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e.avery
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Most watch jewels are made of man made stones most common is synthetic garnet.  Ruby, sapphire, and diamond are also used to reduce to friction of metal to metal contact.  In most modern watches hardened glass, also more commonly known as mineral glass is used.  It is called mineral glass because it has a crystalline structure similar to that found in minerals.  The term ruby jewels may be a bit over used in order to give the appearance of more intrinsic value to the movement then may actually be there.  Just a thought.

yamahaki
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use spell checkyossam1.gifaveryokdude.gif

KenC
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Almost all of the jewels used are sapphires as they are second in hardness only to diamonds and are easily "grown"!  Most think of sapphires as blue, but rubies are, in fact, nothing more than red sapphires (which actually come in a plethora of colors).

http://www.sapphiremining.com/ABSapphires.html

e.avery
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Most ETA movements use Mineral Glass.

pacifichrono
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e.avery wrote: Most ETA movements use Mineral Glass.

I think the movement in my Alpha is made of plexiglas.

 

 

 

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e.avery
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There are 5 basic types of jewels

1. hole jewel - this is one that the pinion passes throug like a wheel

2. Cap jewel - this is the jewel that covers a hole jewel

3. Roller jewel - this jewel is mounted in the roller table

4. Pallet stone jewel - these are the jewels that are mounted in the pallet

5. Shock jewel - also known as an Inca or Kif jewel

21 jewel watches gen. have upper and lower balance jewels, upper and lower balance  cap jewels, a roller jewel,  2 pallet jewels, a hole jewel at each end of the escape wheel, a jewel at each end of the pallet arbor, one hole jewel at each end of the fourth-wheel pinion, one hole jewel at each end of the center wheel pinion, an hole jewel at each end of the center wheel pinion, one cap jewel at each end of the pallet arbor and one cap jewel at each end of the escape wheel pinion.

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e.avery wrote: Most ETA movements use Mineral Glass.
Sorry......my bad (as they say).....since I did not consider mineral crystal a jewel/gem, I guess I should re-word my comment.  Most gem stones used as "jewel" bearing points are sapphire........mostly grown in laboratories.  Rubies are, in fact, red sapphires.

Eeeb
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The ability to make synthetic jewels must be post WWII technology.  Were pre-WWII movements utilizing naturally occuring sapphires?  Were these pivot points hand made?  .... no wonder 17 jeweled movements were 'high class' :-)

I notice a number of the cheaper movements have few jewels if any.  I take it these are using the mineral glass?  Or is it metal on metal?

Skipdawg
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Metal on metal would be a very poor made movement. For over time a little metal dust would start slowly building up and hose things up. Jewels even synthetic are what keeps this friction down preventing the dust.

Even many of the China movements have come a long way with this over the past 3 to 4 years.

Eeeb
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Yes, metal on metal wouldn't be good.... but, given the low or no jewel count on some movements, it must be being done.... or are these glass pivot points?

Last edited on Sat Jun 30th, 2007 09:23 pm by Eeeb

IW
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the only movements I've seen "sans-jewels" are large clock movements where the spring energy is immense enough to overcome friction.

Every watch movement I've seen has at least 17 jewels.

Where have you seen watch movements with little or none? (besides quartz mistake.gif)

oagaspar
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Alpha watches use 1-7 jewels...at least the only 1 I have left does:D

IW
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Wow! Super-KRAP!

O.A. Gaspar wrote:
Alpha watches use 1-7 jewels...at least the only 1 I have left does:D

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I read somewhere, long ago (how is that for being specific) that the basic watch (ie: non-chrono) needed only 17 jewels to cover all necessary friction points...that more were superfluous and basically for decoration and/or marketing!

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So less jewels = loud ticker and wears out faster? 

JohnMichael
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e.avery wrote: Most ETA movements use Mineral Glass.

Do you know if this is true of the ETA 2892-2 movement? If you do not know how could I find out? I have a watch with that movement that is ready to be cleaned, lubricated and recalibrated. If the watch is using mineral glass is the longevity of the movement any different than if it had lab created jewels? Thanks.

John 

Don Rait
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Never seen that patch before.   Snooper Poopers as in.... stumble around in the jungle, smoke, talk loud, cuss at every impediment and hope the gooks don't hit us?  Been There,  but the patch is cool, thought it was an air wing thing but Mike 3/4 slapped me between the eyes!  S/F Don Rait  Mike 2 Actual Oct '67- June '68 Are you a member of 3/4 Association?  Reunion comming up in Savannah end of the month

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JohnMichael wrote: e.avery wrote: Most ETA movements use Mineral Glass.

Do you know if this is true of the ETA 2892-2 movement? If you do not know how could I find out? I have a watch with that movement that is ready to be cleaned, lubricated and recalibrated. If the watch is using mineral glass is the longevity of the movement any different than if it had lab created jewels? Thanks.

