1/16/2020 Jewel bearing - Wikipedia

Jewel bearing
A jewel bearing is a plain bearing in which a metal
spindle turns in a jewel-lined pivot hole. The hole is
typically shaped like a torus and is slightly larger than
the shaft diameter. The jewel material is usually
synthetic sapphire or ruby (corundum). Jewel bearings
are used in precision instruments where low friction,
long life, and dimensional accuracy are important.
Their largest use is in mechanical watches.

Contents
History
Characteristics
Uses
Ruby jewel bearings used for a balance
See also wheel in a mechanical watch movement.
References
Footnotes
External links

History
Jewel bearings were invented in 1704 for use in
watches by Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, Peter Debaufre,
and Jacob Debaufre, who received an English patent
for the idea. Originally natural jewels were used, such
as diamond, sapphire, ruby, and garnet. In 1902, a
process to make synthetic sapphire and ruby
(crystalline aluminium oxide, also known as
corundum) was invented by Auguste Verneuil, making
jewelled bearings much cheaper. Today most jewelled
bearings are synthetic ruby or sapphire.
Historically, jewel pivots were made by grinding using
diamond abrasive.[1] Modern jewel pivots are often
made using high-powered lasers, chemical etching,
and ultrasonic milling.
Cross-section of a jewel bearing in a
mechanical watch. This type of donut-shaped
bearing (red) is called a hole jewel, used for
most of the ordinary wheels in the gear train.
It is usually made of synthetic sapphire or
ruby, press-fit into a hole in the movement's
supporting plate (grey). The cup-shaped
depression in the top of the jewel is the oil
cup; its purpose is to hold the lubricating oil
(yellow) in contact with the bearing shaft by
capillary action.

During World War II jewel bearings were one of the products restricted by the War Production
Board as critical to the war effort.[2]

Characteristics
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The advantages of jewel bearings include high

accuracy, very small size and weight, low and
predictable friction, good temperature stability, and
the ability to operate without lubrication and in
corrosive environments. They are known for their low
kinetic friction and highly consistent static friction.[3]
The static coefficient of friction of brass-on-steel is
0.35, while that of sapphire-on-steel is 0.10–0.15.[3][4]
Sapphire surfaces are very hard and durable, with
Mohs hardness of 9 and Knoop hardness of 1800,[5] In wheels where friction is critical, a capstone
and can maintain smoothness over decades of use, is added on the end to prevent the shoulder
thus reducing friction variability.[3] Disadvantages of the shaft from bearing against the face of
include brittleness and fragility, limited the jewel.
availability/applicability in medium and large bearing
sizes and capacities, and friction variations if the load
is not axial.

Uses
The predominant use of jewel bearings is in mechanical watches, where their low and predictable
friction improves watch accuracy as well as improving bearing life. Manufacturers traditionally
listed the number of jewels prominently on the watch face or back, as an advertising point. A
typical fully jeweled time-only watch has 17 jewels: two cap jewels, two pivot jewels and an
impulse jewel for the balance wheel, two pivot jewels and two pallet jewels for the pallet fork, and
two pivot jewels each for the escape, fourth, third, and center wheels. In modern quartz watches,
the timekeeper is a quartz crystal in an electronic circuit, so accuracy of timekeeping is not
dependent on low friction of the mechanical parts and jewels are not often used.

The other major use of jeweled bearings is in sensitive measuring instruments. They are typically
used for delicate linkages that must carry very small forces, in instruments such as galvanometers,
compasses, gyroscopes, gimbals, dial indicators, dial calipers, and turbine flow meters. Bearing
bores are typically smaller than 1 mm and support loads weighing less than 1 gram, although they
are made as large as 10 mm and may support loads up to about 500 g.[3]

See also
Incabloc shock protection system
The Clock of the Long Now which will use ceramic bearings with no lubrication at low speed

References
Baillie, G. H. (1947). Watchmakers And Clockmakers Of The World (2e ed.). Nag Press.

Footnotes
1. Elgin National Watch Company. "Jewel Bearings" (https://elginnationalwatches.com/elgin-jewel
-bearings/). Paul Hance Productions, Inc. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
2. "Preparage – Jewel Bearings" (https://elginnationalwatches.com/jewel-bearings-preparage/).
elginnationalwatches.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.

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1/16/2020 Jewel bearing - Wikipedia

3. Baillio, Paul. "Jewel bearings solve light load problems" (http://www.birdprecision.com/PDFs/je

welbearings.pdf) (PDF). Bird Precision. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
4. Hahn, Ed (January 31, 2000). "Coefficients of friction for various horological materials" (http://w
ww.timezone.com/2002/09/28/coefficients-of-friction-for-various-horological-materials). TZ
Classic Forum. TimeZone.com. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
5. "Synthetic Ruby and O-Rings" (http://www.oringsusa.com/html/synthetic_ruby.html). Retrieved
2013-06-01.

External links
Paul Baillio, "Jewel Bearings Solve Light Load Problems" (http://www.birdprecision.com/PDFs/j
ewelbearings.pdf) (PDF)
A. C. Lawson, "Design Factors for Jewel Bearing Systems" (http://www.birdprecision.com/PDF
s/design_factors.pdf) (PDF)
R. H. Warring, "Calculating Frictional Losses in Jewel Bearing Movements" (http://www.birdpre
cision.com/PDFs/frictional_losses.pdf) (PDF)
American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (http://www.awci.com/)
TimeZone.com discussion of watch jeweling (http://www.timezone.com/library/workbench/work
bench0025/)
Monochrome-watches, What are jewel bearings, Xavier Markl (https://monochrome-watches.c
om/technical-perspective-jewel-bearings-watch-movement-rubies)
Jewel Bearings: A Presentation of the Elgin National Watch Company (https://elginnationalwat
ches.com/elgin-jewel-bearings/)

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