« Who Supplies Whom »
In the entry-level and even upper price segments, the watch world would be unimaginable without the mass production of mechanical calibers. Made by specialized movement manufacturers, they stand out for their proven reliability and high quality and form the foundation of the entire entry-level class of watchmaking. Valjoux, Seiko, Miyota - we introduce the biggest players in the industry and show which watch brands rely on which suppliers.
The Number One Movement Manufacturer: ETA
As the largest and arguably most famous movement manufacturer, ETA can trace its history back to 1793 and today employs more than 8,000 people at eleven production sites. Wholly owned by the Swatch Group, the Swiss company supplies not only the brands within its own group - among them Tissot, Certina, Hamilton, and Longines – but also outside luxury brands such as Breitling, TAG Heuer, and IWC. This makes it clear that ETA's quality grades cover a wide range: the "Standard" and "Elaboré" grades stand for fairly basic calibers, while movements in the "Top" and "Chronomètre" grades offer greater accuracy and a more elaborate decorative finish. So it would be a serious mistake to lump all of the supplier's movements together.
The industry leader's best-known movement is probably the 2824-2. Designed as a three-hand movement with date, it powers countless famous watches in modified versions, such as the Breitling Superocean ("Caliber 17"), the Tudor Heritage Black Bay ("Tudor 2824"), and the Tag Heuer Carrera ("Calibre 5"). The popular "Powermatic 80" found in numerous Tissot and Hamilton collections is also based on the 2824-2, where it delivers its much-touted 80-hour power reserve. In the higher price segment, by contrast, the slim 2892 dominates, powering a broad spectrum of luxury models ranging from the Omega Seamaster with the 1120 to the IWC Aquatimer.
Valjoux: The Chronograph Specialist
As a wholly owned subsidiary of ETA, Valjoux is also part of the Swatch Group and enjoys a customer base nearly as extensive as its parent's. The movement maker owes much of its success to the caliber 7750, considered the most successful chronograph movement of all time and only slightly modified over the decades. This workhorse is known for its great robustness and precision and can be found, for example, in the Junghans Meister Chronograph, the Breitling Super Avenger II ("Caliber 13"), the Oris Artelier Chronograph, and the Sinn 103. Hand-wound calibers such as the 7760, the calendar movement 7751, and the complex 7770 for split-seconds chronographs round out an extremely versatile product portfolio without which today's watch world would surely look very different.
Sellita: Efficient Production Based on ETA Designs
Although Sellita was founded back in 1950 and has been based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, ever since, the company has only operated as an independent movement manufacturer since 2003, producing almost exclusively movements based on ETA designs. The popular SW-200, for instance, is essentially a 2824-2, while the SW-300 corresponds to a 2892 and the SW-500 chronograph movement to a 7750. But why would an independent company offer virtually the same products as the market leader? To understand Sellita's success, we have to look back to 2002: that year, ETA's management announced it would stop producing ébauches and, from 2006, sell only fully assembled movements – a shock for the supplier's existing customers. Since the patents for all of the Swatch subsidiary's key movements had already expired by then, Sellita seized the moment and, by producing the same movements itself, offered those customers an almost perfect replacement.
Given how closely they resemble ETA's designs, it's no surprise that Sellita's movements are also extremely widespread. Oris, Sinn, Mühle Glashütte, Maurice Lacroix, Bruno Söhnle, Hanhart - the customer list is long and is likely to grow even longer, as the Swiss movement maker has already announced the development of its own movements along with a corresponding expansion of its production space. New workhorses for the entry-level class? We can't wait to see what La Chaux-de-Fonds has in store.
Seiko: In-House Calibers at an Affordable Price
Leaving Switzerland behind, we meet Seiko, one of the most storied and innovative movement manufacturers on the watch market. Founded in 1881, the Japanese manufacturer stands for robust quality at attractive prices and offers its customers something you'll search for in vain elsewhere in the entry-level class: in-house movements. As in the top luxury segment of Patek Philippe or Jaeger-LeCoultre, the movements are developed and produced independently. However, the Seiko name covers an entire group of companies that, in addition to its own timepieces, also supplies third parties with its robust calibers. This is handled by the subsidiary TMI Time Module, which markets its parent company's movements under new names, making it harder to trace them to specific customers. Probably the most widespread is the 4R35 (original name), a simple automatic movement with hacking seconds and a 40-hour power reserve. But the 7S26, 6R27, and 6R15 also rank among the Japanese manufacturer's most popular workhorses.
Citizen Miyota: Simple Mechanics for Newcomers and Microbrands
Alongside Seiko's empire, Citizen is another influential heavyweight of the watch market from Japan. While the Citizen name stands for mass-produced quartz and solar watches, its 65-percent-owned subsidiary Miyota is responsible for producing mechanical movements. Among them, the 8215 is known as a universal all-rounder that has been produced in high numbers for decades and is especially popular with microbrands. Simple design, robust construction, low cost - if you're interested in new watch brands, you'll often find the 8215 inside.
