@@islandwatch Hey Mark...is a basic 7 jewel skeleton watch with no day/date feature or anything fancy dependable enough to keep accurate time in your opinion?The watch is a brand name called "Gute".
When it's nearly full wound it will stop rotating under its own weight, but to actually wind them up efficiently you'll need to rotate the whole watch on the rotors rotational axis like you see it turning around in, about 50'ish times in both directions each so as to give it even wear. And until the grease dries out too much and the movement needs a COA what Benjamin Castro said is correctamundo!
Ruby and sapphire are two chemical variations of a mineral called corundum. Corundum is the 2nd hardest mineral after diamond. Synthetic corundum is used for watch jewels, and it is also used in carborundum sand paper and grinding wheels. Because it is so hard and resistant to wear, and costs less than diamonds (even synthetic), it is perfect for watch "bearings". Hope this helps! 👍
This mechanical stuff is really reeling me in. I wanted to work with cars but I’ve always loved and pursued art that was expressed at tiny scale. I have detailed drawings only 1cm at farthest points, in 8th grade I used needle tip tweezers to make a fully functional cootie catcher that was only 5x5mm. I’ve always loved precision in small scale stuff
Well done explanation about jeweling, including a basic intro on shock protection . . . the bane of pocket watches from their inception into the early 20th century . . . suffering from broken balance staffs if the watch was dropped or suffered a hard knock.
I've learned a lot just with this video. Thank you so much Mark. Beside the technical reason, I guess watch makers also use jewels as a decoration for their movements. 😊
I always wondered how jewels dealt with the end play. I now just saw in your video a shouldered axle which would also rest on the jewel. How simple, and simple of me to not have thought of it. Thank you for solving one of those little mysteries of life.
You put up this video about 3 years ago and I just learned something new today about Jewels in watches after about 20 years owning an Automatic Watch.....LOL...
Thank you SO MUCH for this awesome video, Mark! Clears up a lot of confusion for me. I've been wondering for so long what the jewel count meant. This channel is great, keep it up!
very very good video ... very informative . I acutely put this question on quite a few watch forums not quite getting a proper answers you have answered my question in full thank you .
Just getting into this watch care and watch purchasing....came across your videos....very informative...very interesting...love the detail of your video explanation...thanks for taking the TIME.....
Awesome Video, just bought a vintage Seiko Sportsmatic 5 (1964) of 21 jewels and I had no idea what those jewels were for. thanks a lot for the information ! Suscribed !
Thank you for your expertise and demonstrations. Just getting into watches and I am slowly going down the rabbit hole. it's okay though, because of your channel I am learning about the beautiful functional art of watchmaking . Thank you.
Hi Marc...thanks SO much for sharing your love of watches with us... I bought a Seiko SNZG15J1 5 watch with a J code ( JAPAN) and investigated if it's a good or not good watch and found your reviews and lessons . I wondered what jewels were and now I know... just tonight I have watched about 10 of your videos .... 2 weeks ago I couldn't care less about watches ... but for some reason I am now intrigued. It's easy to see how people can love the subject . So, thanks again...you're a natural teacher ...I'm very grateful for you time (pun intended ) .
recently trying to learn more how watches are made and found your channel. I can't afford mechanical watches (or maybe looking in the wrong places :D ) but those are my favorites and I try to learn as much as I can related to them. Your videos are part of my learning! Thanks a lot.
Tq very much for sharing this video and great explanation on what the jewels are for. You really shed lights to my questions....and i come to learned from you about mechanical watches jewels. A big thank you again.
Mark, I own several 1960s and 70s low dollar pieces. The thing they have in common is they all only have 7 jewels. Until this video, I thought it was a reflection of how "cheaply" built they are. You are telling me that it more reflects the amount of complications? I hope I understood you correctly. Thanks for taking your time to make us informed hobbyists.
More than likely, you have a 7 jewel movement that contains 7 jewels on the balance/escape wheel. So the heart of the watch, where friction will stop it from working, it is jeweled. The wheels though, that tell the time and gear it down, probably aren't. You likely have a 7 jewel lever escapement movement. Which is pretty standard. Just missing jeweled wheels in the rest of the time telling train.
Thanks! Another informative video. What about a trouble shooting video on common mechanical watch issues, their tell tale signs, what's the cause internally, and how to address them?
