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Results for ETA 6497 / 6498

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The Evergreens – The History of the ETA Unitas 6497 and 6498, the Ubiquitous and Robust Hand-Wound Calibre Monochrome
Sep 20, 2024

The Evergreens – The History of the ETA Unitas 6497 and 6498, the Ubiquitous and Robust Hand-Wound Calibre

How do a pair of manually wound, time-only, pocket watch-sized, potentially outdated movements introduced in the 1950s earn a place in our series on significant calibres, alongside the well-known El Primero and Valjoux 7750 chronograph calibre and the omnipresent automatic ETA 2824 and 2892? Several factors contribute to their importance. Despite seeming unusual today, the […]

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ETA 2824: The History and Legacy of a Legendary Workhorse Caliber Teddy Baldassarre
Sep 16, 2025

ETA 2824: The History and Legacy of a Legendary Workhorse Caliber

The ETA 2824 caliber has been a presence in the world of mechanical wristwatches for more than 50 years, helping the Swiss watchmaking industry forge a path through the Quartz Crisis and serving as the engine for hundreds of three-handed timepieces from an array of brands, large and small. While it is a rarity here in the 21st Century, its legacy can still be seen across the horological world - from the proliferation of similar movements by makers like Sellita to the increasing ubiquity of the ETA 2824’s souped-up successor, the Powermatic 80. Read on to learn everything you need to know about the ETA 2824. A (Very Brief) History of ETA Nearly everyone that follows the wristwatch industry has heard of ETA, and most of those have probably worn a watch with an ETA movement, but few are likely aware of the Swiss movement maker’s long and convoluted history. We generally trace its origins back to the formation of the historical watchmaking firm Eterna, in 1856 in the Swiss town of Grenchen. But in reality its roots reach even deeper. Eterna is perhaps most famous today as the maker of the Kon-Tiki dive watch, and it is currently owned by the Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch and Jewellery Group. Originally however, the firm was a manufacturer of ébauches - unassembled movements for sale to outside watchmakers - and was named “Dr. Girard & Schild” for its founders, Dr. Joseph Girard and Urs Schild. Renamed Schild Frères by the next generation of owners, the compan...

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The Evergreens – The History of the ETA 2824, the Workhorse Calibre that Shaped the Industry Monochrome
Jun 14, 2024

The Evergreens – The History of the ETA 2824, the Workhorse Calibre that Shaped the Industry

The ETA 2824 movement was a groundbreaking invention that left a lasting impact on the watchmaking industry. Introduced in the 1970s, the ETA 2824 quickly set the standard with its efficient mass production and reliable performance. It retained its popularity for over fifty years until the circumstances and demand for innovation led to the creation […]

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A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Swatch Sistem51 - Including A Tour Of ETA In Boncourt Fratello
Swatch Mar 31, 2024

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Swatch Sistem51 - Including A Tour Of ETA In Boncourt

What better way for a watch brand to mark a significant anniversary than to present the result of a project that is equally challenging, ambitious, and just a little bit mad? Swatch introduced its revolutionary Sistem51 mechanical movement in 2013. It did so to mark 30 years since the brand’s inception. The challenge Mr. Nick […] Visit A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Swatch Sistem51 - Including A Tour Of ETA In Boncourt to read the full article.

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Workhorse makeover: “Off the shelf” calibres can be pretty too – ETA/Peseux 7001 Edition Time+Tide
Dec 17, 2022

Workhorse makeover: “Off the shelf” calibres can be pretty too – ETA/Peseux 7001 Edition

One thing watch enthusiasts often do is dismiss “off the shelf” calibres. The allure and buzz of “in-house” movements has cast a dismissing shadow over mass-produced calibres. But, like many other things in life, sometimes it is more about how you use it than anything else. I will not deny it, standard ETA and Sellita … ContinuedThe post Workhorse makeover: “Off the shelf” calibres can be pretty too – ETA/Peseux 7001 Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Watches by movement: From Tudor to Doxa, 7 watches powered by the ETA 2824 Time+Tide
Citizen filling Jan 18, 2021

Watches by movement: From Tudor to Doxa, 7 watches powered by the ETA 2824

The watch landscape has changed massively over the last 20 years with an increased trend towards in-house calibers. No longer is ETA the only outlet for brands to source movements with Sellita effectively cloning ETA ebauches and Japanese providers such as Seiko, Miyota, and Citizen filling the void for even more cost-effective solutions. That being … ContinuedThe post Watches by movement: From Tudor to Doxa, 7 watches powered by the ETA 2824 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Breaking News: ETA Movement Sales Halted by Swiss Authorities SJX Watches
Dec 19, 2019

