ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse (ETA SA Swiss Watch Manufacturer) designs and manufactures
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
watches and both hand-wound and
automatic-winding mechanical and
movements
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...
. Commonly referred to as ETA, the company is headquartered in
Grenchen
Grenchen (french: Granges) is a municipality in the district of Lebern in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.
It is located at the foot of the Jura mountains between Solothurn and Biel/Bienne, approximately north of Bern. With over 16,000 i ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of
The Swatch Group
The Swatch Group Ltd is a Swiss manufacturer of watches and jewellery. The company was founded in 1983 by the merger of ASUAG and SSIH to move to manufacturing quartz-crystal watches to resolve the quartz crisis threatening the traditional Swi ...
.
Though ETA was founded by
Eterna
Eterna is a Swiss luxury watch company founded in Grenchen, Canton Solothurn, on 7 November 1856 by Josef Girard and Urs Schild. The company is now owned by Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited, an investment holding co ...
in 1856 some part of its production line can be traced back to the 1793 founding of Fabriques d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF) by David Benguerel, Isaac Benguerel, François Humbert-Droz and Julien Humbert-Droz.
Through a series of mergers, ETA has become the largest manufacturer of
Swiss watch movements and controls a virtual
monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
over their production and supply. ETA has undergone several Swiss government investigations due to its market position. To resolve the concerns of Swiss government regulators, ETA has entered into an agreement that governs certain business practices.
Description
ETA designs and manufactures
mechanical
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
and automatic watches, watch
movements
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...
and watch . Although the company produces finished watches and movements, ETA specializes in the production of movements used both in watches of sister Swatch Group subsidiary brands and in the watches of competitors, including brands owned by
Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. and others. With the exception of hairsprings manufactured by sister company
Nivarox Nivarox, also known as Nivarox - FAR SA is a Swiss company formed by a merger in 1984 between Nivarox SA and Fabriques d' Assortiments Réunis (FAR). It is currently owned by the Swatch Group. Nivarox is also the trade name of the metallic alloy fro ...
, ETA maintains
vertical
Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
* Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down
* Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...
control over the manufacturing of all of the components required to create a watch movement and therefore is considered a true manufacture d'horlogerie.
History
![ETA-ESA 255](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/ETA-ESA_255.461%2C_front_3.png)
ETA is the result of successive consolidation of the Swiss watch industry, a combination of several former Swiss watch movement manufacturers including
Valjoux
Valjoux (for ''Vallée de Joux'', "Joux Valley") is a Swiss manufacturer of mechanical watch movements. It is known primarily for chronograph ébauche movements that are used in a number of mid- to high-range mechanical watches. The company is a ...
, Peseux and
Lemania
Lemania was a Swiss watch manufacturer and manufacturer of watch movements.
It was founded in 1884 by Alfred Lugrin (1858-1920), who had trained at Jaeger-LeCoultre. Lugrin received awards and gold medals at exhibitions in Milan in 1906 and in B ...
.
In 1856 at
Grenchen
Grenchen (french: Granges) is a municipality in the district of Lebern in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.
It is located at the foot of the Jura mountains between Solothurn and Biel/Bienne, approximately north of Bern. With over 16,000 i ...
, Urs Schild, a schoolmaster, and Dr. Girard set up a watch movement () factory which eventually became
Eterna
Eterna is a Swiss luxury watch company founded in Grenchen, Canton Solothurn, on 7 November 1856 by Josef Girard and Urs Schild. The company is now owned by Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited, an investment holding co ...
. In 1926, ETA AS (the movement branch of Eterna, founded in 1896) and FHF (founded in 1793) took part in the creation of Ébauches Ltd. In 1978 AS and ETA merged and in 1985 ETA took in all the activities done before by Ébauches Ltd and FHF (both part of SMH/Swatch Group).
SSIH was founded in 1930 through the amalgamation of
Omega
Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...
and
Tissot
Tissot SA () is a Swiss watchmaker. The company was founded in Le Locle, Switzerland by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son, Charles-Émile Tissot, in 1853. After several mergers and name changes, the group which Tissot SA belonged to was renam ...
. By consolidating companies that produced high-quality movements and a number of watch brands, SSIH gradually established a strong position in the Swiss watch industry.
At the time, both
SSIH and
ASUAG
Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG (ASUAG; French: ''Société Générale de l'Horlogerie Suisse SA'') was the former biggest Swiss Watch Industry Group that had been created with the assistance of the Swiss Government and the Swiss Banks ...
held a number of well-established Swiss watch brands. ASUAG had been founded in 1931. ASUAG expanded through the purchase of companies that made movement-blanks and a number of finished watch manufacturers that were subsequently brought together under the subsidiary
General Watch Co
General Watch Co. (GWC) was the watch companies holding of ASUAG.
History
ASUAG had been founded in 1931, with the assistance of the Swiss government and the Swiss banks, to combat the severe economic crisis and ensuing unemployment by means of ...