John 

I do not know if the ETA thing is a true statement, but, scientifically, yes, synthetic Sapphire is harder than mineral crystal so it will last longer, BUT, it is probably over such a long time period as to make it superfluous to the operation of the watch!

JCKoLnturn
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Don Rait wrote: Never seen that patch before.   Snooper Poopers as in.... stumble around in the jungle, smoke, talk loud, cuss at every impediment and hope the gooks don't hit us?  Been There,  but the patch is cool, thought it was an air wing thing but Mike 3/4 slapped me between the eyes!  S/F Don Rait  Mike 2 Actual Oct '67- June '68 Are you a member of 3/4 Association?  Reunion comming up in Savannah end of the month
Anyone care to translate for a curious civilian born after Vietnam ended.

Don Rait
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Somehow I got to a Sept. 19, 2006 note from pacificchrono. It would be too hard to translate, grunt to grunt talk.  I thought I was on a current page.  Interesting patch from Mike 3/4 Vietnam. Sorry

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JCKoLnturn wrote:
That makes 2 of us Jacko and I was born way before the VietNam era!....I don't even know what this has to do w/jewels in movements:D Don Rait wrote: Never seen that patch before.   Snooper Poopers as in.... stumble around in the jungle, smoke, talk loud, cuss at every impediment and hope the gooks don't hit us?  Been There,  but the patch is cool, thought it was an air wing thing but Mike 3/4 slapped me between the eyes!  S/F Don Rait  Mike 2 Actual Oct '67- June '68 Are you a member of 3/4 Association?  Reunion comming up in Savannah end of the month
Anyone care to translate for a curious civilian born after Vietnam ended.

KenC
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Don Rait wrote: Never seen that patch before.   Snooper Poopers as in.... stumble around in the jungle, smoke, talk loud, cuss at every impediment and hope the gooks don't hit us?  Been There,  but the patch is cool, thought it was an air wing thing but Mike 3/4 slapped me between the eyes!  S/F Don Rait  Mike 2 Actual Oct '67- June '68 Are you a member of 3/4 Association?  Reunion comming up in Savannah end of the month

Don, that is not a patch; that is a challenge coin for the unit.  Here is the patch:



Infantry company, official designation: Bandido Charlie.

Historical lineage, Company C, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st US Army Division via Company C, 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.

http://www.bandidocharlie.com

Mech unit that also operated "leg", used primarily as a security and reaction force when I commanded it.  Currently deployed in Al Asad, Iraq.

oagaspar
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Here is a link the Watcharama watch glossary...very useful and if you scroll down to J you will see what they say about jewels in a movementhand6.gif
http://www.watcharama.com/glossary.htm

Eeeb
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Whoops... must have hit the wrong 'reply' button... this was ment as an answer to the question how many jewels does the ETA 2892-2 movement have?
....

The ETA 2892A2 --- a self winding mechanical movement with date as the only complication --- is probably the same as the ETA 2892-2 . This movement uses 21 jewels.  From what I am reading on the .net, this is about optimal for a mechnaical movement with self wind.

Full details at the following ETA site:
https://secure.eta.ch/CSP/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=28

From what I can see, it is not generally true that ETA skimps on the use of jewels.

I guess my question is, if the pivot is not jeweled, what is it?  Glass as is suggested above?  Metal as in really old cheap watches?




Last edited on Fri Jul 6th, 2007 04:09 pm by Eeeb

oagaspar
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Eeeb wrote:
Eeeb...the 2892A2 and the 2892-2 are the same...the A2 is a suffix used when a module is added which adds more functions...ie: Omega uses it as a base due to it's low profile when adding a module such as adding a chronograph feature like on the Dynamic..below is a pic of my Cattin which has no complications but uses the 2892A2 fully decorated...for a complete look at all movements and there uses you can refer to Dr.Rannfts movement page in the 3T links area...hope this helps Buddyhand6.gif Whoops... must have hit the wrong 'reply' button... this was ment as an answer to the question how many jewels does the ETA 2892-2 movement have?
....

The ETA 2892A2 --- a self winding mechanical movement with date as the only complication --- is probably the same as the ETA 2892-2 . This movement uses 21 jewels.  From what I am reading on the .net, this is about optimal for a mechnaical movement with self wind.

Full details at the following ETA site:
https://secure.eta.ch/CSP/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=28

From what I can see, it is not generally true that ETA skimps on the use of jewels.

I guess my question is, if the pivot is not jeweled, what is it?  Glass as is suggested above?  Metal as in really old cheap watches?





Attachment: Picture 021.jpg (Downloaded 28 times)

oagaspar
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Sorry...pic of the watch which only has a second handhand6.gif

Attachment: Picture 018.jpg (Downloaded 28 times)


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