eta based watches

[jrwerner57]

this something I've been wondering about for some time. It seems most mechanical watches are all based on eta movements. Doesn't the watch company just damaskeen them? Wouldn't this make them kinda all the same? Hamilton and omega watches both use eta. Is a $2000 omega really that much better then a $800 dollar Hamilton?

[vukotab]

Well...that`s million $ question!
First of all,ETA movements are very good and reliable,almost any watch brand,including premium ones(Omega,IWC,Breitling) use 2892-2 and 7750 movements because they`re among the best in today`s production.Even Rolex using 7750 and 2824-2 for Tudor line!And many complicated watches(Franck Muller,Perrelet...)are using in-house movements which are based on ETA`s...
I had Breitling SuperOcean and Tudor Prince Date,both powered by 2824-2 and their accuracy was almost the same!So it `s absolutely true that Omega is not better than Hamilton if they are powered with same movement!But,there`s a moment of prestige and you must admit that Omega or Breitling sounds slightly better than Hamilton or Sector,so there lies the answer on your question:some brands are simply higher positioned than the others...And it`s not a fraud,as long as you for your money buy a solid watch.
Oh,and welcome to TRF!

[Terry Newton]

JRWerner:

Vukota Brajovi hit the nail right on the head about many exclusive watches in the very high priced range have ETA movements in them. Some of them take the base ETA movement and finish it to a piece of art before putting it in a case.

I bought an RGM watch out of Pennsylvania recently that has an ETA Valjoux 7751 movement in it. If you check out my review on the non-Rolex reviews you will see a picture of the movement: http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=37728

Or you can go to their website and look for yourself. They are at http://www.rgmwatches.com/160M.html and the movement is here: http://www.rgmwatches.com/movement_002.html

Another resource for you is to go to www.amazon.com and purchase the following resource book: http://www.amazon.com/Wristwatch-Ann...9789474&sr=1-1

With this resource book you will learn about watches in a way where you may have never heard of the finer brands out there, what they are made of, what types of movements they have, prices, etc.

Buying the book has made me appreciate all of the different brands out there and the amazing art of horology.

Your fellow Michigander from Harbor Springs, Michigan

Terry Newton

[Incurable]

I was told by one source that there are various grades of ETA movements as well. The premise was that the movements were graded after assembly for accuracy, precision and whatever else may delineate quality in the completed movement. You can buy a 2824-x watch for anything from $300-$2000 (or more). Are you buying only brand, styling and 'image'...?? If the grading theory holds true, then at least some of the cost disparity is justifiable by virtue of getting a 'better' grade movement. There's also what Terry cites above which is the base ETA movement is just a basis for further customizations by the watchmaker. In the case of his RGM, that is taken to the extreme. Specifically, I was told the watch I was inquiring about had a "Grade 4" movement from ETA. Could have been a crock for all I know. Part of me would like to think not...