Etablisseurs were the mainstay of the Swiss watch industry during its heyday. Purchasing semi-finished movements called ébauches, or parts, and then finishing and assembling them in-house was a common sight in Switzerland, which developed under a horizontal division of labor. The movements developed exclusively for in-house manufacturers from this good old era, from the 1990s to the early 2000s, are what we call the "first generation of core movements."
However, around the time of ETA's announcement to stop supplying ébauches, known as the 2010 problem, each company's development of its own core movements suddenly accelerated. The in-house movements produced during this period are known as the "second generation." However, as a result of the refinement and improvement of these second-generation movements being pushed to their limits, perhaps to make up for the insufficient specifications, the generational change in core movements has been accelerating rapidly over the past one or two years. We would like to analyze this trend by covering the "new third-generation movements" that have been born after this generational change.
Interview and text by Hiroyuki Suzuki
A new generation of in-house developed core movement
Development of the "second-generation core movement" progressed rapidly as a replacement for ETA ébauches. However, even today, as we are about to shift to the "third generation," there is still an extremely high demand for ébauche replacements. Among the core movements of each company, the sharing of basic designs across brand boundaries is progressing rapidly, particularly in ébauche replacements, which often make up the basic range. Let's explore the current situation using the independent "Kenissi" and "Val Fleurier," which plays a key role in sharing within the group, as examples.
Introduced in 2017 as a replacement for the ETA ébauches (mainly Cal. 2824-2) used in three-hand automatic models. Manufactured in Kenissi through Tudor's partnership. The basic design is the same as the Cal. MT5612, but the balance spring is made by the familiar Nivarox Fahr. Another notable feature is a slightly smaller locking angle (49 degrees) compared to the standard ETA specification of 52-53 degrees. Diameter 31.8mm, thickness 6.5mm. 26 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 70 hours.
Announced in 2015, this is Tudor's first in-house core movement. It's a practical movement with a free-sprung balance and silicon hairspring. It measures 31.8mm in diameter and 6.5mm thick. It has 26 jewels and beats at 28,800 vph. It has a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. Other pre-owned versions include the no-date Cal. MT5602 (31.8mm diameter/25 jewels), the no-date Cal. MT5601 (33.8mm diameter/25 jewels) with an enlarged base plate, and the Cal. MT5621 (33.8mm diameter/28 jewels) with a power reserve indicator.
Until very recently, there were only two types of businesses involved in the design and manufacture of movements in the Swiss watch industry. These were établisseurs, which purchased general-purpose movements called "ébauches" from suppliers and installed them in their own products, and manufactures, which handled everything from movement design to manufacture in-house. In terms of industrial structure, the former was a horizontal division of labor, while the latter was a vertically integrated type. Even today, the former is by far the most common.
The core movements newly developed during a certain period around 2010, which this article defines as "second-generation movements," were planned by some établisseurs that had lost a stable supply of ébauches or had been told that their supply would be suspended, in order to transform themselves into independent manufactures. In the process, many attempts were made to create a fabless manufacture (a manufacturing industry without production facilities), in which only the basic design is done in-house and prototyping and manufacturing are outsourced to other companies.
First released in 2019. By investing in Kenissi, a company established by Tudor and a group of investors, Chanel now has its own in-house designed movement that can serve as an alternative to ETA. While it shares the same basic design as the Caliber MT5612, it features a revised rotor design and an increase in the number of jewels from 26 to 27. It is developed in-house by Chanel and manufactured by its affiliate, Kenissi. Diameter: 31.8mm, thickness: 6.5mm. 27 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve: approximately 70 hours.
However, outside of the Swatch Group, which includes ETA and the former Ebauches SA companies, brands belonging to large conglomerates such as the Richemont Group and the LVMH Group have been rapidly accelerating the vertical integration of production, and the fabless manufacture model itself is now on the verge of becoming a thing of the past. A turning point in recent years has been the trend toward sharing designs among independent brands that are not part of these large groups. At the center of this trend is Kenissi.
Based in Geneva, Kenissi is a manufacturer specializing in automatic movements, founded by Tudor and a group of investors. Their first product was the Manufacture Caliber MT5612, developed exclusively for Tudor in 2015. With a diameter of 31.8mm and a thickness of 6.5mm, it was larger than the ETA ébauche (ETA2824-2 with Triovis fine adjustment) that the company had previously used, but with a long power reserve of approximately 70 hours and a silicon hairspring inherited from Rolex, it was an outstanding, practical watch.
