CHATON (JEWEL SETTING)

In watchmaking, the chaton (jewel setting) is a small ring, generally made of gold or brass, into which the stone of a bearing is press-fitted (ruby / jewel). The chaton (jewel setting), holding the stone, is then precisely fitted into its housing within the main plate or a bridge, where it is frequently secured by three small screws. This mounting method, inherited from fine, traditional watchmaking, offers several advantages: it allows a defective stone to be easily replaced without reworking the main plate, permits fine adjustment of the bearing’s position, and gives the movementa refined appearance, with the gilded screwed Chaton (jewel setting)s standing out against the Bridges. Long reserved for finely crafted pieces after having been a technical necessity, the Chaton (jewel setting) has been supplanted in standard production by the more economical direct press-fitting of stones. It survives today as a distinctive mark of haute horlogerie and traditional reconstructions, where it combines function and aesthetics and remains present in all shock absorber systems.