What is a good supplier for jewels? My options are either poor choice and good prices, or good choice and poor prices

[GregG]

I have a watch that I really want to restore, but so many of the jewels are cracked, chipped, or completely shattered, so I'm thinking an entire replacement of jewels might be necessary.

My normal go-to is Cousins.  They've got the best price and sell in packs of three, but for some reason, more than half of all the available sizes are listed as discontinued.  And all of the cap jewels are listed as discontinued.

My next go-to is Otto Frei.  They've got a much better selection, but their unit price per jewel is not as good.

Anyone know a good supplier of jewels at a good price?

[ifibrin]

What movement is this? It might be cheaper to buy a few scrap movements and obtain the jewels from these movements. New jewels are very expensive, and may not correspond to the exact pivot size and OD of the original, which means you will have to ream the holes in the mainplate and  bridges.

[GregG]

Unlikely that I'll find a donor movement.  It's by a brand called J. Calame Robert.  I've seen other watches from them, but never seen the same movement prior, and never seen the same movement since.  I've taken detailed measurements of the diameters of the existing jewels and the gear arbors.  Thankfully I won't require too many different sizes of jewels so cost should be minimized.

[ifibrin]

Have you measured the pivot sizes too?  You have to be very careful when replacing jewels. The pivot hole in the jewel has to be slightly larger than the pivot itself (for side shake). The OD of the jewel has to be matched to the hole in the plate or bridge, being very slightly larger than the hole for a good tight fit. Even then, sometimes the hole in the plate or bridge is not tight enough, and you have to ream up to the next size and get a new larger jewel.
 

Is there no marking on the movement itself?

 

Anyway, other than Cousins, and Otto, I am not aware of any other material houses that supply jewels… you can always try getting jewel assortments, but those require you to sort through hundreds of jewels without any guarantee that there’s one of what you want in there.

Edited November 2, 2022 by ifibrin

[GregG]

I am able to indirectly measure the actual pivot size.  I use a small smoothing broach, slide it in till it stops, then measure the point where it stops.  Not tremendously accurate, but it works.  However, given that some of the jewels are cracked or worn, I think it's easier to just measure the arbor, and add 0.02mm

As for markings on the movement, nothing really, other than a few which seem meaningless.

The "plus" from the Swiss flag with the number 51482 underneath.  The number 1669.  The word "Tandem," and an arrow.

Edited November 2, 2022 by GregG