Funny.....jewels are made of rubys or sapphires.....because diamonds are too exensive. As a mechanical engineer myself ( as is Marc's background)....I find some irony in all this. Where a diamond may elevate the excellence of the core functioning of a watch.....it is not used due to expense. Yet there are diamond studded watches that satisfy an artful or aesthetic desire.....here they are not too expensuve and someone may pay $XX,000 for such a watch. Incredible.
More than that Marc.....my point was that the market says we won't pay for diamonds in a watch where it improves function, but we will buy watches that are diamond-studded "for looks".
I also had this thought, however after revisiting this idea, perhaps it is the ratio of wear between the metal components & jewel & maybe also colour I.e. Making them visible whereas diamond maybe very hard to see?...
@@butcherbakercandlestickmak2062 Bingo... The real reason that diamonds aren't used is because diamonds as jewels are so hard that they actually wear the pivots of gears down faster. They are however, were used as cap jewels in high end pocket watches (Waltham riverside maximus, Vanguard, Elgin Vertias).
Hi Mark, just came across your channel and liked and subscribed. 👍. Excellent demo, great micro shots. It always amazes me how a scrap watch still wants to work!!!. Sometimes I will pop that cap jewel out from the balance and clean and oil it, it can improve the performance of a watch. Like you I have shaky hands and as you know jewels will fly!!!😭. So super careful needed. Thanks again. Adrian 🍀.
This is an amazing video. I've learned so much from your last 2 videos and this one. Thank you so much for making this series of watch and learn videos.
Glad you explained how anti-shock works, because I had no idea before viewing this video. Can you do an upcoming Watch and Learn video on anti-magnetic watches? I'm curious how soft-iron components and Faraday cages work. Also, how one knows that their watch has become magnetized and how to de-gauss it. Thanks!
thanks mark. trying not to miss any episode of watch n learn. i have a request. can u please make an episode on basic idea of how to regulate a mechanical or automatic watch. i have seen some videos on this topic, still would like u to make a video on this topic.
Excellent presentation Mark! Creative and very relevant content with outstanding delivery skills. I like and value my watch a lot more since I subscribed to your channel.
I just found your channel and I love it! Huge analog wrist watch enthusiast here and this video has been o helpful. The information overload was what pushed me to subscribe to your channel xD
I'm really loving your videos! I'd like it very much if you could talk about jewels in quartz movements. I realize it must be more or less the same... but I'm not sure about "standard" amount of them to consider a movement really good and when it's just more thant necessary... for instance my quartz Ronda 715 has 5 jewels. ¿What does it means? ¿Good, bad, normal? My father's miyota has 0 jewels and says "unadjusted"... but has been going on perfectly fine for the last 5 years. Does that 0 make it really worse?
Good video, I got confused with jewels and Joules (energy), thinking that the "jewels" in my Seiko 5 automatic had something to do with the amount of energy (Joules) that the watch uses to run / wind itself - thinking of Joules (energy), it would be interesting to know how much energy a typical mechanical watch needs / uses.
Could you make a sequel of this "Jewel" video? I am praticing assembly and disassembly and my project is a evaco sa movement which does not work and I discovered that when I assemble the 3rd and 4th wheel, it moves freely and when I put the escape wheel, it binds. It is a challenge to put the bridge on top of these wheels. I am curious which jewels are caps and which ones have holes? do they pair cap and holed jewels all the time? would debris on jewels holes can cause it to stop? if so, what's the best way to clean them manually (without sonic cleaner).
The increased Jewel counts aren't a recent thing. In the 1890s, American watch companies engaged in a "jewel war", increasing jewel counts rapidly and advertising the increased jewel counts heavily. Prior to 1890, a 15j movement was "fully jeweled" Hampden watch co. out of ohio started increasing the movements to 17, then 19, then 21, then 23 by 1900. All the other companies followed suit... Waltham, Elgin, Rockford, Illinois, etc all had 23 jewel movements, and Illinois and Rockford even had 24 jewel, 25 jewel and higher. I would argue that the extra cap jewels do keep the pivots cleaner longer, and possibly help with endshake, but they make it much harder to service. Good video!
