It’s been known for some time that movement maker ETA is slated to stop selling ebauche movements ['blanks'] to any company outside of The Swatch Group by the end of this year. Since the announcement a few years ago we have heard that other Swiss movement manufacturers were aiming to fill in the giant hole that will be left open by the lack of ETA movements available. Names like Ronda and ISA have been kicked around for quartz movements, and Sellita has come up often regarding mechanical movements. Many brands that fall into the moderate to lower end level have already begun using movements from these two brands in anticipation of the cut off from ETA. The SW200, which is Sellita’s version of the ever popular 2824-2 has been popping up in watches quite a bit.

Everyone is expecting Sellita to pick up at least some of the slack from ETA, knowing this they have increased production, and appear ready to do what they can to take a strong foothold in the market. Sellita has a few popular 3-hand automatic mechanicals that are well known but the question always came up; what about a chronograph? The venerable 7750 has had such a strong presence in the market, and is in so many pieces that it’s almost impossible to imagine the use of anything else. Its versatility and ability to be easily modified has made it a favorite ebauche among many luxury brands.

Enter the Sellita SW500 automatic chronograph movement:

Stated to have the same level of quality and accuracy of the 7750 the SW500 will make its general public debut at this year’s BaselWorld fair. For those who question the ability of Sellita to just step up and make robust, quality movements it should be known that for years Sellita used to be sent movements directly from ETA themselves, for certain modifications requested by ETA buyers. The 25 jewel SW500 clocks in at 28,800 BPH [beats per hour] / 4Hz to give its sub second hand the same smooth sweep as the 7750. Like its distant cousin; the option for the day / date function is also available. From the initial looks of it, it appears that the the SW500 may be a direct drop in replacement to the 7750 [from what I can see their sizes appear to be identical; diameter of 30mm and a height of 7.90mm].  This is a benefit to watch producers who won’t want to spend the money to redesign their cases and dial configurations.  I would imagine that as the watch world becomes more familiar with the SW500 other variations will quickly become available.

Time will tell [literally] if the SW500 is destined become a favorite among luxury brands; but in a market that may be soon scrambling for automatic movements Sellita appears to be a viable option. There has been speculation among visitors of watch forums that The Swatch Group may either delay, or totally pull back on the decision to stop selling ebauches and movement parts when faced with industry uproar. Nicolas Hayek often claims that he made this decision to spur innovation in the watch industry. To his credit since the official announcement several firms began to produce their own in-house movements, and fellow movement manufacturers have started to step up. If ETA were to make the decision to continue to sell movements beyond 2010 one very positive result would be an increase of choice and varying prices…Which is never a bad thing.

I would guess that The Swatch Group will have to stop selling as the market has been adjusting to the announcement for years. If they were to continue there would surely be some shareholders that would be none too pleased.

At the time of this writing I am not aware of any brands that have opted to use the SW500 movement.

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1. Swatch Group’s 2008 Annual Report Cover: A Jab at Wall Street and a Quiz for Watch Fans!
2. Swatch Group Shares Surge on 1H Results, 2H Outlook
3. Baselworld 2010: Bulgari Diagono Caliber 303 Chronograph
4. Baselworld 2010: It’s (almost) On!
5. Baselworld 2010: Eberhard & Co. Tazio Nuvolari Grand Prix Limited Edition