Some seasoned watch buyers hardly ever look at the cost of a timepiece; instead, they sleuth around to find out how many jewel bearings it’s got. These are tiny, lab-made gems, such as rubies and sapphires that are set into holes in a watch movement.
Keep reading to learn how gems contribute to the mechanical movements of a luxury timepiece.
The Purpose of Watch Jewels
There’s a reason some watch collectors do the Harold Holt based on jewels alone. Sapphires and rubies play a major role in a watch’s motions: they provide predictable friction to the rotating wheels, thereby ensuring accuracy. Their hard facets retain shape for a long time, making them an indispensable means to this end.
The Most Important Watch Jewels
The more complicated the wheel mechanism of a watch, the more jewels it’s likely to require for accurate ticking.
Thus, you may find the following wheels in the contemporary watch movement.
· Hole Jewels
As per their name, cone and cylinder-shaped hole jewels have a piercing, located according to where they’re to be mounted on the wheel.
They may work alongside a cap jewel to form a pivot bearing for making the wheel axle rotate, or place upon the balance staff and secured with springs, for shock absorption.
· Capstones
The cap jewels work as end stones because they can’t function on their own. They need a secondary bearing to sit on a gear shaft’s tip to ensure motion in rapidly moving parts by dispensing oil.
Moreover, these cap jewels prevent friction between the arbour and other jewels while also controlling any unnecessary movement on the former’s part. This feature, more than anything else, is what makes it mandatory for a watch.
· Pallet Jewels
Pallet jewels have a rectangular shape so that they can fit at either end of a pallet fork. Their job is to make sure the fork locks and unlocks the escape wheel at every swing of the balance wheel.
· Roller Jewels
Roller wheels make sure the escape wheel and pallets stay connected. With the help of a concave upper side and flat lower surface, they can easily fit within a pallet fork.
What About Belle Argent Watches?
Most watch movements have 17 jewels located at various points. However, that does not make them inferior to watches with as many as 21 jewels because having four extra stones wouldn’t do anything for their performance. The truth is, some watches are so complicated they may need extra stones.
We’ve adopted the widely acclaimed Rhonda Quartz movements in all our stylish watches, making sure they keep ticking for years on end.
Browse through our stainless steel and leather strap Belle timepieces, and select a Belle Noir, Belle Argent, Belle Blanc, or elegant Belle Or.
Buy luxury watches online at affordable rates and minus delivery charges for our Aussie clientele.
