Hodinkee
In-Depth: Swatch Group Battles With COMCO Over ETA Movement Sales
At issue is whether Sellita really will be able to compete with ETA in an open market for mechanical watch movements.
Results for ETA 6497 / 6498
272 articles · 45 videos found · page 2 of 11
Hodinkee
SJX Watches
Breaking News: ETA Movement Sales Halted by Swiss Authorities
News last weekend that Switzerland’s competition regulator, COMCO, also widely known by its German acronym Weko, was weighing a ban on ETA movement sales to third-party brands caused a major stir in the watch industry – and a terse, lengthy response from Swatch Group, ETA’s parent and Switzerland’s biggest watchmaking conglomerate. The move was ostensibly to allow alternatives to ETA – once Switzerland’s dominant supplier of mechanical movements – to develop. According to the Swatch Group, the ban was entirely without merit, especially given the fact that ETA was no longer the biggest supplier of movements to the industry. That title now belongs to Sellita, which supplied a million movements in 2019, compared to half the number for ETA. Now COMCO has formalised the year-long ban in an announcement that puts in place a “temporary suspension of the supply of [ETA] mechanical movements to customers”. The ban will be in force until COMCO makes its final decision by the summer of 2020. The ban, however, allows ETA to sell its movements to existing clients that are small- and medium-sized watch brands, defined as having less than 250 employees, which will probably be of little consolation to ETA. According to a Swatch Group spokesman quoted by Reuters, the majority of ETA’s movement sales are to companies with more than 250 employees, and as a result, ETA foresees it won’t be able to sell any movements next year. According to the statement, the ban is foun...
SJX Watches
Business News: Swiss Authorities Weigh ETA Sales Ban
According to Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende (via Reuters), Switzerland’s Competition Commission, a federal body that oversees competition and antitrust matters, is considering an outright ban of movements sales by ETA to third parties, in other words brands outside of the Swatch Group, starting January 2020. Also known as COMCO, or its German acronym WEKO, the agency is expected to deliver a verdict on December 19 . No explicit reason was cited for the potential ban, but it was implied that a recent COMCO report on the industry structure of the movement business is the reason. It is possible that COMCO believes the number of alternatives to ETA is sufficient that the watch industry would be better served over the long term by forcing watch brands to switch away from ETA. COMCO has long tussled with Switzerland’s biggest movement maker, in a dispute that began 17 years ago, when ETA announced it would gradually halt sales of ebauches, or movement blanks, to brands not owned by its parent company, Swatch Group. Because ETA was, and still is, Switzerland’s largest movement, reputedly producing some five million movements a year, its decision was regarded by COMCO as anticompetitive. And the wider Swatch Group – which is the country’s largest watchmaking conglomerate – produces perhaps a third of the components needed for watch movements in the entire industry. In the subsequent years ETA and COMCO reached various agreements over movement supply, with the l...
Quill & Pad
Breaking News: ETA May Not Be Delivering Movements In 2020, Possibly Crippling The Watch Industry
The Swiss press is reporting that the tug of war between Swatch Group and Comco is now back on the table – and could result in dire consequences for the entire industry as soon as 2020, when ETA may stop delivering movements to outside brands. Get the story here.
Revolution
The Creation of the Valjoux/ETA 7750
A young team headed by a 24-year-old movement specialist pulled off a technological coup that resulted in the robust, low-cost, ubiquitous Valjoux/ETA 7750.
Video
Best Field Mechanical Watch of 2020? Unboxing the HODINKEE x MERCI LMM H01 Limited Edition ETA 2801
Time+Tide
RECOMMENDED READING: Why Seiko won’t be producing a 50th anniversary chronograph
Fifty years ago, the automatic chronograph was born. Depending on which press release, it was the effort of either Zenith, Heuer (et al) or Seiko. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and the former two brands have been busy celebrating in the traditional Swiss way (limited editions and, presumably, cheese). Seiko, though, has been … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Why Seiko won’t be producing a 50th anniversary chronograph appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
EDITOR’S PICK: We ask the experts how to build a potentially valuable watch collection
Editor’s note: Nigh on a year ago, Sandra delved into the mercurial, and occasionally murky, world of investing in vintage watches. But rather than start at the already stratospheric Rolex/Patek et al. price point, she decided to focus on something a little more achievable. And while prices on some of the below suggestions have likely already … ContinuedThe post EDITOR’S PICK: We ask the experts how to build a potentially valuable watch collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Something special is coming…from the hydro specialists: HYT
the new H2 : HYDRO MECANICAL HOROLOGISTS WITH APRP (AUDEMARS PIGUET RENAUD ET PAPI) LEADED BY GIULIO PAPI Sneak preview for what’s coming for the 2013 BaselWorld. A word from one of our sponsors HYT. Also, click on the HYT panel on the left and visit their website.
