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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Component record · Plates & finishing

Jewel Settings (Rubbed-In vs Friction-Set)

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The method by which a jewel bearing is fixed into a plate or bridge: either burnished directly into a recess in the metal ('rubbed-in') or held within a separate metal collar ('chaton') that is itself friction-fitted or screwed into place.

What it does

Secures jewel bearings within the plates and bridges, either simply and permanently (rubbed-in) or in a manner that allows a damaged jewel and its setting to be replaced as a self-contained unit (chaton, friction- or screw-set).

How it works

In a rubbed-in setting, the jewel sits directly in a stepped recess bored into the plate, and a thin lip of the surrounding metal is burnished (rubbed) over its edge with a specialised tool, holding it permanently; replacing a rubbed-in jewel requires cutting away and re-forming this lip.

In a chaton setting, the jewel is first set into its own small metal collar (the chaton), and the assembled chaton is then friction-fitted or, in higher-grade work, secured by two or three tiny 'chaton screws' into a corresponding recess in the plate; a damaged jewel can then be serviced by replacing the whole chaton unit without disturbing the plate itself.

Screwed gold chatons were historically also valued as a visible mark of quality finishing, their gold colour contrasting decoratively against a nickel or gilt plate.

Evolution

Rubbed-in settings remained (and remain) a perfectly serviceable standard method, particularly in mass production; separately screwed chaton settings became a hallmark of premium watchmaking, valued both for ease of jewel replacement and for decorative effect, through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Known variations

  • Rubbed-in jewel setting
  • Friction-fit chaton (no screws)
  • Screwed gold or brass chaton, often with two or three decorative countersunk screws

Identification for collectors

  • A jewel surrounded by a distinct separate metal ring, sometimes with tiny visible screws, indicates a chaton setting; a jewel flush with a burnished metal lip directly in the plate indicates a rubbed-in setting

Common failure modes

  • Cracked or loose jewel within a rubbed-in setting, requiring skilled re-burnishing or plate replacement
  • Lost or stripped chaton screws
  • Chaton itself loose or rotated within its recess

Related photographs

Vintage Eldorado Manual Wind Watch, 21 Jewels (9674038214)
Vintage Eldorado Manual Wind Watch, 21 Jewels (9674038214) — Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Vintage Waltham 17 Jewels Manual Wind Watch (9654074781)
Vintage Waltham 17 Jewels Manual Wind Watch (9654074781) — Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Vintage Watch Collection- Hilton Men's Manual-Wind Goldtone Watch, 17 Jewels, Very Unusual Triangle Shape, Great Mid-Century Design (8584283658)
Vintage Watch Collection- Hilton Men's Manual-Wind Goldtone Watch, 17 Jewels, Very Unusual Triangle Shape, Great Mid-Century Design (8584283658) — Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons file page

No confidently matched photograph of this subject has been found yet. These photographs show a closely related record, and are not examples of the type described on this page.

Sources & references

  1. de Carle, D., Practical Watch Repairing
  2. Daniels, G., Watchmaking

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.