Groupe IMI

Businesses > RUBY SAPPHIRE

Since 1942, Cheval Frères has manufactured stones from ruby half-corestones up to the finished product.

With the benefit of our long experience and expertise in the field of watch-making, our company has never stopped developing mono and polycristalline components. To do so, we have been using our know-how, which was transferred from one generation to the next, and our machines designed by our teams for the manufacture of watch-making stones.

All kinds of stones are offered:

• flat jewel
• roller
• olivated domed jewel
• endstone

Ruby stones are also manufactured (mono and polycristalline), sapphire, birman, aluminium oxide or zirconium. The applications are numerous and these parts can be found on micro-motors, nozzles, injectors, blasting nozzles, etc…

The very good qualities, such as the strength of the material used and the high precision, allow flow regulation of liquid, of air, and of friction resistance. They also make these products the ideal and innovative solutions to the problems you might meet in all industries

38 successives operations need to be done for the making of a stone. The technics used range from machining by diamond tool or laser drilling, or also by threading onto very thin binding wire (diameter inferior to 60µ). These technics require a very long training of our experimented staff.

These know-how are very unique in Europe and are often unknow. However, they contribute to the richness of our profession.