Revolution
Seen at Watch Art Grand Exhibition: Patek Philippe Ref. 2497 in Rose Gold
At the Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Singapore, Revolution got a closer look at some of the most precious wristwatches in Patek Philippe’s vault.
Revolution
Controversial Haile Selassie Patek Philippe 2497 Sells for CHF2.9 Million
Pulled from auction the last time it was under the hammer, the unique Patek Philippe ref. 2497 - former property of His Majesty, king of Kings, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia - has been sold by Christie’s for CHF 2,911,500.
Video
HODINKEE x MERCI - LMM-H01 Limited Edition For HODINKEE Mechanical ETA Field Watch 37.5mm Swiss Made
Teddy Baldassarre
In House Vs ETA Movements (The Truth)
Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.
Teddy Baldassarre
Q&A; with a Watchmaker - ETA vs In-House, Put Watch on A Winder, & More
Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.
Teddy Baldassarre
Overview Of Third-Party Movements: ETA, Miyota, Seiko, & More (A Compr
Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.
Monochrome
The Evergreens – The History of the ETA Peseux 7001, The Hand-Wound Classic That Stood the Test of Time
Self-winding calibres are undeniably an advancement, especially those boasting extended autonomy. Yet, there is a timeless ritual, almost archaic, the deliberate act of winding a watch by thumb and forefinger, each click of the ratchet wheel a symphony for the discerning ear. This tactile dance, this connection to the mechanics, is a pleasure some aficionados […]
Hodinkee
A Reader Asks, 'Are ETA Movements Ever OK In High-End Watchmaking?'
To an important degree, the answer is that it's the wrong question to ask in the first place.
Video
Feynman Cove Unboxing - Automatic ETA 2895 - Out Of The Ordinary Dive Watch With Lume To Match
Monochrome
Introducing – This New Mido Multifort Mechanical Gives Back the Mundane Unitas its Necessary Credentials
The Unitas, known under the names ETA 6498 and 6497 (depending on its configuration, Lépine or Savonette), is without a doubt one of the most important and most long-lasting movements of the Swiss industry. This simple, no-nonsense but reliable hand-wound movement has been produced since the 1950s, yet originates from classic pocket watch calibres. Often […]
SJX Watches
Stefan Ketelaars Introduces the 3D Terra in Motion
Twenty-nine year-old Stefan Ketelaars started his eponymous brand in 2017, producing watches based on the ETA Unitas 6497 and 6498 but modified in a novel manner while still being affordable, starting at just €3,800, or about US$4,300. His signature complications are the “flying regulator” time display and spherical day and night display, but most notable is the balance wheel repositioned to the front of the watch. The most recent model unveiled by Ketelaars Watches, the 3D Terra in Motion with Reverse Balance. The new watch builds on his earlier creation that features a miniature Earth that functions as a day and night display, but adds on the elevated balance wheel. Like the rest of his watches, the 3D Terra in Motion is powered by a heavily modified Unitas 6497. But unlike the usual modified-Unitas fare in this price range that reshape the bridges for a new look, Mr Ketelaars retains most of the components on the back and instead reworks the front. From the back, the distinctive Unitas bridges retain the same shape, but enhanced with pronounced, sloping bevelling on all the edges. The anglage is wide enough that its top edge almost touches the countersinks for the nearby screws and jewels. A Ketelaars Unitas 6497 with a standard balance wheel on the back; the bridges are finished with radial graining and anglage The Reverse Balance The most significant modification on the new 3D Terra in Motion is the repositioning of the balance wheel. Instead of being on the...
