ETA movement – the most popular calibre without secrets
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ETA movement – the most popular calibre without secrets
What is the guarantee of high-precision timekeeping? What watch should you choose? Or perhaps it is worth asking a more important question: what is the best watch movement that meets all the strict requirements for perfect precision, accuracy and timekeeping reliability? The answer is simple - go for Swiss ETA movements. Discover the secrets of the world's most popular movement!
ETA movement – power of Swiss watchmaking
When looking for a right watch and browsing the offers from manufacturers, special attention is paid to the specification of a given model, and in particular to the type of mechanisms used. Surely you have more than once encountered many watches (not only from Swiss brands) for the operation and precision of which the ETA movement was responsible. This is not surprising, especially in the watch industry, where most companies (apart from manufacturers) do not manufacture their own movements, but use ready-made products offered by experienced manufacturers specialising in the production of specific watch parts. The Swiss company ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse is just such a powerhouse in the watchmaking world.
ETA movement – history of the world's most popular calibre
ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse is the most recognisable and largest manufacturer of ready-made manual and automatic movements as well as ébauche movements that don’t include the escapement, the dial and hands. The facilities where both production and assembly take place are located in Switzerland, in the cantons of Valais and Ticino.
The watchmaking tradition of this factory dates back to the mid-19th century, and the term ETA originated from the name Eterna. But how did it happen that ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse became a global powerhouse? What were its origins?
Let's go back in time when it all began. It was the year 1856. In the town of Grenchen Dr. Josef Girard and schoolteacher Urs Schild founded the "Dr. Girard & Schild" factory, also known as Eterna. Initially, they manufactured only movements and parts for watches. However, the following years and financial problems led to a necessary expansion of the business, which involved not only the manufacture of watch parts, but also timepieces.
ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse – international development and top Swiss quality
The next stage in the development of ETA movements came in 1932. Teodor Schild - grandson of Urs Schild, co-founder of Eterna - was forced, as a result of the economic crash, to affiliate the factory to ASUAG, the control and financial body in charge of production control, pricing and marketing of Swiss Made movements. This, however, required Theodor Schild to split the factory into two independent companies. The first of these, Eterna SA, was henceforth to produce luxury Swiss watches. ETA SA - the second of these - took over the manufacture of the automatic movements only. Thus, ETA SA, part of the ASUAG group, became, alongside A. Schild SA (ASSA), Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF) and A. Michel SA (AM) one of the largest companies of international stature producing more than 80% of movements. Thanks to the use of innovative and highly precise automatic calibres, ETA SA gained fame and worldwide recognition.
With the advent of the 1970s and the quartz revolution, many Swiss watch manufacturers went out of business. The attempts of the ETA SA brand led to the creation of the thinnest quartz movement at that time, with a thickness of 1.98 mm. However, even attempts to comply with the prevailing requirements could not save the company from the crisis. In order to prevent this, in 1979 ETA merged with A. Schild SA. The 1980s were a time of transition that finally led to the integration of ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse into the Swatch Group founded by Nicolas G. Hayek.
Swiss ETA movements valued in the watch industry
Swiss ETA movements are some of the most desirable calibres in the world. They are valued by watch brands for their professionalism and rich experience based on values and traditions. It is no wonder that ETA movements are eagerly chosen not only by Swiss Made brands such as Atlantic, Tissot, Certina, Victorinox or Doxa, but also by other companies. ETA calibres can be found, among others, in some Junghans, Zeppelin and Laco models. Why? Because they are a guarantee of reliability, precision, have proven quality and can be used in a wide variety of ways - they are often the basis for watches with slightly modified features and functions.
ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse is not only involved in the production of ébauche movements. An example of a manual-winding movement is, for example, the ETA calibre 2804-2, which, among other things, is responsible for the operation of some Atlantic watches from the Worldmaster collection (the men's model 51651.41.25G with a silver dial and 51651.41.65G with a black dial). And one of the most popular automatic movements from the Swiss giant - the ETA 7750 Valjoux calibre - powers, among others, the Tissot T-Sport PRS 516 and Zeppelin Eurofighter watch collections.
ETA movement – bestsellers now available at Watchard!
The phenomenon and worldwide popularity of Swiss ETA movements has, with each decade, gained the recognition and trust of most watch brands, including those of high prestige. They are bestsellers that offer great performance, precision, reliability and the prestige class of Swiss Made. It is interesting to think what modern watchmaking would be like if it had not just been for the creation and development of ETA movements. Are you inspired by this brief history of ETA movements? Check out the range of Swiss watches using this type of calibre in their products now! Visit our website or visit our boutique in Warsaw!