Hi Mark ... really appreciate your explanations about jewels. Question, I watched because I have a question about installing a quartz movement, a Ronda 763 Swiss made Normtech version (not the cheaper 763E with only 1 jewel). Unlike many quartz movements, this one has 5 jewels, so it is a good one, and one of those jewels, i.e. the one in question, is in the very center of the movement, and is the key bearing for the pinion to which the seconds hand is mounted. My question is that the Ronda literature, says that when hands, i.e. the "seconds" hand is being installed, that support must be provided. I also see a fixture in the Ronda literature, which the movement slips into, and whilst so, there is a very pointed pin that obviously meets up with the noted center pinion bearing jewel. From the looks of the movement, it is just pressed in, and really tiny in diameter, well less than a mm. I have tried to find, but NOWHERE is this support tool to be found, though Ronda shows a part number (H 76x.1A) for it. So I need to install the seconds hand soon, and can't help but think the force to press the jewel out, certainly must be less than the force to install the seconds hand, which BTW, is .2 mm hole diameter/ (and pinion diameter), and just presses on the end of the center pinion. I am worried about how possible it is that I might accidentally press out the jewel as I try to re-install the seconds hand. Their literature says the maximal force to be used to install Second hand as "max 30N". If that is 30 "newtons", that is an overwhelming amount of force, i.e. converts to about 3000 grams, which is just crazy. So I am also not sure what units of force they are referring to by saying "max 30N". Now I should say, the seconds hand has previously been on another movement (I am actually swapping out a cheaper 763E movement and putting in a higher quality 763 "Swiss Made" Normtech). So the seconds hand is still in flawless shape, and I plan to re-use it, but I want to think that upon reuse, it should take a lesser amount of force to press it on the center pinion, than a new one. So, I want to think that the risk of pressing out the center jewel bearing is probably not possible by installing the seconds hand, but would really like to hear your opinion. I can clearly tell, the bearing is just pressed in, and has no cage or whatever to prevent it from coming out. I've seen it under magnification and seen Ronda's cross section view on their published drawing. I would great appreciate your comments. If push comes to shove, to be on the safe side, I am a skilled miniature machinist with lathe and vertical mill to make a functional bearing support tool, as I saw it pictured in the Ronda website, but am wondering if doing so would be overkill, Ie installing a seconds hand is still not likely to press the bearing out. The worrisome par tis that on Ronda tech drawing, there is a line that says "The movement needs to be supported for hand setting." I am just not sure if they say that to mean the bearing itself must be supported, or if their mean to just nicely support the whole movement itself. I don't know if they are just be overly conservative and careful, or if it really absolutely is needed..... in which case I would have to machine a support tool, based solely on what I saw pictured on their website, and hope I got it right. I tried desperately to find this tool offered for sale anywhere via google search, and no luck. Just reference from the Ronda site with no ordering options. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts! Truly many thanks in advance! BTW, I too am not a watchmaker, just a serious enthusiast, and a retired structural mechanical engineer by vocation. Though that background helps a lot, it still leaves one to figure out what to do. Many thanks again! Chuck P.
Thanks for all the time & effort that you put into your graphic explanations, much appreciated!...was also wondering are all jewels removed when servicing as I understand some are fixed in place with shellac/other semi permanent adhesives & wondered how this works? Keep up the good work!
I know what jewels are, and what they are for, but nobody bothers to show them to you close up. So thank you for this! Lo these years later.
Really informative. Gives enthusiasts beginning collecting and horology a start.
Yes, trying!
true
Another excellent video' thanks mark for these, I really do enjoy them. 🙂👍🏽
لوسمحتم ترجمه للعربي مع الشكر arpik plies
As someone who works in mechanical engineering, good job, Mark. This sort of thing is in my mental world.
Thanks. Was gonna bust out some phase change curves for the working fluid :)
Do you know anything about Sergio 2 watches
Very enlightening, I never knew the purpose of the jewels. Thanks for the great videos!
That's what I like to hear!
@@islandwatch Hey Mark...is a basic 7 jewel skeleton watch with no day/date feature or anything fancy dependable enough to keep accurate time in your opinion?The watch is a brand name called "Gute".
I love doing intro's twice!
I got a question: instead of rubies why watchmakers doesn't use nylon/teflon pieces which have a very low friction coefficient?
Wear wear wear! The rotation of the gear would wear out the nylon/teflon/delrin/etc pretty quickly.
