Doing my head in! A7750 vs. ETA 2824-2

[BlackKnight]

Hi all,

Wow, been reading this forum for two years and never posted! How slack of me

I have used the search function till I my eyeballs stung, I have read every mention of the Asian 7750 and I am still without a clue.

My next purchase will be around the $300 mark, my first decent rep. The choice is between a chrono and a non-chrono, which brings me to my problem: is the Asian 7750 an accurate time-keeper? I've had some negative experience with the infamous "21 jewel asian automatic", mostly with them running about 1-2 minutes fast per day, which drove me to sell them all. Having to always look for an accurate time source to make sure my watch was running on time even drove me to buy a quartz (zomg!) watch. I hated it for not being alive. So here I am, willing to spend a little more money on something that will hopefully last me at least one year if not two.

To put it in perspective I currently wear an Aplha Seamaster, which is basically a Chinese Hommage to the Omega SMP blue. It cost me all of $US40 about a year ago and has been the most accurate automatic I've ever owned, barely losing a couple of seconds in a week.

So, do I buy an Aquaracer 300m Chrono, coz it looks the business, or stick with the Aqauracer 500m w/ ETA 2824-2, and be safe?

Which movement, fully understanding they are totally different beasts, is going to be more accurate over, say, a week?

If you own either of these two movement watches I'd be really grateful for your input.

Btw, these forums rock, they have saved my bacon on a few occasions in the watch repair area. Thank you!

[scotty]

Hi and 'welcome'...

The thing about the A7750 is that it needs to be serviced and regulated. Once done it should be a good workhorse.

The A7750 is not a movement that all watchsmiths are familiar with, and can be a little tricky to work on. So you need to locate someone that has good experience with these and can service and regulate for you.

In EU Domi / Francisco are amongst the modders who know it well.

In Canada Ziggy of course. US Rex I think.

Outside of these there are probably more people. For Australia not sure who does what there.....

[FxrAndy]

Both can be great but with this hobby it can be the luck of the draw, to be on the safe side though i would stick with the 2824

[nakortheblue]

Accuracy is luck of the draw between both movements. Within +/- 30s per day should be acceptable. Most ETA especially the clones are in better condition out of the box than most A7750s, then again you might strike out and end up with a really crappy reconditioned ETA. The odds favor ETA. As usual, YMMV.

[Timemaster]

The Asian 2824 is a very good movement. Very reliable and easy to regulate. They can be very accurate. Mine are all within the 5 seconds a day range. The Asain 7750 is not that easy to regulate. 20 seconds a day is already good. This movement is also less reliable and the new 37mm version has metal jewels instead of jewels. Metal jewels need to be good serviced to last. We all know that the 7750 is very poor serviced. If they can earn a dollar by using metal bearing instead of rubies, they will not spend a lot more for a good service. So these newest 7750 will not last very long. The Asain 2824 however can run for years without a problem and without service.

[plaifender]

If both watches are serviced.. they will last you a lifetime. The accuracy issue has nothing to do with the quality of the movement.. it's a simple question of regulation. If you get your watches serviced (which i HIGHLY reccomend doing regardless of movement), you can also get it regulated. In general.. it is acceptable to have a watch gain or lose 30seconds/day. Expecting the watch to be only +/-1 or 2 seconds per WEEK is not likely even for a GEN with COSC standards.

[RWG Technical]

What I would add is to simply restate some of the others comments. If the watches are keepers, then having them serviced is your assurance that they will last.

Most ETA 28XX series movements are used surplus ones, they may be New Old Stock, or completely worn out dirty gummed up movements. The A7750 on the other hand will be a new movement, while it may not be serviced, it is certainly a better choice than a worn out ETA.

Accuracy is a design issue, not a servicing one. The average ETA 28XX is not designed to provide much more than + - 30 seconds a day, same for the A7750. Yes, individuals have and can regulate the movement to much closer specs than this, but that is a result of them accounting for the rate averages of the watch, while they are wearing it. In other words, most any movement can be regulated quite accurately, if you remove the errors that are introduced by the wearer of the watch.

