Most of the movements we sell were made not by the brand on the dial but by a specialist movement maker, an ébauche factory, whose calibre number is stamped under the balance or on the main plate. That number is the key to finding parts. This guide lists the makers you will find in our shop, with a line on who they were and a link to everything we currently have from them.
Swiss ébauche makers
- AS (A. Schild) — Grenchen, Switzerland. Founded 1896, one of the largest Swiss ébauche makers; absorbed into ETA in the late 1970s.
- FHF (Fontainemelon) — Val-de-Ruz, Switzerland. Roots to 1793; part of Ebauches SA from the 1920s, later merged into ETA.
- ETA — Grenchen, Switzerland. Grew out of Eterna; the Swatch Group’s movement maker. 2824, 2892, 955 and many more.
- FEF (Fleurier) — Val-de-Travers, Switzerland. Ebauches SA member; small ladies’ calibres and mid-size manual winds.
- EB (Ebauches Bettlach) — Bettlach, Switzerland. Pin-lever calibres made in huge numbers for affordable watches.
- Ebosa — Grenchen, Switzerland. Pin-lever (Roskopf-type) calibres for budget watches; a separate firm from EB in nearby Bettlach, though the two are often confused.
- Unitas — Tramelan, Switzerland. Founded 1898; the 6497 and 6498 pocket-watch-size calibres.
- Peseux — Near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Fine manual-wind calibres, best known for the slim 7001.
- Landeron — Le Landeron, Switzerland. Cam-switched chronographs: 48, 51, 148, 248.
- Valjoux — Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. Chronograph specialist: 22, 23, 72, 7733, 7750.
- Venus — Moutier, Switzerland. Founded 1923; chronographs 170, 175, 178, 188.
- Felsa — Grenchen, Switzerland. The 1942 Bidynator, an early bidirectional rotor automatic.
- Ronda — Lausen, Switzerland. Founded 1946; mechanical then quartz calibres.
- BFG (Baumgartner) — Grenchen, Switzerland. Pin-lever calibres including the 866.
- MST (Roamer) — Solothurn, Switzerland. Meyer & Stüdeli, Roamer’s in-house movements.
German makers
- PUW — Pforzheim, Germany. Founded 1930; German ébauches until the 1980s.
- Durowe — Pforzheim, Germany. Founded 1933 alongside Laco.
- Bifora — Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. In-house German calibres.
Japanese makers
- Seiko — Japan. Suwa and Daini factories; 6119, 6309, 7005, 7S26.
- Citizen & Miyota — Japan. Founded 1918; Miyota quartz and automatic movements.
American makers
- Elgin — Elgin, Illinois, USA. 1864 to the 1960s; America’s largest watchmaker.
- Waltham — Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. Interchangeable parts pioneer, 1850s to 1957.
- Hamilton — Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Founded 1892; railroad grades, 980, 987, 747.
British and Russian makers
- Smiths — Cheltenham, England. British calibres, 1940s to 1970s.
- Poljot — Moscow, Russia. First Moscow Watch Factory; 2409, 2614, 3133; Sekonda exports.
Watch brands with in-house calibres
- Omega — Bienne, Switzerland. 30 mm family, 265, 283, 550 series, 1010, 1020.
- Longines — Saint-Imier, Switzerland. In-house calibres until the 1980s.
- Rolex — Geneva and Bienne, Switzerland. Movements and genuine parts.
- Zenith — Le Locle, Switzerland. In-house since 1865; El Primero 1969.
- Cyma — Switzerland. Cyma and Tavannes in-house calibres.
- Tissot — Le Locle, Switzerland. Own calibres; SSIH group with Omega.
- Oris — Hölstein, Switzerland. Pin-lever and later jewelled lever calibres.
- Revue & Vertex — Waldenburg, Switzerland. Revue Thommen; Vertex ‘Dirty Dozen’ issue.
- Lemania — L’Orient, Switzerland. Chronograph specialist: 15TL, 27CH, 1873, 5100.
- Record — Tramelan, Switzerland. Own manual-wind calibres; part of Longines from 1961.
- Buren — Büren an der Aare, Switzerland. Micro-rotor automatics; Chronomatic calibre 11 base.
- Eterna — Grenchen, Switzerland. Eterna-Matic ball-bearing rotor, 1948.
How to find your calibre
Remove the case back and look under the balance wheel or on the main plate near the barrel. Swiss calibres usually show the maker’s mark (for example AS, FHF, ETA or FEF) with the calibre number beside it. American pocket watch movements carry a serial number and grade name instead, which can be dated from the maker’s records. If you are not sure what you have, measure the diameter in millimetres and search our shop for the maker and size.