When it's nearly full wound it will stop rotating under its own weight, but to actually wind them up efficiently you'll need to rotate the whole watch on the rotors rotational axis like you see it turning around in, about 50'ish times in both directions each so as to give it even wear. And until the grease dries out too much and the movement needs a COA what Benjamin Castro said is correctamundo!
Long Island Watch
Thank you for the informative videos.
What is a saphire "coated" crystal (my watch: 2017 Wenger Heritage Attitude). Pros & cons?
Ruby and sapphire are two chemical variations of a mineral called corundum. Corundum is the 2nd hardest mineral after diamond. Synthetic corundum is used for watch jewels, and it is also used in carborundum sand paper and grinding wheels. Because it is so hard and resistant to wear, and costs less than diamonds (even synthetic), it is perfect for watch "bearings". Hope this helps! 👍
just starting to read and learn about watches. Your videos are both entertaining and informative. Thanks for putting these all together
Thanks. Glad the work pays off.
I love these behind the working videos Mark! As an engineer at heart/blood; I truly appreciated seeing this. Great work! 👍
This mechanical stuff is really reeling me in. I wanted to work with cars but I’ve always loved and pursued art that was expressed at tiny scale. I have detailed drawings only 1cm at farthest points, in 8th grade I used needle tip tweezers to make a fully functional cootie catcher that was only 5x5mm. I’ve always loved precision in small scale stuff
Post
This video series is why I will buy watches from you whenever possible.
Thank you.
That was so informative Mark, thank you so much for your effort. Can't wait for the next episodes, please don't stop!
Well done explanation about jeweling, including a basic intro on shock protection . . . the bane of pocket watches from their inception into the early 20th century . . . suffering from broken balance staffs if the watch was dropped or suffered a hard knock.
Thank you for sharing all this information with newbies such as I. Your channel is as awesome as your watches and customer service.
I've learned a lot just with this video. Thank you so much Mark. Beside the technical reason, I guess watch makers also use jewels as a decoration for their movements. 😊
I always wondered how jewels dealt with the end play. I now just saw in your video a shouldered axle which would also rest on the jewel. How simple, and simple of me to not have thought of it. Thank you for solving one of those little mysteries of life.
You put up this video about 3 years ago and I just learned something new today about Jewels in watches after about 20 years owning an Automatic Watch.....LOL...
Brilliance of this engineering
Thank you SO MUCH for this awesome video, Mark! Clears up a lot of confusion for me. I've been wondering for so long what the jewel count meant. This channel is great, keep it up!
Thanks for the informative video! Love the "Watch and Learn" series - always a pleasure, and I usually learn something new!
very very good video ... very informative .
I acutely put this question on quite a few watch forums not quite getting a proper answers you have answered my question in full thank you .
Love it - easy to understand clear concise education! Thank you for your taking the time to do this sir!
I already had a fairly good understanding of the subject but man you explain things brilliantly.
Thank you for the most concise explanation of this Ive seen on YT! Now it makes sense.
I love that you're doing this.
Thank you. It's quite entertaining.
Just getting into this watch care and watch purchasing....came across your videos....very informative...very interesting...love the detail of your video explanation...thanks for taking the TIME.....
Thanks for these Watch & Lerners videos. For a newcomer to the watch scene like me, its valuable information.
great episode in this very helpful series. just a suggestion, maybe an episode on periodic watch maintenance
Michael Escay Sure, thanks!
Wow the intricacies of a watch.
Nice video.
Awesome Video, just bought a vintage Seiko Sportsmatic 5 (1964) of 21 jewels and I had no idea what those jewels were for. thanks a lot for the information ! Suscribed !
Thanks!
One of the best series on CZcams. Really enjoying it. Keep it up!
Thank you.
What a neat episode. Enjoyed it a lot. Thanks again, Mark.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed.
Never knew fewer jewels could be better but it makes sense. Thanks
This was so informative. Without doubt I shall be watching these videos again and again! Now on to the next in the series!
I have a Swatch quartz watch with 4 jewels, good to know it's a nice quality quartz, it's served me perfectly for 3 years
Great video as always. I just picked a few “1 jewel” watch movements from the late 50’s or so.
A great demonstration, just live the simplicity in explanation to a beginner like myself. Keep up the good work...
Very useful and educative content!! Keep it up Mark! I'm a fan already!
