What is the purpose of jewels in a watch movement?

　　We often see gemstones inside the movements of designer watches, but are they merely decorative, or do they serve a purpose? Today, Anya discusses the function of watch movement jewels.

　　The function of watch movement jewels

　　Watchmakers place stones inside mechanical movements to reduce friction, thereby minimising wear and tear. Rubies were originally used, but they have long since been replaced by synthetic sapphire. To this day, they are still referred to as jewels; these jewels are turned, polished, and drilled to serve as bearings for the various gears of the watch.

　　Generally speaking, a standard mechanical watch displaying hours, minutes, and seconds will contain at least fifteen jewels, placed in the parts of the movement most susceptible to wear from friction. The balance wheel must be fitted with a shock-absorption system containing jewels.

　　Are more jewels in a watch movement always better?

　　Generally speaking, more jewel bearings indicate a more complex movement. Usually, we refer to any number up to 25 jewels as functional jewels; the 17 jewels in a standard base movement comprise the second, third, fourth, and escapement wheels; 2X4 = 8 jewels, with two jewels for each of the upper and lower balance wheel shock absorbers; 2 X 2 = 4 jewels for the pallet lever and pallet jewels; 2X2 = 4 jewels for the roller jewel; 1 jewels. Under the standard configuration, adding 2 jewel to the barrel arbor makes 19 jewels, and adding four or six jewels to the automatic winding system results in 21 or 23 jewels, while adding a calendar system to an automatic movement adds 2 jewels, bringing the total to 25 jewels.

　　From a commercial market perspective, watches featuring jewels add product value, and people are more willing to pay for them. Manufacturers exploit this consumer mindset by adding rubies to increase the price of the watch. However, up to the present day, brand advertising does not heavily hype the number of movement rubies. Therefore, we cannot judge the quality of a movement solely by the number of jewels; whether a watch is good must be evaluated from various aspects such as craftsmanship, finishing, and design.

　　Top replica watch recommendations

[Top-tier Replica Watch] Vacheron Constantin Patrimony series 85180/000R-9248 watch

　　High-quality 1:1 fine craft, top-tier replica workmanship

　　Price: (Please contact customer service for the latest price)

　　Series:Heritage Collection

　　Movement: Iron City 9015 movement

　　Strap: calfskin strap

　　Clasp: pin buckle

　　Bezel: Standard

　　Crystal: Sapphire crystal glass

　　Diameter: 40MM

　　Water resistance: 30 metres

　　Review:

　　◆ 40 mm size, pink gold case, engraved with the Hallmark of Geneva, elegant and refined in appearance with a poised and generous temperament.

　　◆ Rose gold case paired with a brown alligator strap, classic! The watch is also very slim, the movement is quite good, and it is well worth collecting.

　　◆ Silver opaline dial with a curved edge design, the timekeeping section is finished with circular graining, and it features gold applied hour markers.

　　◆ Features sapphire crystal, which is robust and scratch-resistant

　　Generally speaking, the more jewels a movement has, the more complex its craftsmanship, the greater the difficulty of its manufacture, and consequently the higher the quality of the watch. Everyone can pay more attention to watch movement jewels when purchasing mechanical watches in the future.

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【1:1 Fine Quality】Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Series 85180/000G-9230 Watch

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