(GWC).
In the 1930s, both ASUAG and SSIH entered into complementary research and development programs to combat a severe economic crisis. Following repeated crises in the Swiss watch industry, by the 1970s both ASUAG and SSIH were again in trouble. Foreign competition and the mass production of cheap new electronic products were taking over the market. Eventually, both ASUAG and SSIH faced bankruptcy.
Throughout the years of crisis and restructuring from 1978,
Ernst Thomke
Ernst Thomke (born 21 April 1939) is a Swiss physician and watchmaker. Training first as a mechanic, he later acquired the Swiss federal maturity degree and pursued academic studies whilst in employment.
Early life and education
Thomke was born ...
was at the helm of ETA SA, and also had become CEO of Ebauches SA and appointed on the Board of Directors of ASUAG. He became SMH's first CEO, position he held until 1991. At that time, Nicolas G. Hayek, as newly elected Chairman of the Board and main shareholder had already become the only person of reference.
In 1998, Swiss Corporation for Microelectronics and Watchmaking Industries Ltd (''
Société de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie
Société de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie was the name of the holding company created by the merger enforced by the Swiss Banks in 1983 of the SSIH and ASUAG, renamed The Swatch Group in 1998.
Ernst Thomke, previously CEO of Ebauches SA ...
'' or SMH), founded in 1983 through the merger Swiss watchmakers ASUAG and SSIH, was renamed the Swatch Group.
Products
ETA 2824-2
![HamiltonKhakiFieldOfficer-009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/HamiltonKhakiFieldOfficer-009.jpg)
One workhorse of the ETA mechanical line is the ETA 2824-2, The 2824 is an automatic winding, twenty-five jewel movement, available in four executions or grades: Standard, Elaborated (improved), Top and
Chronometer
A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and th ...
. The key components which differ at the line of demarcation between Elaborated and Top are the shock protection system (Elaborate=Etachoc/Top=Incabloc), balance wheel (Elaborate=Brass/Top=Glucydur) and the hairspring (Elaborate=Nivarox 2/Top=Anachron). In contrast, since the addition of the "-2" at the end of the movement number, there has been no difference between the standard and the chronometer grades in terms of the regulator mechanism, both being Etachron. To illustrate the differences in accuracy garnered by the successive grades, consider the following specifications:
* the Standard grade is adjusted in two positions with an average rate of ±12 seconds/day, with a maximum daily variation of ±30 seconds;
* the Elaborated grade is adjusted in three positions with an average rate of ±7 seconds/day, with a maximum daily variation of ±20 seconds;
* while the Top grade is adjusted in five positions with an average rate of ±4 seconds/day, with a maximum daily variation of ±15 seconds.
The Chronometer grade must meet strict standards prescribed by the
COSC. Chronometer grade movements are serial numbered, as that is a requirement of the certification authority. Moreover, the degree of decoration on the movement's parts, generally only an aesthetic improvement, increases as well with the grade.
ETA 2892
The ETA 2892.A2 is a newer design dating to the 1970s and fitted with top quality components.
An automatic winding, 21-jewel movement, the 2892 is available in three executions or grades: ''Elaborated'', ''Top'' and ''Chronometer''. The key components which differ at the line of demarcation between Elaborated and Top are the balance wheel (Elaborate=Brass/Top=Glucydur) and the hairspring (Elaborate=Nivarox 2/Top=Anachron). In contrast, since the addition of the "-2" at the end of the movement number, there has been no difference between the standard and the chronometer grades in terms of the regulator mechanism, both being Etachron. The degree of decoration on the movement's parts also increases with the grade. To illustrate the differences in accuracy garnered by the successive grades, consider the following specifications:
* ''Elaborated'' grade is adjusted in four positions with an average rate of ±5 seconds/day, with a maximum daily variation of ±20 seconds;
* ''Top'' grade is adjusted in five positions with an average rate of ±4 seconds/day, with a maximum daily variation of ±15 seconds.
* ''Chronometer'' an average rate of −4/+6 with a maximum daily variation of ±5 seconds - standards prescribed by the
COSC. The wider range for the chronometer grade is designed to take into account the differences in a watch's rate between static positions, as when the tests are performed, and the dynamic positions as when a watch is actually worn. Chronometer grade movements are serial numbered.
The ETA 2892.A2 is usually found in the more expensive and prestigious watches and brands, and owing to its relatively slim height of 3.60 mm, the 2892.A2 is a favorite of watch brands that market complicated movements such as
Breitling with its trademark
chronograph
A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as a stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand and a minute sub-dial; it can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by successive ...
(stop watches). The 2892 is also used in certain
International Watch Company
IWC International Watch Co. AG, also known as IWC Schaffhausen, is a Swiss watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Originally founded by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868, IWC has been a subsidiary of the Sw ...
watches, including newer Ingenieur models introduced in 2013.
