zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: At the expense of sounding like an idiot, what
: are "jewels" that I hear
: referenced in watch movements? What do they
: do?
: Does more jewels = better movement?
: Thanks in advance.

I'm sure others here could go into greater technical detail, but jewels are typically added to a movement in places where reduced friction is desired. More jewels does not necessarily equal a better movement if the movement does not require a lot of them. The co-axial escapement is designed to run with minimal friction and less lubrication than a traditional watch, so adding jewels to it wouldn't be necessary.

I found this in the Owner's Zone of this website:

Jewels are elements used in mechanical watches. Usually a very inexpensive form of synthetic ruby, these are used for virtually frictionless pivots or hubs at certain critical places in the watch mechanism. These jewels are worth only pennies and do not add any monetary value to a watch. It is also important to understand that more jewels does not necessarily make a better watch. While too few can certainly be a problem, the exact number needed for optimal performance depends on the specific design and features of the movement. Overall, 17 jewels is the lowest number needed for most standard mechanical watch movements. Others movements that implement different designs, or complications such a chronographs, may use more. But a novice cannot derive useful basis of evaluation or comparison from whether a watch has 17, 21, 25 or more jewels.

I hope this helps.

-John