Great! Thank you
Thank you for your expertise and demonstrations. Just getting into watches and I am slowly going down the rabbit hole. it's okay though, because of your channel I am learning about the beautiful functional art of watchmaking . Thank you.
Thanks Mark! Great educational video.
Great video. Very informative and well done. Your descriptions are great and easy to follow. Great teacher!
Hi Marc...thanks SO much for sharing your love of watches with us... I bought a Seiko SNZG15J1 5 watch with a J code ( JAPAN) and investigated if it's a good or not good watch and found your reviews and lessons . I wondered what jewels were and now I know... just tonight I have watched about 10 of your videos .... 2 weeks ago I couldn't care less about watches ... but for some reason I am now intrigued. It's easy to see how people can love the subject . So, thanks again...you're a natural teacher ...I'm very grateful for you time (pun intended ) .
Thanks David!
This explanatory video is a real gem. Thanks!
recently trying to learn more how watches are made and found your channel. I can't afford mechanical watches (or maybe looking in the wrong places :D ) but those are my favorites and I try to learn as much as I can related to them. Your videos are part of my learning! Thanks a lot.
Tq very much for sharing this video and great explanation on what the jewels are for. You really shed lights to my questions....and i come to learned from you about mechanical watches jewels. A big thank you again.
Very informative great explanation. Thank you.
I always wondered what the function of a jewel was. Thanks Mark, question answered eloquently .
Thank you, and maybe a bit long-winded :)
Brilliant video, really enjoyed the way you explained things and your honesty.
Enjoying these watch and learns, thanks for your time Mark....
Thank you for "watch"-ing.
Mark,
I own several 1960s and 70s low dollar pieces. The thing they have in common is they all only have 7 jewels. Until this video, I thought it was a reflection of how "cheaply" built they are. You are telling me that it more reflects the amount of complications? I hope I understood you correctly.
Thanks for taking your time to make us informed hobbyists.
More than likely, you have a 7 jewel movement that contains 7 jewels on the balance/escape wheel. So the heart of the watch, where friction will stop it from working, it is jeweled. The wheels though, that tell the time and gear it down, probably aren't. You likely have a 7 jewel lever escapement movement. Which is pretty standard. Just missing jeweled wheels in the rest of the time telling train.
Super interesting! Thanks, Marc!
Love the watch and learn videos. Keep up the good work.
Thanks.
Great video, very clear explanation.
I appreciate the effort you put in to make this video. Great content. Keep up the good work.
thats so interesting! thanks for the info, i always found rubies interesting
Thanks Marc for doing these Watch & Learns.
Great video....like being in a classroom. Thank you!
Thanks for your great videos mark!
all said by previous viewers, thank You for your effort and time making these interesting videos
Thank you; glad to know people appreciate them.
Thank your for the video! I have been reading and hearing about jewels but I didn't for what the jewels are. Now I know! Thanks a lot!
Thanks for watching.
Thanks for "WATCHing" , very funny pun there!
I think it's amazing how much work goes into making a lot of different watches and still can be sold for two and three hundred dollars
Fascinating video Mark , keep up the good work.
Thank you!
Thanks! Another informative video. What about a trouble shooting video on common mechanical watch issues, their tell tale signs, what's the cause internally, and how to address them?
Sounds like a great idea!
You are a very good teacher, thank you.
you, sir, are an amazing resource for enthusiasts like myself. Thanks and great job.
excellent video Mark. Enjoyed every bit and also learned tons! -from a fellow EE. Love the close up shots of the jewels! shared. Thanks!
Great information. Love the Watch & Learn series. Thank you for educating us.
Thank you. Thank you so much for this great video. This was very informative. And thanks to TGV for promoting your channel.
Yes, thank you! TGV!!!!!
Funny.....jewels are made of rubys or sapphires.....because diamonds are too exensive. As a mechanical engineer myself ( as is Marc's background)....I find some irony in all this. Where a diamond may elevate the excellence of the core functioning of a watch.....it is not used due to expense. Yet there are diamond studded watches that satisfy an artful or aesthetic desire.....here they are not too expensuve and someone may pay $XX,000 for such a watch. Incredible.
Yes, sort of a double duty there, right?
More than that Marc.....my point was that the market says we won't pay for diamonds in a watch where it improves function, but we will buy watches that are diamond-studded "for looks".
