Assembly is a staking operation in which the wheel is fitted onto the pinion. Flatness, concentricity, and axial or radial strength are natural requirements for assembled components.
The sizing of the sub-assemblies, as well as their refined appearance, demand great attention since this is the final operation. Every preceding step in the manufacturing of the individual components contributes to the completion of the finished part. This means that the last operation is the one that must absorb all previous errors—making it the most challenging stage. The beauty and precision of our wheels play a key role in the performance of the watch movements crafted by prestigious brands.
GRINDING
Incorrectly referred to as a grinding operation by the founders of Joray-Wyss, this process is in fact the drilling of the wheel’s central hole—an absolutely essential step to ensure highly concentric rotation.
Joray-Wyss does not manufacture wheels the same way many competitors do, and this was the secret of our two founders : they had found a way to drill the central hole with exceptional precision.
This final operation, performed at the exact center of the wheel relative to the already-machined teeth, ensures superior concentricity—an indispensable requirement for the proper functioning of a mechanical movement.
LANTERNING
When you set the time on your watch, the hands must be able to rotate without activating the entire movement.
A specific operation makes it possible to disconnect the hand-setting gear train from the rest of the movement: this is lanterning.
This process consists of tightening the cannon pinion (which carries the minute hand) onto the center wheel, creating a friction or braking effect.
The cannon pinion is not completely free, but beyond a certain force, it slips through controlled friction. Another system allowing the gear train to disengage can be achieved through friction on the cannon pinion wheel.