Teddy Baldassarre
Baume Et Mercier Makes A Solid Gold Everyday Watch Under 10k
Under $10,000 there aren't very many options for gold watches, yet Baume et Mercier offer a compelling example in the Clifton range with little competition at this price point. Not only does it offer handsome looks, but there is solid watchmaking inside to back it all up.
Time+Tide
These new 30mm Rado DiaStar Original watches look sweet enough to eat
Rado target stylish Gen Zs with a smaller form factor and summer-ready Glacier Lake, Turquoise and Dahlia dials for the DiaStar.The post These new 30mm Rado DiaStar Original watches look sweet enough to eat appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
7 of the best strap monsters that will eat on any NATO, leather, or rubber strap
Whether you're working with a limited budget or want a versatile piece, a strap monster is always a plus.The post 7 of the best strap monsters that will eat on any NATO, leather, or rubber strap appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Video
Introducing the Ming 27.01 and 27.02 - ETA 7001 - Thin 6.9MM - Sapphire Dial... wow.
Quill & Pad
New Release: Andreas Strehler Faune et Flore, Unique Masterpieces of the Art of Engraving
With it's open dial and sweeping skeletonized bridges, Andreas Strehler's Papillon d’or is both a horological and visual masterpiece. Now with his new Faune et Flore collection, Strehler takes the Papillon d’or to an even high artistic level.
Fratello
Monday Morning With Greubel Forsey’s 10th Fundamental Invention, The Nano Foudroyante EWT
What better way to celebrate your 20th anniversary than by throwing a small party? No, even a tiny party is way too exuberant for Greubel Forsey, Haute Horlogerie manufacturer par excellence. That’s why the brand throws a nano party. And that’s big news because the Nano Foudroyante EWT is Greubel Forsey’s 10th “Invention Piece.” The […] Visit Monday Morning With Greubel Forsey’s 10th Fundamental Invention, The Nano Foudroyante EWT to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Andreas Strehler Debuts Hand Engraved Faune et Flore
Andreas Strehler, known for his complex movements, recruited master engraver Roman Houdek for a collection of floral-themed watches, the Faune et Flore. With each made to order, the timepieces of Faune et Flore are presented in Strehler’s signature ovoid Papillon case and powered by an in-house calibre. The dials are open worked and intricately hand engraved by Mr Houdek. Initial thoughts Though the new line is a departure from the brand’s usual focus on complications, free-hand engraving is no less of an achievement. An art that requires tremendous skill, it is refreshing to see Strehler attempt something different. Elaborate in style, the Faune et Flore departs from Strehler’s traditional aesthetic. While that may not appeal to technical-minded enthusiasts at first glance, the quality of the engraving is easily apparent and complements the case shape. Unsurprisingly given Mr Strehler’s technical talent, the engraved dials are not actually traditional dials. The engraved 18k gold plate serves as a functional bridge for the movement, supporting part of the going train and the two barrels. As a result, there are jewels set into the plate, which form decorative elements in the engraving. Because the engraved plate is functional as well as decorative, this construction requires even more careful work than a conventional engraved dial, in order to ensure the open-worked sections don’t compromise with integrity or flatness of the bridge. That in turn has to be balance...
Time+Tide
Greubel Forsey flexes its horological muscles with a host of firsts in its new Nano Foudroyante EWT
There is a lot to get your head around with this new release from Greubel Forsey, but it's clear the watchmaking is on another level. The post Greubel Forsey flexes its horological muscles with a host of firsts in its new Nano Foudroyante EWT appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Introducing: The MB&F; × Eddy Jaquet LM Split Escapement 2024 Series - Artisanal And Adventurous Watches Inspired By Youth Literature
Take a look at your bookcase, and tell me if you have a copy of one of the following books - The Three Musketeers, The Jungle Book, Robinson Crusoe, The Call of the Wild, The Last of the Mohicans, Moby-Dick, Robin Hood, Treasure Island, or anything by Jules Verne, like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. […] Visit Introducing: The MB&F; × Eddy Jaquet LM Split Escapement 2024 Series - Artisanal And Adventurous Watches Inspired By Youth Literature to read the full article.
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