Breaking News: ETA Movement Sales Halted by Swiss Authorities

News last weekend that Switzerland’s competition regulator, COMCO, also widely known by its German acronym Weko, was weighing a ban on ETA movement sales to third-party brands caused a major stir in the watch industry – and a terse, lengthy response from Swatch Group, ETA’s parent and Switzerland’s biggest watchmaking conglomerate. The move was ostensibly to allow alternatives to ETA – once Switzerland’s dominant supplier of mechanical movements – to develop. According to the Swatch Group, the ban was entirely without merit, especially given the fact that ETA was no longer the biggest supplier of movements to the industry. That title now belongs to Sellita, which supplied a million movements in 2019, compared to half the number for ETA. Now COMCO has formalised the year-long ban in an announcement that puts in place a “temporary suspension of the supply of [ETA] mechanical movements to customers”. The ban will be in force until COMCO makes its final decision by the summer of 2020. The ban, however, allows ETA to sell its movements to existing clients that are small- and medium-sized watch brands, defined as having less than 250 employees, which will probably be of little consolation to ETA. According to a Swatch Group spokesman quoted by Reuters, the majority of ETA’s movement sales are to companies with more than 250 employees, and as a result, ETA foresees it won’t be able to sell any movements next year. According to the statement, the ban is foun...

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Business News: Swiss Authorities Weigh ETA Sales Ban SJX Watches
Dec 15, 2019

Business News: Swiss Authorities Weigh ETA Sales Ban

According to Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende (via Reuters), Switzerland’s Competition Commission, a federal body that oversees competition and antitrust matters, is considering an outright ban of movements sales by ETA to third parties, in other words brands outside of the Swatch Group, starting January 2020. Also known as COMCO, or its German acronym WEKO, the agency is expected to deliver a verdict on December 19 . No explicit reason was cited for the potential ban, but it was implied that a recent COMCO report on the industry structure of the movement business is the reason. It is possible that COMCO believes the number of alternatives to ETA is sufficient that the watch industry would be better served over the long term by forcing watch brands to switch away from ETA. COMCO has long tussled with Switzerland’s biggest movement maker, in a dispute that began 17 years ago, when ETA announced it would gradually halt sales of ebauches, or movement blanks, to brands not owned by its parent company, Swatch Group. Because ETA was, and still is, Switzerland’s largest movement, reputedly producing some five million movements a year, its decision was regarded by COMCO as anticompetitive. And the wider Swatch Group – which is the country’s largest watchmaking conglomerate – produces perhaps a third of the components needed for watch movements in the entire industry. In the subsequent years ETA and COMCO reached various agreements over movement supply, with the l...

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The Evergreens – The History of the ETA Peseux 7001, The Hand-Wound Classic That Stood the Test of Time Monochrome
Jul 19, 2024

The Evergreens – The History of the ETA Peseux 7001, The Hand-Wound Classic That Stood the Test of Time

Self-winding calibres are undeniably an advancement, especially those boasting extended autonomy. Yet, there is a timeless ritual, almost archaic, the deliberate act of winding a watch by thumb and forefinger, each click of the ratchet wheel a symphony for the discerning ear. This tactile dance, this connection to the mechanics, is a pleasure some aficionados […]

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Introducing – This New Mido Multifort Mechanical Gives Back the Mundane Unitas its Necessary Credentials Monochrome
Mido Dec 10, 2024

Introducing – This New Mido Multifort Mechanical Gives Back the Mundane Unitas its Necessary Credentials

The Unitas, known under the names ETA 6498 and 6497 (depending on its configuration, Lépine or Savonette), is without a doubt one of the most important and most long-lasting movements of the Swiss industry. This simple, no-nonsense but reliable hand-wound movement has been produced since the 1950s, yet originates from classic pocket watch calibres. Often […]

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Stefan Ketelaars Introduces the 3D Terra in Motion SJX Watches
Mar 11, 2020

