ETA is a Swiss company that makes mechanical movements, ébauches and quartz watches. It is the best-known Swiss maker of ébauches, the base movements that other watch brands buy and use in their own watches. After a merger in 1979, it became the world’s largest maker of ébauche movements.
Where it comes from
ETA dates its origins to 1856. That year Urs Schild and Dr. Joseph Girard opened an ébauche factory in Grenchen. The watch brand Eterna later set up a separate company for its movements and called it ETA AS. The ETA name first appeared in advertisements in January 1923. In 1932 Eterna joined the ASUAG group. It was split into two parts to fit the group’s structure. In 1979 A. Schild merged into ETA.
What movements does ETA make?
ETA makes mechanical movements that are wound by hand and movements that wind themselves. One of its best-known is the 2824. It is a self-winding movement with 25 jewels, and it comes in four grades. ETA also makes the Valjoux 7750, a chronograph movement. It was developed from an earlier movement, the Valjoux 7733. Because ETA sells base movements to other brands, the same movement can sit inside watches from different brands.
What is an ETA clone?
In 2002 the Swatch Group said that ETA would soon stop selling ébauches to outside companies. Other Swiss firms now make copies of ETA movements. These copies are known as ETA clones. Sellita is one such firm. So a clone is a movement built to the design of an ETA movement but made by a different company.
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