There are many watch movement manufacturers around the world, each with their own unique history, expertise and technology. These movement manufacturers produce a wide variety of movements that power a wide range of watch styles, from luxury watches to rugged sports watches. In this section, we’ll provide an overview of the prime watch movement manufacturers, including Switzerland, Japan , Germany and China.

Swiss manufacturers are among the most prestigious and reputable in the watchmaking industry. They are known for their superb watchmaking craftsmanship, innovative designs, high quality and high standards.On the other hand, Japanese watch movement manufacturers are known for their innovative and efficient movements that are often used in affordable high-performance watches.

This guide will provide you with a list of the major movement manufacturers on the market to help you choose a brand and type of movement that is right for you.

Swiss watch movement manufacturers

ETA

ETA is one of the most recognized and important Swiss watch movement manufacturers in the industry. Founded in 1793 and later acquired by the Swatch Group, one of the world’s largest watch companies, ETA produces a wide range of movements, from quartz to automatic and hand-wound mechanical movements, which are used by many other watch brands.

One of ETA’s most important contributions to the watch industry was the development of the ETA 2824 and ETA 2892 movement. The ETA 2824 is an automatic movement that has become a mainstay of the watch industry due to its reliability and affordability, and is used by many mid-range watch brands. The ETA 2892 is a more refined automatic movement that is used in high-end watches because of its high precision and slim profile.

In order to protect the interests of the Swiss watchmaking industry, the Swiss Federal Competition Commission (COMCO) investigated ETA’s supply policy and in 2013 ordered ETA to gradually reduce the supply of movements to external brands, ultimately stopping the supply of movements to external brands in 2019. As a result, only some Swatch brands can now use ETA movements, while other watch brands will need to find other movement suppliers. If a watch factory says it can supply ETA movement for you, then you should be wary that he is a scammer.

In the next section, we will mention which movements can replace ETA so that you can have more choices.

As a reliable and innovative movement manufacturer, ETA enjoys a great reputation in the watch industry, representing the highest craftsmanship and aesthetics of Swiss made , and is the object of imitation and study for many movement manufacturers.

Sellita

Sellita is a Swiss watch movement manufacturer that has been in business since 1950. Initially, Sellita mainly produced mechanical watch movement parts and worked as an OEM for ETA. However, in the early 2000s, the company expanded its operations and began producing complete movements. Today, Sellita is known for producing reliable, affordable movements that are used by many famous Swiss watch brands.

One of Sellita’s most notable contributions to the watch industry has been the development of the SW200,SW300 and SW500 movement. The SW200 is an automatic movement comparable to the ETA 2824, while the SW300 is similar to ETA 2892, but is more finely crafted, and even, in some versions, is chronometer-quality right out of the factory. The SW500 is a chronograph movement comparable to the ETA Valjoux 7750. Both movements are widely used by many Swiss watch brands, especially those without in-house movement manufacturing capabilities.

One of the main advantages of the Sellita movement is its low price. While Swiss made movements are often considered expensive, Sellita’s movements are more accessible to watch brands that wish to produce watches at a lower price point. This makes Swiss-made watches more accessible to a wider range of consumers.

Sellita has positioned itself as a more accessible and flexible movement supplier than ETA, and Sellita’s preference to work with smaller, independent watch brands has helped it gain a loyal following among them. That’s why many start-ups choose Sellita movements when creating a watch brand.

In addition, Sellita movements are usually more readily available than ETA movements, which may be subject to supply constraints.The Sellita movement model number corresponds to the ETA movement model number as follows:

SW200=ETA2824

SW220=ETA2836

SW240=ETA2834

SW300=ETA2892

SW500=ETA7750

All in all, Sellita is a highly respected Swiss watch movement manufacturer that has become a reliable and affordable alternative to ETA. The company’s commitment to quality, innovation and flexibility has helped it gain a foothold in the industry and made its movements the first choice of many watch brands like Cartier, IWC.

Soprod

Soprod is a Swiss mechanical watch movement manufacturer founded in 2008. Although the company is relatively young compared to other Swiss movement manufacturers, Soprod has quickly become a leading innovator in the industry, producing high quality movements with unique features.

