Inspired by the recent infestation of fake watch spammers, specifically the 'Omega' thread, I thought it might be nice to screw the back off my forty+ year old Omega Genève and take a few shots of the movement.
 
Here's the bumph from Omega's website:
 

 
 
I was given this watch by my wonderful grandad (who also left me his 18 carat gold signet ring engraved with his initials, which I've worn with pride since he died in 1980).
 
The watch is a beautiful piece of mechanical engineering in its own right, and its sentimental value means it's been well looked after (although it's now overdue a new front cover). I only wear it on special occasions, but I wind it up every so often to keep the movement in good order.
 
Anyway, here are a few pics for you. For the technically minded, all shots were taken on my Canon EOS 600D + 50mm f1.8 (set to f22) using various combinations of my Polaroid automatic macro extension tubes. Lighting was provided by my LED ring-light. The RAW files were developed and converted to .tif format in Adobe Lightroom 5. Final processing and conversion to 'jpeg was done in Photoshop Elements 11.
 
 
The front:
 

 
 
The back:
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Isn't there supposed to be an Orange in there somewhere?
 
 
 
Incredible photos Steve.
 
Can anyone technically minded explain what the jewels are for?
 
I thought "17 jewels" meant it got really hot inside.
 
best regards,
mike

Oh yeah, what did you use for lighting?
 
It's nice lighting.
 
 
 
 
 
 
arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh..... that's 2 down and the day has just begun.
 

Some nice macro images there, Strummy.  

mike_mccue
 
Can anyone technically minded explain what the jewels are for?
 
I thought "17 jewels" meant it got really hot inside.
 
best regards,
mike

Mike,
 
If you notice from the pics, the Jewels are all on "Pivot" points (i.e. on points that spin or turn)
The reason for this is the fact that the jewels will not wear out like the metal would from 
constant "pivoting" or "spinning", nor will they heat as much as if these were Metal pivots. (i.e. Bushings)
The end result is that the Mechanisms will last far longer, hence, why Clocks or Watches
with Jewel movements are more expensive then those without.

Thank you Larry,
 
I guess that part that confuses me is that idea that minerals usually display the characteristic of having "facets" along the planes of cleavage and so it's hard for me to imagine that rotation can be as smooth as with a high grade ball bearing.
 
I understand that some minerals are harder on the moh hardness scale than most metals... so it seems like the jewels would wear down the metal the way it does when similar material is cracked into small granulated compounds and turned into grinding polish or "sand" paper.
 
 
I am not trying to argue... just trying to take my understanding to a level where I understand the context effectively.
 
 
best regards,
mike
 
 
 

McQ said cleavage.
 
TeeHee!

Those are wonderful pics Straummy.
 
The olderst thing I own besides my johnson is a pic of my dad taken when he was about 16.
 

Thanks gentlemen
 
Mike this is the cheap and cheerful ringlight I've got - NEEWER 48 LED Ring Light
 
It's handy because it comes with a mains adapter, although it can also run on batteries. You get a range of adapter rings so it can be attached to a variety of lenses.
 
The best feature is being able to select just half the LEDs (either right or left) to add shadows and depth. The full setting is good for even lighting, although it can leave the image looking a bit flat.
 
My next purchase will definitely be a ringflash though. Having to stop down to small apertures to get any depth of field means the more light you can get on the subject the better.
 
Incidentally, these are the extension rings I bought - Polaroid Auto Focus DG Macro Extension Tube Set
 
These do feel really well made, and keep the electronic connections between the camera and lens, so auto focus and exposure work as per usual.
 
So what do you chaps want next - I've got some steam trains and a butterfly called Gary in the can

Wiki explains that the jewels are only used in extremely low force applications and offer a bare minimum coefficient of friction. In these applications the functionality and consistency is prolonged so that the mechanism remains accurate for years and years.
 
I haven't found much info about mineral facets but I guess they just don't come in to play when the material is used as a bearing.
 
best regards,
mike