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When you buy a quartz watch, you mainly expect reliability, precision, and long battery life. To guarantee top quality standards in the electronic segment, many watch brands source their movements from Ronda. Our article explains who this manufacturer is, why a Ronda movement offers major advantages, and which brands value the company's expertise.
Who Is Ronda?
Ronda AG is a Swiss movement manufacturer focused on high-quality quartz movements. From Bruno Söhnle to TAG Heuer, the family-owned company supplies renowned industry names with precise calibers in a range of price categories. While a higher-end Ronda movement is in many cases "Swiss Made," more affordable models in the lineup are assembled in Far Eastern countries such as Thailand. Founded in 1946, Ronda initially concentrated on mechanical movements before specializing in the then-new quartz technology in the early 1970s. The company became a pioneer of the battery-powered segment, discontinued its mechanical division in the late 1980s, and built a first-class reputation. Today, a movement from the company stands for dependable longevity and ticks in a wide range of premium watches, from the elegant Bruno Söhnle Lago to the sporty TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Chronograph 43mm.
Why Are Ronda Quartz Movements So Popular?
Beyond their technical robustness, Ronda calibers stand out for a wealth of technical achievements that stem from the company's specialization. Watch brands would have to invest enormous sums to develop fully in-house quartz watches, which only works with correspondingly high retail prices and therefore only in the luxury segment (e.g., Breitling). In short: for brands in the entry-level and mid-range segments, buying in a Ronda movement is the less expensive and at the same time higher-quality option. On top of that, the growing popularity of in-house calibers applies almost exclusively to mechanical timepieces, which is why sourced quartz movements cause no significant loss of image. On the contrary: more than ten years of battery life in the "normtech 700 & 6000" movement series, technical refinements ranging from a wide variety of complications to a perceptible chronograph pusher click, and simple handling should win over even the most skeptical watch wearer to these Swiss movements.
Overview: Key Ronda Quartz Calibers
The individual lines in the Ronda lineup each have a different focus. At the top end of the spectrum are the collections of the "Quartz Specials" series, whose startech and mastertech lines offer a particularly wide range of functions. The chronograph movements in particular give manufacturers a high degree of individuality: the number of totalizers (1 to 3) can be varied, as can their position, the calendar system (day, date, month, retrograde), and the size of the quartz calibers. The startech 4000 line deserves special mention, with complications ranging from big date and alarm to a second time zone and tide display. The lines of the "Quartz Essentials" collection are more down-to-earth, with a variety that extends from the popular xtratech and the thin slimtech to the long-lasting normtech and the especially powerful powertech series.
To illustrate the variety of the Ronda range, we present a selection of particularly popular quartz watches powered by movements from the Swiss supplier:
1.) Bruno Söhnle Pesaro II: Ronda 7004.P BS
A particularly high-end caliber ticks inside the Bruno Söhnle Pesaro II (Ref. PL113070), delivering the typical Glashütte look with a panorama date at 1 o'clock, a retrograde day-of-the-week display, and a small seconds. Designed for the generous 43-millimeter diameter of this elegant men's model, the Ronda caliber 7004.P BS ("BS" stands for a custom Bruno Söhnle version) impresses with 48 months of battery life and an instantaneous jump of the big date from the 31st to the 1st. What Bruno Söhnle saves through the efficient purchase of the caliber, the manufacturer invests in excellent quality standards: 100 meters of water resistance, sapphire crystal, and a premium feel are far from a given in this price range. The Bruno Söhnle Lago (Ref. PL114320) also uses a caliber from the mastertech 7000 line.
2.) Bruno Söhnle Allegro: Ronda 1062 BS
Small women's watches such as the Bruno Söhnle Allegro (Ref. PLX500095) benefit from a quartz movement from the ultra-thin slimline 1000 series: caliber 1062 BS, again in a special Bruno Söhnle modification, is a breathtaking 1.9 millimeters thin and delivers an impressive six years of battery life. Your next trip to the watchmaker? A long way off. Good to know: as a two-hand movement (hours, minutes), the Ronda 1062 BS has no EOL ("End of Life") indicator and no power-saving mechanism; both features are reserved for movements with an additional seconds hand.
3.) Maurice Lacroix Aikon #tide: Ronda 515
One of the coolest watches of the past year also relies on Ronda power: with its integrated bracelet, six-claw bezel, and cheerfully colorful range, as well as its sustainable construction from recycled ocean plastic, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon #tide is right on trend. It is powered by the Ronda 515 from the particularly powerful Powertech 500 caliber series. A very strong stepper motor, combined with 45 months of standard battery life and a power-saving function when the crown is pulled out, makes caliber 515 a real gem among modern quartz movements.
4.) TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Chronograph 43mm: Ronda 5040.D
Black, powerful, masculine: the TAG Heuer Formula 1 (Ref. CAZ1010.FT8024) is driven by a quartz chronograph movement from the startech 5000 series. The Ronda 5040.D combines various timing functions with easy operation: three totalizers house the small seconds, a 30-minute counter, and a lightning-fast 1/10-second counter, complemented by ADD and SPLIT functions and 54 months of battery life. The Ref. CAZ1010.FT8024 is protected from external influences by its 200 meters of water resistance. Aesthetically striking is the huge tachymeter scale on the bezel, which creates a progressive, motorsport-inspired look.
5.) U-Boat Darkmoon: Ronda 712.3
In the exotic U-Boat Darkmoon, the Swiss Made quartz movement 712.3 has to master a special challenge: together with the watch's other internal components, the movement is immersed in a special oil that creates the illusion of a missing crystal over the dial and enables extremely deep blacks that maximize legibility. A full 60 months of battery life defines this two-hand watch, as do a power-saving function and the repairability of the metal movement. The latter is an important feature of all the Ronda movements presented here and sets these high-quality movements apart from dubious cheap movements that are automatically fit for the scrap heap in the event of a malfunction.
Mechanical Movements and Smartwatches: A Diverse Range
Alongside dozens of different quartz movements, Ronda once again offers a mechanical caliber: the R150 gives the established ETA 2824 serious competition with excellent rate results, smooth running, and a reduced height, yet it has so far not seen comparable use in the industry. Its service-friendly construction, good finishing, and attractive price could also make the R150 an exciting ETA alternative in the entry-level segment in the future. In addition, Ronda produces key components for hybrid smartwatches with its "gearboxes."
