One of these alternatives is Sellita. Its three calibres are all clones of ETA movements whose patent is now in the public domain. They are the SW200 range (SW200/ETA 2824; SW 220/ETA 2836; SW 240/ETA 2834), the SW 300 (ETA 2892) and the SW 500 (ETA Valjoux 7750) self-winding chronograph calibre, unveiled at this year's Baselworld. Sellita was, for a long time, one of ETA's main customers: 30% of ETA blanks were assembled by Sellita. This put the firm in a strong position to take the plunge and in 2003 set up on its own, manufacturing movements based on Swatch Group's "all-terrain" calibres. Sellita's production is estimated at around a million units.
La Joux-Perret has adopted an identical strategy in a slightly higher-end segment, extending its range with in-house calibres such as a flyback chronograph or a hand-wound movement with a seven-day power reserve. Soprod, which was taken over by the Festina group in 2008, has taken a similar tack. Brands in search of complicated movements can look to Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi, Christophe Claret, Concept Watch Factory or Dubois Dépraz...Read more
