Caption

False-colour scanning electron micrograph of the crown wheel of a Swiss-made, 17-jewel INCABLOC watch. The crown wheel is part of the watch's winding mechanism. When the watch is wound, the winding pinion (small gear wheel seen edge-on at bottom) rotates, meshing with the crown wheel. The rotation of the crown wheel causes the ratchet wheel at top left to turn, & this wheel is attached to the barrel which holds the mainspring of the watch. The mechanism is clean; the tiny dust particles would not affect its function. The absence of screwdriver marks in the crown wheel's slot shows that the assembly has never been serviced. Magnification: x4 at 6x4.5cm size.