
What Is A Watch Jewel?
Watch jewels, sometimes referred to as jewel bearings, are primarily used in watch movements to reduce friction between moving parts. In doing so, they keep watches running accurately and prolong the life of the movement.
Once made from natural diamonds, garnets, rubies, and sapphires, early jewels were cut by hand in a labour-intensive process. Combined with the high costs of raw materials, watches with natural jewels were very expensive.
Lab-created rubies and sapphires (made from corundum) were developed in 1902 and became the go-to jewels for watchmakers. Not just affordable, these synthetic jewels also retained a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, making them the second hardest material next to diamond.
This level of hardness greatly increased the lifespan of synthetic jewels over their natural counterparts. This added benefit also meant that moving parts within the watches' movements did not need to be serviced or replaced as frequently.The Four Types Of Jewels Found In Watches:
Most mechanical watch movements contain four types of jewels. They are:
Hole Jewels
Sometimes called pierced jewels, hole jewels are donut-shaped with a concave top that can hold a bead of watch oil. Hole jewels are often used on the axels of gears and wheels within the movement, allowing them to spin freely.
Cap Jewels
Mainly used to minimize the balance staff's movement. The cap jewel assembly often comes with another jewel called a pivot jewel, and contains a small spring on each end to hold the entire assembly together. This protects the assembly should the watch be dropped or hit against a hard surface.
Pallet Jewels
Rectangular in shape, these jewels fit snugly into the arms of a pallet fork of the escapement assembly. These jewels help transfer energy in a controlled manner from the mainspring to the balance wheel.
Roller Jewel
The roller jewel (sometimes called an impulse jewel), sits near the center of the balance wheel. It is used to help regulate the amount of energy released from the pallet fork to the escape wheel. It does this by locking and unlocking inside a small groove on the pallet fork, moving the fork one notch on the escape wheel per oscillation.
What Is A 'Fully Jeweled' Watch Movement?
A fully jeweled watch refers to any watch that contains a movement with 17 jewels. This is considered the standard for a basic three-hand watch movement without any additional complications.
Why Do Some Movements Have More Jewels?
Mechanical watches with complications like day/dates, chronographs, and GMTs require extra parts inside the movement. Some of these extra parts have to move, and thus more jewels are needed.
If a watch has 21 jewels, it is safe to assume that it has at least one complication. Some watches have more than 50+ jewels in their movements. Be aware that watches with more jewels and complications should be serviced more frequently and will cost more to repair than watches with fewer complications.
Can Quartz Movements Have Jewels?
While most quartz movements do not have any jewels, a small percentage do. High-grade quartz movements typically have anywhere from 1 to 10 jewels depending on the number of complications. Although rare, some quartz movements can have more than 10 jewels.
Are More Jewels Better? A Quick History Lesson On Greed And Corruption
A common misconception, especially among watch newbies, is the belief that more jewels equal higher quality. While more jewels mean more complications, it doesn't always mean the quality is greater than that of a watch with fewer jewels.
In early days of adding jewels to watch movements, brands used jewel counts as a sign of quality and craftsmanship. It didn't take long for consumers to believe that more jewels meant higher-quality watches. Brands saw this as a sales opportunity and began adding more jewels to their movements.
To cut down on manufacturing costs and increase profit margins, brands crammed jewels into movements wherever they could. Only people who actually opened the watch would notice that these jewels, known as non-functioning jewels, were just for show.
As a result of this marketing strategy, consumers were misled into purchasing expensive watches with the belief that they were getting the best movements that brands could offer. The situation became so out of control that the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) had to step in.
ISO passed a bill, ISO-1112, which effectively meant brands could only count functioning jewels when marketing their watches and the jewel count must be displayed on the watch itself. This transparency helped rebuild consumer trust and leveled the playing field for smaller watch brands.
Why Do Some Vintage Watches Only Have 7 Or 11 Jewels?
If you find yourself searching through seas of vintage watches, you will likely come across some movements with only 7 or 11 jewels. These watches were sold as budget options, often much cheaper than watches with 17-jewel movements.
These watches were sometimes called 'dollar watches' or 'throw-away watches' due to their affordability and availability. It was not uncommon to find them in department stores, gas stations, or even corner stores sitting beside the cash register.
If you are interested in vintage watches but are unsure of where to start, consider 7- and 11-jewel movements. For more information on vintage watches, read our guides:
Summary
Jewels are a necessary component in a mechanical watch. Each one is positioned with care and precision to ensure that the watch runs accurately and reliably for many years to come.
Interested in more watch related articles? Consider reading:
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