One of Soprod’s most important contributions to the watch industry has been the development of the A10 movement, a high-end automatic movement comparable to the ETA 2892 caliber, which is known for its precision and reliability, as well as innovative features such as the GMT complication and the balance with adjustable weights.

Soprod also produces other innovative movements such as the M100, a high-frequency (4 Hz) quartz movement used in high-end quartz watches.The M100 is known for its precision and longevity, as well as its ability to simulate the smooth sweep of a mechanical movement.

Soprod has quickly established itself as a leader in innovation and quality, specializing in polishing finishing, adding stencils, and replacing movement parts. Soprod’s movements are known for their reliability, accuracy, and unique features, making them the first choice of many high end watch brands, and Soprod supplies movements and components to Tag Heuer, Richard Miller, and many other high end watch brands.

Vaucher

Vaucher, whose acronym is VMF, was formerly an established Swiss-based mechanical watchmaker producing mechanical parts and movements. It surged forward after 2003, producing both progress and R&D modules, and has taken its place in the field of fine movement making with its fine decorations and chamfered finishes. Its guests are mainly Parmigiani, Hermès and RM, as the first two are his two main shareholders.

Ronda

Ronda is one of the leading Swiss movement manufacturers, producing more than 100 movement types, mostly quartz and to a lesser extent mechanical, to satisfy a wide range of watch brands and customer needs.

Ronda’s predecessor was a company called Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF), which mainly produced pocket watches and mechanical movements. 1974, Swiss watches were severely hit by the quartz storm and many traditional Swiss movement factories and watchmaking factories closed down, so in order to preserve its brand, Ronda started to develop quartz movement watch. After the end of the quartz storm, Ronda accumulated a large amount of quartz movement technology and transformed into the second largest Swiss movement manufacturer after ETA, in which 90% of the Swiss quartz watches are using Ronda’s movements.

Ronda’s quartz movements are mainly high-class and precious, with sophisticated special functions in complicated models, such as alarm chronograph, dual time and so on.Known for its precision and durability, the Ronda Normtech movement is a favorite of high-end watch brands such as Raymond weil, Junkers, and TAG Heuer.

After 2011, Ronda returned to mechanical movements with Ronda R150 movement, which has a bi-directional winding structure and operates on ball bearings, making it quite a premium movement.

Ronda is a highly respected Swiss movement maker that produces reliable and accurate quartz movements that are widely used by many well known watch brands. If you are looking tocustomize your watch with a Ronda watch movement, watchssy can help you with everything from watch design to watch packaging.

Japanese watch movement manufacturers

Seiko

Seiko is a Japan watch manufacturer that has been producing high-quality watches since 1881. Known for its commitment to innovation, craftsmanship, and affordability, the company produces a wide range of watches to meet the needs of different market segments.

Seiko produces both quartz and mechanical movements, focusing particularly on automatic movements, and one of Seiko’s most iconic and durable movements is the Seiko 7S26, which powers the Seiko 5 series of watches. Known for its reliability and accuracy, Seiko has used this automatic movement for decades.

Seiko also produces high-end mechanical movements in the Grand Seiko line, which is known for its precision, craftsmanship and attention to detail. The most famous Grand Seiko movements include the 9S series, which utilizes a proprietary Spron alloy for increased precision and durability, and the Spring Drive movement, which combines quartz precision with a traditional mechanical watch mechanism.

In addition to producing its own movements, Seiko also produces movements for other watch brands under its subsidiary Seiko Epson, which is responsible for the development and production of Seiko’s state-of-the-art movements including the NH Watches line of calibers, one of the most widely used automatic movements today and often found in affordable/micro-branded watches, the NH line of calibers includes the NH34, NH35, NH36 and others. The NH movement series includes NH34, NH35, NH36, etc. The NH movement and Miyota movement series are interchangeable and the corresponding model numbers are as follow:

NH34=9075

NH35=8215

NH36=8205

NH37=8217

Miyota

Miyota is a brand of Citizen Watch Co. Ltd. which specializes in the manufacture and supply of quartz ,automatic and mechanical watch movements. Ltd. Citizen is a Japanese watch manufacturer founded in 1918 and headquartered in Tokyo.Citizen has become one of the largest watch companies in the world. The company is known for producing high-quality watches at all price points, with a focus on advanced technology and sustainable practices.