Stefan Ketelaars Introduces the 3D Terra in Motion

Twenty-nine year-old Stefan Ketelaars started his eponymous brand in 2017, producing watches based on the ETA Unitas 6497 and 6498 but modified in a novel manner while still being affordable, starting at just €3,800, or about US$4,300. His signature complications are the “flying regulator” time display and spherical day and night display, but most notable is the balance wheel repositioned to the front of the watch. The most recent model unveiled by Ketelaars Watches, the 3D Terra in Motion with Reverse Balance. The new watch builds on his earlier creation that features a miniature Earth that functions as a day and night display, but adds on the elevated balance wheel. Like the rest of his watches, the 3D Terra in Motion is powered by a heavily modified Unitas 6497. But unlike the usual modified-Unitas fare in this price range that reshape the bridges for a new look, Mr Ketelaars retains most of the components on the back and instead reworks the front. From the back, the distinctive Unitas bridges retain the same shape, but enhanced with pronounced, sloping bevelling on all the edges. The anglage is wide enough that its top edge almost touches the countersinks for the nearby screws and jewels. A Ketelaars Unitas 6497 with a standard balance wheel on the back; the bridges are finished with radial graining and anglage The Reverse Balance The most significant modification on the new 3D Terra in Motion is the repositioning of the balance wheel. Instead of being on the...

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MB&F; x Eddy Jaquet LM Split Escapement Jules Verne: Science Fiction Stories Exquisitely Engraved In Metal Quill & Pad
MB&F; Dec 20, 2020

MB&F; x Eddy Jaquet LM Split Escapement Jules Verne: Science Fiction Stories Exquisitely Engraved In Metal

It’s no surprise that MB&F; would create a special limited series of Legacy Machines honoring Jules Verne and the type of retro-futurism found within his novels. Yet this project is also the artistic child of master engraver Eddy Jaquet who has worked with MB&F; for the last decade and was the driver behind the focus of each piece on and how to realize it. The results of these eight unique timepieces are simply spectacular.

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MB&F; Introduces the LM Split Escapement ‘Eddy Jaquet’ SJX Watches
Casio nally collaborations Sep 22, 2020

MB&F; Introduces the LM Split Escapement ‘Eddy Jaquet’

Conceived as an imagined, 19th-century take on MB&F;’s uber-modern, sci-fi inspired Horological Machines, the Legacy Machines (LM) draw inspiration from the aesthetic of the era – and the works of Jules Verne – to create a steampunk-meets-classical-watchmaking timepiece. Now the spirit of the LM have been made tangible with the LM Split Escapement ‘Eddy Jaquet’.  The series is limited to just eight watches in red gold, each featuring a dial depicting a scene from Verne’s novels, rendered in minute detail with the hand engraving of Eddy Jaquet, a Swiss artisan who has worked with an array of watchmakers but perhaps best known for his work on Voutilainen watches. Initial thoughts The new LM Split Escapement (SE) is a departure from the typical MB&F; watch, which usually emphasises technical aspects, like movement construction or finishing, or case design and materials (and occasionally collaborations with contemporary artists). Instead the new LM SE is all about artisanal craft, something that is familiar territory for independent watchmakers like Voutilainen but novel for MB&F;. Though such artistically decorated timepieces are not a traditional strength of MB&F;, the result is an attractive watch. The engraving is impressively done, and avoids appearing monochromatic thanks to its depth. The intricate, pictorial engraving also complements the style of the LM, making the whole greater than the sum of the parts. In fact, it can be argued that the original LM SE w...

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Omega Introduces the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 “Ed White” SJX Watches
Omega Introduces Jan 7, 2020

Omega Introduces the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 “Ed White”

Having dropped enough hints – first the movement and then the platinum Speedmaster – that the launch is no longer a surprise, Omega has finally unveiled the watch many have been waiting for: the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 in steel, a remake of the Speedmaster “Ed White”. Notably, the latest remake means that Omega now has a remake hall of fame, having reproduced almost all of the historically significant vintage Speedmaster models, namely the ref. 2915, ref. 2998, ref. 105.012 (sort of), the ref. 145.022 in 18k gold, and now, the ref. 105.003 “Ed White”. Worn by astronaut Ed White in 1965 when he became the first American to accomplish a space walk, during the Gemini 4 mission, the Speedmaster ST 105.003 has since been nicknamed after White, who unfortunately died not long after when a fire consumed the cabin of the Apollo 1 spacecraft in 1967. Reproduced faithfully Distinguished by its straight lugs, the “Ed White” has been replicated in fine form with the new Moonwatch 321. Omega gets an A for execution with the remake, though its score for creativity won’t be quite as high. The new Speedmaster is a dead ringer for the original, but executed in modern materials – plus faux-vintage Super-Luminova, naturally. Details exactly as on the original include the applied Omega logo and stepped dial The bezel insert, for instance, is a “dot over 90” like the original, but is rendered in robust ceramic with white enamel tachymetric markings, instead of the fra...