I also had this thought, however after revisiting this idea, perhaps it is the ratio of wear between the metal components & jewel & maybe also colour I.e. Making them visible whereas diamond maybe very hard to see?...
@@butcherbakercandlestickmak2062 Bingo... The real reason that diamonds aren't used is because diamonds as jewels are so hard that they actually wear the pivots of gears down faster. They are however, were used as cap jewels in high end pocket watches (Waltham riverside maximus, Vanguard, Elgin Vertias).
Wil Ferch , the difference in hardness is not as much as you may imagine, from memory 1.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
Working my Way through your videos and this one has been fascinating
Great video Mark!!
Thanks!
Such great info. Nice to go back and watch these.
Hi Mark, just came across your channel and liked and subscribed. 👍. Excellent demo, great micro shots. It always amazes me how a scrap watch still wants to work!!!. Sometimes I will pop that cap jewel out from the balance and clean and oil it, it can improve the performance of a watch. Like you I have shaky hands and as you know jewels will fly!!!😭. So super careful needed. Thanks again. Adrian 🍀.
This is an amazing video. I've learned so much from your last 2 videos and this one. Thank you so much for making this series of watch and learn videos.
Thanks for watching.
Exceptional video, thanks.
Great Video Mark, I'v always wondered about the relevance of jewels. Thank you for your knowledge and patience to share it! Regards Shane (Trinidad)
Thanks for watching!
Glad you explained how anti-shock works, because I had no idea before viewing this video. Can you do an upcoming Watch and Learn video on anti-magnetic watches? I'm curious how soft-iron components and Faraday cages work. Also, how one knows that their watch has become magnetized and how to de-gauss it. Thanks!
Thanks mark your videos are informative and very concise. Do you have any videos about the features and benefits of Rolex or Patek Philipe?
Beautiful! Awesome video!
thanks mark. trying not to miss any episode of watch n learn. i have a request. can u please make an episode on basic idea of how to regulate a mechanical or automatic watch. i have seen some videos on this topic, still would like u to make a video on this topic.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Thank you very much .... This was Excellent!!!!
Thanks!
Was really looking forward to this eoisode. Didn't disappoint, thank you Marc.
Very interesting video ! Thanks a lot.
Mark, outstanding video! Thank you for posting it!
Appreciate it.
Thank you so much for all the knowledge you bring to the world keep up the great work !!
Great. Glad you enjoyed. There is more to come.
Excellent presentation Mark! Creative and very relevant content with outstanding delivery skills. I like and value my watch a lot more since I subscribed to your channel.
Thank you!
Excellent info - I admire your strong working knowledge on watch movements!
Very interesting!! Love my auto Oris watch but knowing all this makes it so much more special!
Glad you enjoyed!
I just found your channel and I love it! Huge analog wrist watch enthusiast here and this video has been o helpful. The information overload was what pushed me to subscribe to your channel xD
Thanks!
Really like your Watch and Learn series! I did learn a lot!
Thank you.
Excellent video. Thanks!
Thank you Mark, very well presented & informative as always! 👍👍👀
great video,you learn something new each day.....
Knowledge is power. Thank You.
I'm really loving your videos! I'd like it very much if you could talk about jewels in quartz movements. I realize it must be more or less the same... but I'm not sure about "standard" amount of them to consider a movement really good and when it's just more thant necessary... for instance my quartz Ronda 715 has 5 jewels. ¿What does it means? ¿Good, bad, normal? My father's miyota has 0 jewels and says "unadjusted"... but has been going on perfectly fine for the last 5 years. Does that 0 make it really worse?
Wow! this is amazing Marc. Very informative video. Keep educating us about the watch world!
Trying!
Good video, I got confused with jewels and Joules (energy), thinking that the "jewels" in my Seiko 5 automatic had something to do with the amount of energy (Joules) that the watch uses to run / wind itself - thinking of Joules (energy), it would be interesting to know how much energy a typical mechanical watch needs / uses.
Could you make a sequel of this "Jewel" video? I am praticing assembly and disassembly and my project is a evaco sa movement which does not work and I discovered that when I assemble the 3rd and 4th wheel, it moves freely and when I put the escape wheel, it binds. It is a challenge to put the bridge on top of these wheels. I am curious which jewels are caps and which ones have holes? do they pair cap and holed jewels all the time? would debris on jewels holes can cause it to stop? if so, what's the best way to clean them manually (without sonic cleaner).