The Omega coaxial based upon an ETA movement
Omega's Seamaster line of watches (including the Seamaster Professional 300) previously used an embellished version of the ETA 2892.A2 known as the Omega 1120. Later versions of the Seamaster used a proprietary
coaxial escapement invented by
George Daniels, an English horologist, and exclusively marketed by
Omega
Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...
, a sister company of ETA. The movement with the coaxial
escapement
An escapement is a mechanical linkage in mechanical watches and clocks that gives impulses to the timekeeping element and periodically releases the gear train to move forward, advancing the clock's hands. The impulse action transfers energy to ...
is known as the Omega 2500 series and is derived from the ETA 2892. Later versions of the Seamaster "Planet Ocean" migrated from the Omega 2500 to a different coaxial escapement known as the Omega 8500 series with extremely high magnetic resistance. Current Seamaster Professional 300 models continue to use the Omega 2500 "D" series movements..
Valjoux 7750
The
Valjoux
Valjoux (for ''Vallée de Joux'', "Joux Valley") is a Swiss manufacturer of mechanical watch movements. It is known primarily for chronograph ébauche movements that are used in a number of mid- to high-range mechanical watches. The company is a ...
7750 a/k/a ETA 7750 an extremely popular movement used in the majority of mechanical
chronograph
A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as a stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand and a minute sub-dial; it can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by successive ...
watches on the market in 2004.
The Valjoux 7750 uses a three-plane cam system, the coulisse-lever escapement, rather than the traditional chronograph mechanism, the column wheel. It is constructed of a mainplate, calendar plate, and chronograph top plate. Levers push a cam back and forth, driving the stopwatch mechanism of the Valjoux 7750. In the 1980s, many companies began using the Valjoux 7750 because it was easier to mass-produce and distribute in high-volume. The system and movement were developed by Edmond Capt in 1970, as a fully integrated self-winding mechanism with quick-set day/date based on the Valjoux 7733.
The movement is an automatic winding, 25-jewel movement that can be fitted with a variety of features including the triple date (day, date, month and moon phase) or a variety of two and three register models with totalizers or counters for minutes, seconds and hours. It is available in three executions or grades: Elaborated, Top and Chronometer. The key components which differ at the line of demarcation between Elaborated and Top are the pallet stones, balance wheel & hairspring and the regulator mechanism. To illustrate the differences in accuracy garnered by the successive grades, consider the following specifications:
* ''Elaborated'' grade is adjusted in three positions with an average rate of ±5 seconds/day with a maximum daily variation of ±15 seconds;
* ''Top'' grade is adjusted in five positions with an average rate of ±4 seconds/day with a maximum daily variation of ±15 seconds.
* ''Chronometer'' grade must meet strict standards prescribed by the
COSC: an average rate of −4/+6 with a maximum daily variation of ±5 seconds.
[.]
Cartel investigation
In 2003 the Swiss Competition Commission launched an investigation into the business practices of ETA SA after Nicholas Hayek, then chairman of ETA parent The Swatch Group Ltd., announced in 2002 that ETA would shortly stop supplying (partial watch movements) to companies outside The Swatch Group. Competitors complained that this would effectively put them out of business. Hayek countered that Swiss watch making companies must begin to invest in their own movement-making capabilities because it was detrimental to the long term health of the Swiss watchmaking industry to rely on one supplier, ETA, for the bulk of and parts production. The Swiss Competition Commission ordered ETA to continue supplying to companies outside The Swatch Group during the investigation.
In 2005 the Swiss Competition Commission concluded its investigation and ordered ETA to continue delivering and parts at the then current levels until 2008, after which ETA was allowed to gradually reduce deliveries until 2010. The Commission had found that for in the price range up to US$250, there were no real alternatives and ETA's decision to stop deliveries was a breach of Swiss law pertaining to cartels.
Although the 2005 decision has spurred some watchmakers to invest in the personnel and equipment necessary to produce movements in-house, heavy reliance on ETA continues. The original finding has been extended, with the Swiss Competition Commission ordering in July 2012 that based on 2010 supply levels, ETA may reduce the level of supplied movements by 30 per cent in 2014-2015, 50 per cent in 2016-2017 and by 70 per cent by 2018-2019. The number of Nivarox products that must be offered will be reduced gradually, dropping by 70 per cent by 2023. ETA hopes to eventually reach a market position where they are allowed to freely choose to supply or not to supply parts and to competitors based solely on ETA's discretion.
See also
*
List of ETA Movements
References
External links
* : ETA Watch parts.
* .
Swatch Group* .
* .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eta Sa
Companies established in 1793
Privately held companies of Switzerland
Swiss watch brands
The Swatch Group
Watch manufacturing companies of Switzerland
Watch movement manufacturers
Companies based in the canton of Solothurn
Grenchen
Manufacturing companies established in 1793