Watch movements

[newf]

Hi, Folks,

I'm getting my feet wet by reading a lot of the forum posts and reviews plus bugging some of the heavy hitters for advice.

But I'm wondering if I've gotten a correct understanding of the basic watch movements available from our dealers.

For a basic date only watch - say a Sub or YM - the Asian made ETA 2824-2

For a Day and Date - Asian made ETA 2836-2

For a basic chronometer such as an IWC type with the hours at 6, the seconds at 9 and the minutes at 12 - the Asian made ETA 7750.

Then there's the chronos with the day date also - don't know which movement yet.

And I've read somewhere - can't really pinpoint where after inundating myself tha last couple of days with all this info - that the gold movements sold by some dealers are actually genuine Swiss ETA movements

Anybody care to correct me and show me the light at the end of the tunnel - man this is a lot of info to absorb just to buy a few watches - but being addicted to this hobby it really is fun.

Newf

[deltatahoe]

a couple quick thoughts newf...

first off, some movement basics.

there are both genuine ETA movements, and in various cases, asian movements that either i) are copy versions of the ETA movements, or ii) have the same function as the ETA movements. you can certainly find rep watches with genuine ETA movements in them; the question of whether or not those ETA movements are "swiss made" is a bit of a grey area, and another discussion altogether.

in terms of asian movements, an example of i) above is the asian 7750, which is a copy version of an ETA 7750. there are even two versions of the asian 7750: a) an older version with 21.6k bph (which is known for having many issues) and ii) a newer version with 28.8k bhp (which ziggy our expert watchmaker has confirmed is a nice, reliable movement once properly oiled/serviced). an example of ii) above can be seen in the uPO, with the "swiss" version having a ETA 2824-2, and the uPO "lite", which has an asian movement that looks nothing like the ETA 2824-2, but performs the same functions as the ETA 2824-2.

in terms of picking a watch/movement combination, my suggestion would be to surf around and find a watch that catches your fancy; then to do the quick research about what various versions of the watch are available (both in terms of various sources, as well as different movements). the advent of "super reps" has made this process a little bit easier, as for these watches there is typically only one source (factory or "maker") of the watch.

many watches are only available with asian movements (such as the new b&r 42mm w/ date reps), while others provide a choice between versions with ETA movements vs. "lite" versions with asian movements. you should note that in many (most?) cases, these "lite" versions may not be identical in other regards to their swiss counterparts (for example, the asian sfso doesn't have a sapphire crystal or double sided AR coating).

there are a number of notorious examples of watches that were (at one time) advertised as having ETA movements (46mm b&r anyone?) that ended up having asian movements, but that's another story altogether. in most cases, when a watch is advertised as having an ETA movement, you are getting a good quality, known movement.

hopefully this helps; feel free to ask other specific questions...

my final suggestion = hold onto your wallet -- this hobby can get very addicting

deltatahoe

[newf]

a couple quick thoughts newf...

first off, some movement basics.

there are both genuine ETA movements, and in various cases, asian movements that either i) are copy versions of the ETA movements, or ii) have the same function as the ETA movements. you can certainly find rep watches with genuine ETA movements in them; the question of whether or not those ETA movements are "swiss made" is a bit of a grey area, and another discussion altogether.

in terms of asian movements, an example of i) above is the asian 7750, which is a copy version of an ETA 7750. there are even two versions of the asian 7750: a) an older version with 21.6k bph (which is known for having many issues) and ii) a newer version with 28.8k bhp (which The Zigmeister our expert watchmaker has confirmed is a nice, reliable movement once properly oiled/serviced). an example of ii) above can be seen in the uPO, with the "swiss" version having a ETA 2824-2, and the uPO "lite", which has an asian movement that looks nothing like the ETA 2824-2, but performs the same functions as the ETA 2824-2.

in terms of picking a watch/movement combination, my suggestion would be to surf around and find a watch that catches your fancy; then to do the quick research about what various versions of the watch are available (both in terms of various sources, as well as different movements). the advent of "super reps" has made this process a little bit easier, as for these watches there is typically only one source (factory or "maker") of the watch.

many watches are only available with asian movements (such as the new b&r 42mm w/ date reps), while others provide a choice between versions with ETA movements vs. "lite" versions with asian movements. you should note that in many (most?) cases, these "lite" versions may not be identical in other regards to their swiss counterparts (for example, the asian sfso doesn't have a sapphire crystal or double sided AR coating).

there are a number of notorious examples of watches that were (at one time) advertised as having ETA movements (46mm b&r anyone?) that ended up having asian movements, but that's another story altogether. in most cases, when a watch is advertised as having an ETA movement, you are getting a good quality, known movement.

hopefully this helps; feel free to ask other specific questions...

my final suggestion = hold onto your wallet -- this hobby can get very addicting

deltatahoe

Hi, deltatahoe,

Thanks for the informative post - I had forgotten about the 21.6k bph vs the 28.8bph information - I'll have to say that with all I've read so far the only option for me is the 28.8bph.

So far I've only settled on four well maybe five watches - I already have the Rolex DayDate with the Swiss ETA 2836-2 movement - a gold anodized version,

Also - somewhere in the house hidden away for Christmas - is a Rolex SS black face Daytona with the new Asian 28.8bph 7750

Now I'm presuming the gold anodized Swiss ETA 2836-2 is a gen ETA or an exact Asian copy - please correct me here.

The Daytona with the 7750 is a total crap shoot but I've always wanted one and just bit the bullet.

My next three watches will be a Submariner with a gold anodized Swiss ETA 2836-2, a Yacht-Master with a gold anodized Swiss ETA 2836-2 and and IWC with an Asian Valjoux 7750 Automatic presumably a Chinese nickle plated movement.

All movements with the 28.8bph.

Here again all comments either for or against will be taken in the good spirit they're meant.

Can't beat these forums for info or educated opinions.

And yes the purchases will be a slow process - I just love researching and then tracking down the deal.

I've bought four watches so far - 2 from Angus (PureTime) - had to return the Rolex DayDate but he is fixing that problem and two from Andrew (TrustyTimes) - both of the dealers rate a 10 in my book - very responsible toward a newbie possibly making an early purchase mistake - both of them told me to stay away from Daytonas as a first purchase and were very patient in making sure I'd be happy with my new toys.

I just can't praise them enough.

And while I'm on this flower tosing love fest - I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you veterans for putting up with us newbies and making our journey through the wilderness that much easier.

Love fest over - gnarly, snarly face back on

Newf

[deltatahoe]

And while I'm on this flower tosing love fest - I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you veterans for putting up with us newbies and making our journey through the wilderness that much easier.

re: the flower tossing lovefest

you're welcome -- we were all newbies at one time or another (to be honest, i still fee like a noob). your observations re: the different movements in the watches you've already ordered seem right on to me, although to be honest i haven't really ever gotten too caught up in the various differences in ETA movements (ie. gold anodized vs. nickle plated).

good luck with the daytona; at least you are aware that you're taking a risk with that one. some people don't have any issues, while many others end up with a dead movement. it's definitely a crapshoot with the seconds at six 7750s.

anyways, keep reading and enjoy the hunt

deltatahoe