Jewels or gemstones were introduced in watch movements to reduce friction at points of heaviest wear and tear. In order to reduce friction between two metal components that rub against one another, watchmakers use hard stones at the points of friction as they last a lot longer than metal.

Are more jewels in a watch better?

Theres no specific answer for this. However, most watch movements have 17 jewels. At that point, a watch can already be considered fully jewelled. But as a rule of thumb, the more complications a movement has, the more jewels it should have.

Why do they put rubies in watches?

Rubies inside watch movements act as ball bearings and eliminate friction. Rubies have other added benefits to watchmakers, as well. Because they can withstand temperature changes without any reaction (unlike metal bearings) they offer higher stability.

How can you tell how many jewels a watch has?

Thus, removal of the dial is usually required to determine the accurate count unless the plate is marked as 17 Jewels. Generally, if the center hole is jeweled and the movement is not marked with jewel count, it is likely 16-jewels. 17-Jewel movements are usually marked with the jewel count.

How many jewels in a watch is good?

17 jewels How Many Jewels in a Good Watch? Approximately 17 jewels are used in basic mechanical watches, though modern watches with self-winding (automatic) capabilities will typically house 25-27 jewels.

Do they use real rubies in watches?

So yes, there are actually precious gems in the movement of your watch and usually quite a few of them! Back in the day, watchmakers used natural genuine rubies to create these bearings, and more recently, they adopted the use of lab-created rubies (also known as synthetic rubies) or sapphires.