Chu 朱Genuine and possibly dumb question
Why do watch makers advertise "quartz"?
Is it the name of the movement or the actual mineral? Isn't it like one of the cheapest and most abundant minerals? Why is it worthy of advertising?
I never understood this.
Abhijit Menon-Sen@chu Since you said "cheapest and most abundant minerals", it made me remember being curious in the past about why some watches were advertised as having "n jewels". Turns out those are actual jewels (e.g., sapphire, ruby), used as low-friction, wear-resistant bearings for the metal shafts that pivot inside a watch movement. There are quartz movements with no jewels, so in a way they replaced the precious stones with a cheap and abundant mineral. :-)
Cade@amenonsen @chu I worked on a few mechanical clocks at one time, and the jewels, usually rubies, were really beautiful, embedded in and among all the shiny brass clockworks. In a typical table-clock, the jewels would be a couple of millimeters or more in diameter - sort of cup-shaped to take a sharp-pointed shaft-end. In watches, I imagine they are much smaller.
@chu @CadeJohnson ❤️ I love watching watch repair videos, especially where they use a fine-tipped needle/nozzle to put a tiny drop of oil in the centre of the jewel before reinstalling the shaft.
All the replies makes me realize how blind I've been to the magic of something as seemingly simple as a clock.
I have degrees in aerospace engineering and civil engineering. I can do heat and energy transfers out the wazoo. Ask me anything about fluid dynamics and I probably have an answer but I didn't know the first thing about a clock.
I've seen the gears but never took time to think about it's magic. I need to fall into another rabbit hole.
@chu If you haven't seen this explanation of how a watch movement works, you're in for a real treat:
