# What are watch jewels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 23, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-watch-jewels/291548 "2005-02-23T16:38:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ryanbobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ryanbobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryanbobo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-watch-jewels/291548/1 "2005-02-23T16:38:00Z")
The faceplate on my watch says “25 jewels.” I’ve tried to look up a definition, but just get a bunch of sites that sell jeweled watches (like w/ diamonds and rubies). It’s been bugging me for a while, what does “25 jewels” mean? Thank you in advance. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-watch-jewels/291548/2 "2005-02-23T16:43:30Z")
Jewels are used as bearings for moving parts. When mechanical watches were common, the number of jewels was a rough indication of the quality of the watch. More jewels meant less friction and longer life. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-watch-jewels/291548/3 "2005-02-23T16:46:57Z")
Watch jewels are [gemstone bearings](http://barrygoldberg.net/watchinfo2.htm#jewels) used to reduce friction in the small clockwork workings. “25 jewels” simply means that there are 25 jewel bearings in the watchworks. [This watch](http://barrygoldberg.net/watches/jewels3.gif) would have 23 jewels, then. ---
**Author:** ![ryanbobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ryanbobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryanbobo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-watch-jewels/291548/4 "2005-02-23T16:47:45Z")
Ahh, thanks. So, is 25 a good number to have? Again, thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Helix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19adc/32.png) [@Helix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-watch-jewels/291548/5 "2005-02-23T18:48:23Z")
25 jewels is good. 23 jewels is the most most pocket watches usually have according to this site - [http://elginwatches.org/help/watch\_jewels.html](http://elginwatches.org/help/watch_jewels.html). High quality wrist watch movements - the Valjoux 7750 is a good example - sometimes have 25 jewels and I’m sure some have more. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-watch-jewels/291548/6 "2005-02-23T23:04:03Z")
Yes, a good quality mechanical watch now will have more than 23 jewels. According to a watchmaker friend, a mechanical watch really only needs 9 jewels-the others are pivots for gear wheels that really don’t need them. It might be of interest to note that watch companies tried to promote the notion that more jewels=better watch. In the twilight of the American watch industry (late 1950’s), one company pushed this to absurd lengths-the Waltham watch company sold several watch models with 100 jewels! (The extra jewels were embedded in the watch frame-they had no function whatever). Finally, seberal watch mfgs. made watches with diamond jewels (regular watch jewels are synthetic sapphire). Diamond has nt advantage over sapphire, but t sounds classier.