Outstanding technical video as usual, Mark. Do know that people are lapping this stuff up.
I'm glad to hear it, I enjoy dishing it out.
The increased Jewel counts aren't a recent thing. In the 1890s, American watch companies engaged in a "jewel war", increasing jewel counts rapidly and advertising the increased jewel counts heavily. Prior to 1890, a 15j movement was "fully jeweled" Hampden watch co. out of ohio started increasing the movements to 17, then 19, then 21, then 23 by 1900. All the other companies followed suit... Waltham, Elgin, Rockford, Illinois, etc all had 23 jewel movements, and Illinois and Rockford even had 24 jewel, 25 jewel and higher. I would argue that the extra cap jewels do keep the pivots cleaner longer, and possibly help with endshake, but they make it much harder to service. Good video!
Hi Mark ... really appreciate your explanations about jewels. Question, I watched because I have a question about installing a quartz movement, a Ronda 763 Swiss made Normtech version (not the cheaper 763E with only 1 jewel). Unlike many quartz movements, this one has 5 jewels, so it is a good one, and one of those jewels, i.e. the one in question, is in the very center of the movement, and is the key bearing for the pinion to which the seconds hand is mounted. My question is that the Ronda literature, says that when hands, i.e. the "seconds" hand is being installed, that support must be provided. I also see a fixture in the Ronda literature, which the movement slips into, and whilst so, there is a very pointed pin that obviously meets up with the noted center pinion bearing jewel. From the looks of the movement, it is just pressed in, and really tiny in diameter, well less than a mm. I have tried to find, but NOWHERE is this support tool to be found, though Ronda shows a part number (H 76x.1A) for it. So I need to install the seconds hand soon, and can't help but think the force to press the jewel out, certainly must be less than the force to install the seconds hand, which BTW, is .2 mm hole diameter/ (and pinion diameter), and just presses on the end of the center pinion. I am worried about how possible it is that I might accidentally press out the jewel as I try to re-install the seconds hand. Their literature says the maximal force to be used to install Second hand as "max 30N". If that is 30 "newtons", that is an overwhelming amount of force, i.e. converts to about 3000 grams, which is just crazy. So I am also not sure what units of force they are referring to by saying "max 30N". Now I should say, the seconds hand has previously been on another movement (I am actually swapping out a cheaper 763E movement and putting in a higher quality 763 "Swiss Made" Normtech). So the seconds hand is still in flawless shape, and I plan to re-use it, but I want to think that upon reuse, it should take a lesser amount of force to press it on the center pinion, than a new one. So, I want to think that the risk of pressing out the center jewel bearing is probably not possible by installing the seconds hand, but would really like to hear your opinion. I can clearly tell, the bearing is just pressed in, and has no cage or whatever to prevent it from coming out. I've seen it under magnification and seen Ronda's cross section view on their published drawing. I would great appreciate your comments. If push comes to shove, to be on the safe side, I am a skilled miniature machinist with lathe and vertical mill to make a functional bearing support tool, as I saw it pictured in the Ronda website, but am wondering if doing so would be overkill, Ie installing a seconds hand is still not likely to press the bearing out. The worrisome par tis that on Ronda tech drawing, there is a line that says "The movement needs to be supported for hand setting." I am just not sure if they say that to mean the bearing itself must be supported, or if their mean to just nicely support the whole movement itself. I don't know if they are just be overly conservative and careful, or if it really absolutely is needed..... in which case I would have to machine a support tool, based solely on what I saw pictured on their website, and hope I got it right. I tried desperately to find this tool offered for sale anywhere via google search, and no luck. Just reference from the Ronda site with no ordering options. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts! Truly many thanks in advance! BTW, I too am not a watchmaker, just a serious enthusiast, and a retired structural mechanical engineer by vocation. Though that background helps a lot, it still leaves one to figure out what to do. Many thanks again!
Chuck P.
Thanks for all the time & effort that you put into your graphic explanations, much appreciated!...was also wondering are all jewels removed when servicing as I understand some are fixed in place with shellac/other semi permanent adhesives & wondered how this works?
Keep up the good work!