There seems to be a resurgence in mechanical watches-people are buying high-end watches with mechanical movements. I know that the bearings that support the gear spindles in the drive train of the watch are known as jewels. These are sapphire or ruby bearings (synthetic). Since the ruby is very hard, such a bearing is extremely low friction. Has anyone made a watch movement with the actual gears made of ruby? Such a watch would probably need no lubrication, and would run for years without maintainence.
I also read that a few watches were made (as a marketing gimmick) with diamond jewels…were these any better?
Interesting that such an old technology is still being used-quartz watches are better and cheaper.
One of my watches has 31 jewels. Another, earlier/different model by the same maker, has 27 (I think – could be 25). A couple of other watches have 17 jewels.
All of these watches require lubrication, and it is advised to keep them running so that the oils don’t congeal. I keep the ones I’m not wearing on an automatic watch winder. It’s also advised to have them overhauled every five years. (One of mine is in overhaul now. The 17-jewel ones were overhauled four or five years ago. I bought the one I wear most in 2001, but I’m going to wait a while until I get it overhauled.)
Somehow I missed that. If the gears were made of ruby, they would probably break. The workings of a mechanical watch are very small. It seems to me that ruby or another rock crystal would be too brittle to use for gears (they don’t have the tensile strength of metal) unless they were made rather thick, which would result in a watch the size of a tuna can. And one drop and it would be gone.
Still, it would be an interesting artistic project.