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Hands-On: The Ressence Type 11 Hodinkee
Ressence Type 11 6h ago

Hands-On: The Ressence Type 11

At a glance, the Ressence Type 11, which launched earlier this year at Watches and Wonders, might feel like every other Ressence. That's kind of the point. Distinct as it is within the collection, the Type 11 keeps the brand's visual language intact while changing what's underneath it. The biggest change is under the hood—it's the first Ressence to feature the brand's own integrated caliber, replacing the usual combo of an ETA base with Ressence's Orbital Convex System on top. Before we get to more on that, let's take a look at the Type 11's exterior. The 41mm by 11mm case, in grade 5 titanium, continues the trend seen in many of Ressence's recent releases toward more compact cases and feels like an evolution of the Type 9, in a sense. A fully polished, almost tonneau-shaped case features a short 45mm lug-to-lug measurement, while the lack of downturning of the lugs means the case still maintains quite a bit of presence on the wrist. On the Type 11, the lack of a bezel means the dial and crystal extend to the edges of the 41mm diameter. It's this kind of seamless visual effect that has lent models like the Type 1 and the Type 3 a distinctively futuristic look, and here it works very well with these lugs. Water resistance is bumped up to 3 ATM (as opposed to the typically "splash resistant" rating of its non-dive watches). On the dial side, we get the satellite display that Ressence is best known for, showing the hours, running seconds, and a power reserve indicator withi...

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Watches & Wonders: A Quick Rundown of the New Hublot Big Bangs Worn & Wound
Hublot Big Bangs Hublot has Apr 16, 2026

Watches & Wonders: A Quick Rundown of the New Hublot Big Bangs

Hublot has never trafficked in subtlety. The Big Bang chronograph first made its presence known with a 44mm size, hefty ceramic bezel with contrasting screws, and a rare combination of rose gold and rubber, which contrasted different textures with clashing case finishes. So what if it had an ETA movement-which, at the time, seemed more plebeian than the in-house movements of rival luxury chronographs? In that maximalist, McBling era, the stance and the presence were all that mattered.  Hublot has only taken its flagship model to more audacious heights. At this year’s Watches & Wonders Geneva, the Big Bang Reloaded enters the collection, following the 20-year anniversary of the Big Bang, by combining the intricate case with Hublot’s in-house chronograph movement, the Unico calibre, bringing together all the things that Big Bang enthusiasts love.  The Reloaded exemplifies Hublot’s adherence to high-tech materials: available in titanium, scratch-resistant 18-karat “Magic Gold,” and three options of ceramic: black, blue, and dark green. The strap, still in textured rubber, matches the case colors.    Hublot introduced its Unico calibre in 2010, and now the HUB 1280 UNICO makes an appearance from behind a skeletonized and multi-layered dial: redesigned to match the stencil-style numbers, a date window at between 4 and 5 o’clock, and horizontally-placed chronograph registers. It’s an automatic flyback chronograph, with 43 jewels and a power reserve of 72 hour...

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Ressence Debuts the Type 11, with the All New In-House RW-01 Movement Worn & Wound
Ressence Debuts Apr 7, 2026

Ressence Debuts the Type 11, with the All New In-House RW-01 Movement

For as long as we’ve talked about Ressence, part of the discussion has always been about how clever they are for producing such an ingenious and unique system for time telling, all built on top of a standard, off-the-shelf ETA movement. Their patented ROCS module, which displays the time via a series of rotating discs rather than traditional hands, is a complicated piece of engineering that has always lived alongside a caliber that is rather ordinary. For me, and many others, this was always part of the charm of a Ressence watch, and underscored the idea that watchmaking is a broad discipline and that with some creativity even a simple ETA movement can be turned into something extraordinary.  That changes a little today with the introduction of the Ressence Type 11, featuring the all new RW-01 movement, the first in-house designed Ressence movement. Designed specifically to power the ROCS, the RW-01 is an integrated, automatic caliber that appears to be an improvement in just about every way over previous movements found in Ressence watches.  First and perhaps most notably, this movement has a 60 hour power reserve, which can be monitored on the dial via ceramic micro balls. For years, Ressence watches have featured power reserves that topped out at slightly less than the ETA movements they were based on due to the demands of running the ROCS module. But the RW-01 was designed from the ground up to work with ROCS, eliminating many of the compromises made with previous ...

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