Sometimes you see that a mechanical watch has 17 Jewels, or 13 Jewels, but what does that mean? They are called Jewel Bearings and are placed at the center of a rotating gear wheel. The jewels are  synthetic Rubies and their purpose is to minimize friction between hardened steel parts, increase accuracy, lower the weight of the movement and  help lubricate the movement with a very thin layer of special oil.

Theoretically, more jewels  means better precision, but sometimes watch makers add non-functional or unnecessary jewels to give the impression of accuracy. Usually, a fully jeweled timpepiece has  around 17 jewels.

The Jewel Bearings were invented in 1704 and, at the beginning, natural  stones  were used, such as sapphire, ruby and gamet. Almost two centuries later a process to make synthetic  rubies was invented and since then they are used, mainly because of its lower costs.

Jewel Bearings in a automatic watch

Right now there is a high demand for watches that are Black coated. Some watches come all factory black coated but other watches from brands such as Rolex and Audemars Piguet are customized a lot to black. The question is which one is better PVD or DLC?

PVD is the method of coating whereas DLC is the type of PVD coating. I see that there is some confusion between the two and  people call black coating PVD . It is wrong to call PVD to any type of black coating since there are many types of black coatings, and PVD is  the process in which is coated. Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is the method used to deposit thin layers of material by condensation of vapor in a high temperature and vacuum environment.

DLC or Diamond- like carbon coating is the highest quality PVD  black coating , the most durable and hardest to scratch. The coating is done with the bonding of high energy precursive carbon rapidly cooled down on the surface. It is very similar to the process of making synthetic diamonds. Not only the process is similar but the carbon coatings have the same attributes as diamonds since they are extremely hard and very resistant to scratches. In other words it is perfect for making metal surfaces more durable. Due to the hardness of the DLC material it is also a disadvantage because it makes it more difficult to bond such material on the surface making it more expensive.

Usually when a watch is referred as PVD Coated then it is for a cheaper type of PVD , and not DLC.  If you want to customize your watch to Black make sure it is a PVD DLC.  The regular PVD is not a fraction of durable as DLC. The DLC is way more resistant, perhaps a little more expensive but it is worth it. Here at Messina Jewelers we use DLC to customize our Rolex, Panerai and Audemars Piguet Watches since we want to use the highest quality in our products.

Black DLC Coat Rolex Sea Dweller DeepSea

The year 2009 was a great one for Oris considering the introduction of their new Divers’ watch, the “ProDiver Chronograph”. Once again Oris proves that it is possible to offer watches of the highest quality, excellent price, and innovation. The Prodiver is a gigantic 51mm in diameter and 19mm height watch with a titanium case and bracelet. Perhaps one of the most interesting features is the rotation safety system which protects the beautiful ceramic bezel from being turned by mistake. The way it works is that you have to lift the bezel by holding the inlay rubber in order to make it turn. This rubber that goes around the bezel gives it a cool look and gives you a nice grip to easily rotate the ring. The timepiece also features a black DLC-Coated titanium bar that protects the pushers and crown. Its self regulating valve allows the watch to endure depths of 1000 meters (3281 feet). As we expect from Oris watches it comes with a rock solid Swiss movement. It is a caliber 674 (ETA Valjoux 7750 base). The watch is presented in a nice box set that includes a rubber strap, an extra stainless steel bracelet, and tools for changing the straps. I would say that at the awesome retail price of $3,995, this timepiece is a must have for any pro diver or any diving enthusiasts. It is also a good alternative for the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea that costs more than double the price at $9,250.

Technical Specifications:
Reference Number: 67476307154
Movement: Automatic, Oris Caliber 674 (base ETA Valjoux 7750) 25 Jewels.
Case: Black DLC-Coated Titanium, 51 mm width.
Band: Titanium.
Crystal: Sapphire.
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Chronograph, Date.
Power Reserve: 42 Hours.
Water Resistance: 100 bar (1000 m, 3281 ft)
Retail Price: $3,995

Oris ProDiver Chronograph

Chronometer term is used to denote a very precise watch. These watches usually have a deviation of less than 5 seconds per day. Only watches that pass the Official Swiss Testing Office for Chronometers (COSC) test standards may use the chronometer word. The test consists of having the watch in observation for a few days in several positions and different temperatures to ensure the watch will keep precise time under extremes conditions. Watches that are Chronometer certified usually come with the COSC certificate. For many years Rolex has been the largest producer of Chronometer certified watches.

Official Swiss Testing Office Chronometer Certificate

Rolex Submariner with Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified written on the dial

All mechanical watches, automatic or manual wind have a power reserve. Power reserve is the charge the watch has before it needs to be wound again. In the case of automatic watches they automatically charge themselves when the wearer is moving. However when the watch does not move or when the watch is manual the power reserve takes place to ensure the watch will keep the accurate time. Usually modern automatic watches have between 36 and 42 hours of reserve energy. The question is how would you know how much power the watch has left before it has to be wound again? The Power Reserve Display function informs the wearer how much power he has left. This is very useful especially for manually wound watches. Usually a color graph bar is located on the dial (face) of the watch, however there are other types of displays that may show how much charge it has with words.

Glycine Incursore watch with Graph Bar Power Reserve

Jaeger LeCoultre Master Reserve de Marche with Numerical Power Reserve

TW Steel has just introduced another line to the new CEO Collection,  The “Tonneau”. In the watch world a Tonneau means the  wristwatch has a  barrel-shaped showcase and two convex sides, hence the name.  It resembles pretty much Richard Mille’s Tonneau design with its 8 hexagonal shaped screws on the case, as well as the crown that looks identical. However it does have its TW  signature with its bigger size  ,the  “futuristic “  lines of the side of the case, and nice color contrast that TW chose to use on the watches. The CEO line is really a good option for those who want to wear a watch that looks like a 6 digit figure watch but really costs under $1,000.  They come in five different flavors, below are the models with their respective Retail Prices:

• CE2001 Black face and Black Leather band $895
• CE2002 Black Face PVD Case with Rose Gold Tones and Black Leather Band $895
• CE2003 White Face Pink Gold Tone with Brown Leather Band  $895
• CE2004 Black Face with Gold Tone and Black Leather Band $895
• CE2005 Black Face with Stainless Steel Bracelet $995

TW Steel CEO Tonneau on the left and Richard Mille Felipe Massa on the right

TW Steel CEO Tonneau CE2001

TW Steel CEO Tonneau CE2002

TW Steel CEO Tonneau CE2003

TW Steel CEO Tonneau CE2004

TW Steel CEO Tonneau CE2005