First released in 2018. While sharing the same basic design as the Cal. 1847 MC, this is Baume & Mercier's first in-house movement, and it boasts more ambitious features than its siblings, including a silicon balance spring for high magnetic resistance and a larger baseplate diameter for an ultra-long power reserve. It measures 28.2mm in diameter, has 22 jewels, and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. It has a power reserve of approximately 120 hours.
First released in 2018, this new movement inherits the "OP number" designation, previously reserved only for ETA ébauches. Although manufactured in-house by Panerai, it is a Richemont caliber that shares the same basic design as the Cal. 1847 MC, and is therefore distinct from the "P number" designation, which indicates in-house manufacture. Diameter: 28.2mm. 22 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve: approximately 72 hours.
Following the much-anticipated business partnership between Tudor and Breitling at Baselworld in March 2017, Tudor obtained the rights to use Breitling's Caliber 01 chronograph, and in exchange, they co-developed the Caliber B20, based on the MT5612, with Kenissi/Breitling. The key driving force behind this partnership was former Breitling Vice President Jean-Paul Girardin, whose name can still be found on Kenissi's board of directors. Furthermore, Chanel invested in Kenissi, and production of the Caliber 12.1 began in 2019. This movement incorporates Chanel's unique design, increasing the number of jewels from 26 to 27 and using a proprietary nickel-phosphorus alloy for the balance spring.
Although the basic design of these three movements is exactly the same, it is important to note that each company is not purchasing ébauches made by Kenissi. By taking capital participation in a development and manufacturing center established by a group of investors, they share the basic design as "in-house movements." It is also important to note that Tudor calls theirs a manufacture caliber, while Chanel calls it an in-house developed movement, and they are never called in-house movements.
Based on the so-called "Richemont Caliber," Vacheron Constantin released this movement in 2018 in line with the group's intention to share designs (i.e., key parts) within the group. It is directly based on Cartier's Cal. 1904 MC. The finish is top-notch, with a 22K gold rotor and hand-chamfered edges. However, it has not been awarded the Geneva Seal. Diameter: 26.2mm, thickness: 4.3mm. 27 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve: approximately 46 hours.
The Richemont Group is promoting a similar design process within its own group. Its headquarters are in Val Fleurier, Val-de-Travers. Its parent company was Bureau Technique Richemont, established in 1995 by members seconded from Piaget, and has long been responsible for the development and manufacture of in-house movements for brands such as Piaget, Cartier, and Panerai. Of course, these were all custom-made movements with individual designs, but with regard to gear train design, Richemont was one of the first to adopt "modular design," which packages certain rules.
The Richemont Group's current internal design sharing plan takes its signature modular design a step further, allowing each company to share a common base movement, commonly known as the "Richemont caliber," and then customize it in their own way. There are two main bases: the Caliber 1904 MC (first introduced in 2010) and the Caliber 1847 MC (first introduced in 2015), both developed by Carole Forestier-Cazapi at Cartier. The more delicate design of the 1904 MC is used as the basis for Vacheron Constantin's Caliber 1326. While the only movement manufactured by the company that does not comply with the Geneva Hallmark has been the subject of much discussion, this movement, a redesign of the exterior of a well-established, refined base movement, is extremely reliable despite its relatively young age, less than two years after its debut.
This model was released in 2015 for use in entry-level models that previously used ETA ébauches. It was developed by Carole Forestier-Cazapi. Its size is 11.5 lignes, the same as the ETA2892 and ETA2824 series. Its high-speed rotating single barrel improves isochronism. Its diameter is 25.6mm, it has 23 jewels, and it beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. Its power reserve is approximately 42 hours.
Introduced in 2010, this was Cartier's first fully-engineered, self-winding movement. It houses twin barrels in an 11.5-ligne case, the same size as ETA's main ébauches. This was not designed to provide a long power reserve, but rather to ensure a stable supply of torque. It was designed by Carole Forestier-Cazapi. Its diameter is 25.6mm, its thickness is 4.0mm, its movement has 27 jewels, and its frequency is 28,800 vibrations per hour. Its power reserve is approximately 48 hours.
On the other hand, the 1847 MC, while a new release, is a more versatile design, and is the basis for Panerai's ETA replacement, the Caliber OP XXXIV, and Baume & Mercier's ambitious Baumatic. Because it is based on a versatile movement, there is more room for the brand to incorporate design modifications that more strongly reflect its own unique intentions, and both seem to be allowed more freedom to customize their watches, such as extending the baseplate to increase the power reserve.
While sharing the basic design with many "half-siblings," they create their own core movements. This method will likely become the mainstream for general-purpose watches in the future.
(Continued in Part 2)
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