Why do watches need stones? Detailed answer

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Why do watches need stones? Detailed answer

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Why do watches need stones?

When advertising watches, the number of stones in them is usually mentioned as a guarantee of their quality. What are these "stones" in the clock and why are they there? We need clocks (wrist, wall, etc.) if they run accurately and do not break constantly. On average, there are about two hundred and eleven different parts in a watch, and, obviously, this is a very complex mechanism.

Let's see what makes the clock go and what role stones play in this. The mechanical energy necessary for its movement is obtained from the mainspring, which is a coiled steel tape, in the unfolded state, having a length of about sixty centimeters. When you wind up your watch, you wind this spring tightly. From the mainspring, energy is transferred through a system of wheels called a gear train to a wheel called a balance. This system of wheels moves the clock hands around the dial.

The balance performs the same functions in a wristwatch as the pendulum does in a wall clock. This is the heart of the clock, regulating its course. Inside the balance there is a hair spring, which is a steel wire coiled into rings, thin as a hair. From half a kilogram of steel of the desired brand, you can make as many as 12 kilometers of such wire! Along the edge of the balance are small screws made of steel or gold. Their position and weight regulate the speed of movement of the clock hands. They are so small that as many as twenty thousand of these screws can be placed in an ordinary thimble! There is also a starter wheel in the watch, which, connecting with the balance, makes it move. It regulates the movement, and it is from it that the sound that we call "ticking" comes from.

We mentioned the various wheels that are constantly moving in the clockwork. They are located on rods, and the constant movement of the wheels causes friction. In order not to wear off at the same time, the rods are mounted on tiny precious stones, such as ruby, sapphire or garnet. These are the watch stones. The more stones, the less likely it is that the forces of friction will wear down the moving parts of the watch, causing the watch to "lagging behind".

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What is a seismic belt?

An earthquake is a shaking, or vibration, of the earth's surface. The real cause of earthquakes lies in the movement of the earth's crust, breaking, during which one rock mass is pushed against another with great force and friction. For this reason, earthquakes do not occur in all parts of the world. They occur only in certain areas, which are called seismic belts.

The most important belt is the Pacific coast, where the largest number of earthquakes occur. This belt starts in southern Chile, reaches the Pacific coast of South America and Central America (including the Caribbean coast), runs along the Mexican coast to California and continues to Alaska. But this is not the end of the belt. It continues from Alaska to Kamchatka. Passing through the Kuril and Aleutian Islands, it reaches Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea and numerous South Pacific islands. Most earthquakes in the history of the Earth are associated with the Pacific seismic belt.

But there is another seismic belt, originating in Japan and going to China, India, Iran, Turkey, Greece and the Mediterranean. In some areas, such as Japan, earthquakes occur almost every day. Fortunately, most of them are not strong and do not cause much damage. At the same time, the UK has not experienced a major earthquake since the Ice Age thousands of years ago.

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