Movement manufacturer
ETA
Also recorded as: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse · Valjoux · Unitas · Peseux · ETA SA
The dominant Swiss movement maker, created from Eterna's ébauche business and later home to Valjoux, Unitas and Peseux.
ETA was established in 1932 when Eterna's movement production became a separate company within the Ébauches SA group. Over the following decades the Swiss ébauche industry consolidated around it; Valjoux, Unitas, Peseux and other specialists were merged into ETA in the 1980s.
ETA engineers Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock and Jacques Müller developed the Swatch (1983), whose low-cost plastic quartz movement helped Swiss watchmaking recover from the quartz crisis. ETA calibres such as the 2824-2, 2892-A2 and Valjoux 7750 have powered watches of many brands.
- Country
- Switzerland
- City / centre
- Grenchen
- Founded
- 1932 (from Eterna); roots 1856
- Status
- Active (Swatch Group)
- Key people
- Ernst Thomke; Elmar Mock; Jacques Müller
Innovations & specialities
- Swatch quartz construction (1983)
- Delirium ultra-thin quartz (1979)
- Standard automatic and chronograph calibres
Works by ETA in the catalogue
Open in the catalogue →
Pocket Watches · 1960
Pocket watch by Huber, Switzerland, 1960
German Clock Museum
Wristwatches · 2000
Wristwatch by Unitas S.A., Switzerland, 2000
German Clock Museum
Wristwatches · 2001
Wristwatch by Tutima, Germany, 2001
German Clock Museum
Linked through the Atlas maker authority list, which reconciles the spellings used by different institutions. Attributions are as stated by each holding institution or auction house.