Miyota produces a variety of mechanical and quartz movements, such as the Miyota 8200 series like 8215, which is known for its reliability and accuracy and is used in many of Citizen’s high end watches. The Miyota 9015 movement is considered one of the similar movements to the ETA 2824-2, as they have similar specifications and performance. The ETA 2824-2 movement is a Swiss-made self-winding mechanical movement that is widely used in fine mechanical watches, while the Miyota 9015 caliber has similar precision, power reserve, and number of jewels. Therefore, the Miyota 9015 caliber is considered an ideal replacement for the ETA 2824-2 caliber.

The Miyota movement is widely used in the watchmaking industry and is recognized and accepted by many brands such as Nixon, MVMT, Tissot, Bulova, and Daniel Wellington due to its consistency in quality, reliability, and relatively low price.

Orient

Orient is a Japanese watch manufacturer that was founded in 1950 and has since become known for producing high-quality mechanical watches at affordable prices. The company is committed to craftsmanship and innovation, and produces a wide range of watches that cater to different segments of the market.

Orient produces a variety of mechanical movements for its watches, including automatic movements, hand-winding movements, and quartz movements. One of Orient’s most popular movements is the Orient Caliber 46943, which is an automatic movement that is known for its accuracy and reliability. The Caliber 46943 is used in many of Orient’s affordable mechanical watches, such as the Orient Bambino and the Orient Sun and Moon.

In addition to its mechanical movements, Orient also produces a range of quartz movements for its watches. Orient’s quartz movements are known for their accuracy and durability, and are often used in Orient’s sports and dive watches.

Casio

Casio watches were founded in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan. Casio has always been to the skills of the first as its own responsibility, over the years will continue to have skills breakthroughs, such as the introduction of solar energy movement, 10 years of ultra-long standby movement, ultra-strong backlight movement and other series of high-precision, sophisticated skills and new liquid crystal skills combined with the appropriate use of wrist timepieces, and constantly improve the development of the level of wrist timekeeping.

Casio produced watches are basically self-produced movement, divided into 2 categories, a class was launched in 1983 to GSHOCK series as the representative of the sports and leisure digital watches. One category is young and fashionable pointer watches, such as the EDIFICE series.

These are the mainstream 5 Swiss movement manufacturers and 4 Japanese movement manufacturers. If you want to know more about Swiss movement vs Japanese movement, you can read this article.And please note that Japan movement watch and Japan made watch are different, if you want to know more about the different, please read more.

Germany watch movement manufacturers

A Lange & Söhne

A.Lange & Söhne is a German watch manufacturer that was founded in 1845 and has become one of the most respected and prestigious watch brands in the world. The company is known for producing high-end mechanical watches that are distinguished by quality, craftsmanship and innovative design.

One of A. Lange & Söhne’s most important contributions to the watch industry has been the development of its own in-house movements, produced entirely in-house and made from the less common German silver (white brass) of the day, and designed with the classical German three-quarter bridges with gooseneck fine adjustments that are renowned for their precision and accuracy. A. Lange & Söhne movements are assembled by hand by skilled watchmakers. The brand’s most famous movement is the Lange 1, with its asymmetrical dial layout, recognized as one of the most iconic movements in watchmaking.

Glashuette Original

GLASHUETTE ORIGINAL originated in 1845 in the traditional watchmaking town of Germany, and this is the brand name, integrated by the various watch factories, previously a proprietary enterprise of the Democratic East Germany, the rapid rise of the privatization, the word “ORIGINAL” in the name highlights its orthodox status, the whole series of its own movement, initially the style is similar to LANGE, a little lower grade (also produces general grade steel watches), is now making every effort to catch up and gradually develop new types of complex movements with individuality. Initially, the style was similar to that of LANGE, and the grade was a little lower (it also produces general-grade steel watches), but at present, it is making every effort to catch up, and is gradually developing new types of complicated movements with personalized characteristics.

Nomos Glashütte

Nomos Glashütte is a German watch manufacturer that was founded in 1990 and has since become known for producing high-quality mechanical watches with minimalist designs. The company is committed to craftsmanship and innovation, and produces a wide range of watches that cater to different segments of the market.

