Vintage Bira 17 Jewel 18k Gold Womens Watch

• Estate jewelry may show signs of normal wear

Please note that all imperfections are a unique aspect of previously owned estate pieces

• Size: 6 3/8"-6 3/4"
• Material: 18k yellow gold, with 17 jewels
• *The story behind "17 Jewels":

Reducing friction is important to watchmaking.
Instead of metal moving against metal, watch makers discovered that jewels cause little friction or wear. Jewels are hard and don't wear down very quickly. By the time of the American revolution, tiny doughnut shaped rubies were being inserted into pivot points on watches to keep them from coming into direct contact with the edges of the hole. This in turn would make the watch last much longer. The jewels could be diamonds, sapphires, or most commonly rubies. However, the process was time consuming and expensive. Jewels were placed in only very high quality watches of that era.