The reality is that a mechanical watch has a personality, and timing can and does vary, even from day to day, or hour to hour...it's what gives a mechanical watch it's soul, kind of like the soul of a vaccum radio, vs internet radio, no comparison. If timing is your only criteria, quartz is the answer.

COSC specs, the highest in the world for mechanical watches, are 10 seconds a DAY... don't expect a movement not designed to these standards to be anywhere near that accurate... Even at that, your Genuine Rolex can be out by 1 minute a week and be perfectly serviceable.

[Dudemeister]

I for one am a big fan of chronographs, so I do have a few watches with the A7750, but I also have a few watches with non-chrono movements, including ETA 28xx and the so called 21J's.

I found that most A7750's are good enough and reliable enough as long as they are the non modified ones, (i.e. stock with running seconds @ 9). Some modes are more reliable than others, and there are many articles here, including many tear downs by The Zigmeister and others that explain the issues.

The A7750 is harder to adjust than the simpler ETA or 21J, so for me, most of the A7750 that needed adjustment are usually within 15-20 seconds off, and I find it nearly impossible to get them any closer. On the other hand I've got some cheap DG2813's I adjusted to within2-3 seconds per day.

So it really comes down to what type of watch you like. If you like chronos, don't fear the 7750, embrace it. And if you get a watch like the Tag Aquaracer which uses the 7750 in it's native configuration, you should be OK.

As mentioned before, servicing is an important part of keeping these watches going, the chronos more so than the simpler ones, but (unlike some folks here), I don't think it's necessary to service it immediately after you get it unless it got to you with problems. With any luck the watch should be good for at least 2-3 years maybe more before needing any kind of work.

My $0.02 on the subject.

P.S. I forgot, one of the advantages of a cheap 21J movement, is that when if finally gives up the ghost, it only costs $15 to buy a new one. So if you are handy enough with small tools you can replace it in a hour or so.

[plaifender]

What I would add is to simply restate some of the others comments. If the watches are keepers, then having them serviced is your assurance that they will last.

Most ETA 28XX series movements are used surplus ones, they may be New Old Stock, or completely worn out dirty gummed up movements. The A7750 on the other hand will be a new movement, while it may not be serviced, it is certainly a better choice than a worn out ETA.

Accuracy is a design issue, not a servicing one. The average ETA 28XX is not designed to provide much more than + - 30 seconds a day, same for the A7750. Yes, individuals have and can regulate the movement to much closer specs than this, but that is a result of them accounting for the rate averages of the watch, while they are wearing it. In other words, most any movement can be regulated quite accurately, if you remove the errors that are introduced by the wearer of the watch.

The reality is that a mechanical watch has a personality, and timing can and does vary, even from day to day, or hour to hour...it's what gives a mechanical watch it's soul, kind of like the soul of a vaccum radio, vs internet radio, no comparison. If timing is your only criteria, quartz is the answer.

COSC specs, the highest in the world for mechanical watches, are 10 seconds a DAY... don't expect a movement not designed to these standards to be anywhere near that accurate... Even at that, your Genuine Rolex can be out by 1 minute a week and be perfectly serviceable.

+1

[Motion]

Hello.

I've got Tag Link Automatic Chronograph 7750.

When I received them (2 months ago) they where loosing about 30 sec's a day. I've been adjusting them for 2 weeks and managed to let them loose about 2 sec's every 24 hours. When I wear them they are going fast, when they lay on the table they're going slow. So they loose 30-50 sec's a months. I found that A7750 is good enough and reliable enough for replica.

[maxman]

I have eight reps with the A7750 movement, only two of them have been serviced. The other seven are still keeping good time and I have never had a problem with my A7750. I personaly think Its a great movement. Just listen to the Zigmeister, the man knows what of he speeks, good luck Mike