Nomos Glashütte produces all of its movements in-house, which are known for their precision and accuracy. The brand’s movements are made using high-quality materials and are assembled by hand by highly skilled watchmakers. Nomos Glashütte’s movements are also notable for their minimalist design, with the brand often opting for a clean and simple aesthetic that emphasizes functionality.

One of Nomos Glashütte’s most popular movements is the DUW 3001, which is an automatic movement that is only 3.2mm thick. The DUW 3001 is known for its accuracy and reliability, and is used in many of the Nomos Glashütte’s watches, such as the Tangente and the Metro.

Besides its mechanical movements, the Nomos Glashütte also produces a range of quartz movements for its watches. The brand’s quartz movements are known for their accuracy and durability and are often used in Nomos Glashütte’s sport watches.

Chinese watch movement manufacturers

Seagull

Seagull is a China watch movement manufacturer founded in 1955 and has become one of the largest and most respected watch movement manufacturers in China. The company produces a wide range of movements, including mechanical, quartz ,automatic and chronograph movements , and is known for its commitment to quality and innovation.

Seagull’s mechanical movements are particularly renowned for their accuracy and reliability, often rivaling that of Swiss movements.Seagull’s movements correspond to Swiss ETA movement models as follows:

ST21 =2824

ST18=2892

ST3600=6497

ST3601=6498

Seagull movements are renowned for their durability, accuracy and longevity, and have a loyal following among watch enthusiasts and collectors worldwide.

Besides mechanical movements, Seagull also produces a line of quartz movements for its watches. Seagull’s quartz movements are known for their accuracy and reliability and are often used in affordable quartz watches .

Liaoning

Liaoning is a watch movement manufacturer in China that was founded in 1958 and has become one of the largest and most respected watch movement manufacturers in China. The company produces a wide range of movements, including mechanical, quartz and chronograph movements, and is known for its commitment to quality and innovation.

Liaoning is particularly known for its mechanical movements, which are often compared to Swiss movements for their precision and reliability. One of Liaoning’s most popular movements is the ST1601, a thin automatic calendar movement with a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and a thickness of 3.9 mm. The second hand runs more smoothly than in the Seiko NH movement. Additional functions such as moon phase and large calendar are added to the SL1601 base movement, giving rise to more than 12 new varieties to support the multi-function series of watches to be used with it.

In addition to mechanical movements, Liaoning also produces a range of quartz movements for its watches. Liaoning’s quartz movements are known for their accuracy and reliability and are often used in affordable quartz watches.

Hangzhou

Hangzhou Watch Co., Ltd. is a professional manufacturer of mechanical movements and watches with a history of nearly 40 years. Hangzhou watch with unique mechanical watch design and manufacturing skills and high-precision processing level in the industry plays a fairly important role, in recent years hangzhou in China took the lead in the introduction of independent intellectual property rights of the tourbillon movement, skeleton multifunctional movement and with the flyback, energy display, star, calendar and other movements.

Hangzhou movement launched in 2016, the 7000 series, hour 28,800 times the frequency of oscillation of the balance wheel to achieve more accurate timekeeping, full string can make the watch heart run continuously for more than 80 hours.

Conclusion-watch movement manufacturers

In summary, the world of watch movements is a diverse and fascinating one, with many different manufacturers producing high-quality movements to suit a variety of tastes and budgets. From the iconic Swiss manufacturers such as ETA , to the innovative Japanese companies such as Seiko and Miyota, to the emerging Chinese manufacturers such as Seagull and Liaoning, there is a wealth of options available for watch enthusiasts and collectors.

FAQ-watch movement manufacturer

Seagull vs Liaoning

The difference between the two companies is their product focus. While both Liaoning and Seagull produce a wide range of movements, Liaoning is known for its high-end movements and has a strong presence in the luxury watch market. Seagull, on the other hand, is known for producing more affordable movements and has a strong presence in the mid-range watch market.

Another movement differences in the technology used. For example, Liaoning uses a unique anti-shock system in some of its movements that is designed to improve accuracy and durability. Seagull is known for its use of Swiss technology in some of its movements.

Watch movement types

Watch movements types are mechanical movement, quartz movement and automatic movement, depending on the source of power. In recent years, with the development of technology, some new movements have also been introduced, such as solar movements.

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