Relatively recently, we’ve seen a shift in priority toward creating “in-house” movements, and away from using ebauches, or off the shelf movements. Among the reasons for this was the decision by ETA, a Swatch Group owned movement manufacturer, to restrict sales of their movements to third party brands. The consequences have been far reaching, but what’s more interesting is the shift in public sentiment toward the label “in-house”. In this video, I explore what the terms means to me, and how you should think about it when presented with it.
The move by the Swatch Group forced brands relying on ETA movements to find alternatives, or take the time to design and manufacture their own. This gave rise to the growth of other movement manufacturers, such as Selitta, La Joux Perret, Soprod, Miyota, and others. Additionally, larger groups such as Richemont and LVMH to consolidate their in-group movement manufacturing capabilities.
Brands quickly found that labeling their watches as containing their own in-house movements not only raised their cache with the general watch buying public, but also allowed them to charge a premium in the process. Somewhere along the way, this term in-house lost a bit of its meaning, and buyers and enthusiasts were intentionally left in the dark about exactly where these movements were coming from. As long as it was in-house, it was assumed to be better than an off the shelf unit from Sellita, for instance.
But that’s not always the case.
In reality, it’s quite difficult to produce a movement as good as the ETA 2824 or Sellita SW300 at scale. What’s more, those movements have a track record, and have long since worked out any kinks or irregularities. While they may not be all that exotic in nature, they get the job done remarkably well as battle tested workhorses. Just because a watch gets an in-house movement, that doesn’t automatically make it better than a comparable movement from an established manufacturer.
How does this influence your perception of a watch or a brand? I’d love to hear from you on this in the comments below or on the YouTube video above.