Watches of today -- who makes their movements and where.
Watches of modern time -- 90% of all internal watch movements are made
by the same company.
By Betty
Silverman
When
doing my research on watches (specifically wristwatches)
one fact impressed me more than any other. As far as the internal parts go,
approximately ninety percent of all watches are made by the same company. This
company goes by the name of ETA (pronounced EE-TAH) and is based in Switzerland.
ETA is owned by the Swatch Group. There are a hand full of other manufacturers
who produce internal watch parts. Ronda and Isa are two of these companies.
The term used to describe internal watch parts is "movements". In
the remainder of this article I will use this industry term.
Every industry
has it's mecca and Switzerland is the undisputed mecca for watches
and time pieces. Hence the saying, "works like a swiss watch". Every
mecca has a "Capital City" and in this case it is Geneva, Switzerland.
In marketing it all comes down to perception and Geneva is perceived as the
center of the universe in the wristwatch business. In fact, their competitors
have never really tried to dispute this perception. The term "swiss made"
is engraved on watches that pass strict criteria. This criteria is laid out
as part of trademark law stating that certain aspects of construction and design
must take place in Switzerland and by Swiss people. The term "swiss made"
has been vigorously protected around the world.
There are few
brand name watches
that have the prestige of being called the best, but the obvious name is Rolex.
Just look at their website and you will see they excel not only at making watches
- they spent big dollars creating an internet presence to match their name.
Rolex watches are time honored for using superb movements and outstanding materials.
There are only a few companies that make their own movements and Rolex is one
of them. (Seiko is another) By the way ......where do you think their head office
is located? You guessed it ........Geneva. If you are interested in more information
about the Rolex brand, company, and history, I encourage you to visit their
beautiful website @ http://www.rolex.com
The vast majority
of people can't afford a Rolex watch and there are many brands that cater to
the upper-middle class consumer. Tag, Omega and Breitling to name a few. These
watches also carry a handsome
"status factor" and price tag. All are made with high quality materials
and attractive designs. The movements are made by ETA. A considerable number
of these "upper-middle class" watch brands are owned by Swatch Group
in Switzerland. See how world domination is coming in to play here?
The differences
between mechanical watches and quartz watches.
Mechanical watches
are energized by what they call a mainspring. It can be wound up either by hand
or automatically. (Some mechanical watches will automatically wind themselves
from rapid movement.) There is a gear train that transfers mainspring energy
to the escapement, balance wheel, and hairspring. Mechanical watches cannot
compete with quartz
watches when it comes to accuracy. There is a prestige with owning a high
quality mechanic watch that keeps accurate time, but the truth is that quartz
watches are more accurate.
Quartz analogue
watches utilize a completely different technology. They rely on battery
power, an oscillating quartz, a trimmer to control frequency, a stepping motor
to transfer electrical energy into mechanical energy, and a gear train to move
the hour, minute and second hands. Quartz digital watches employ all the same
technology as quartz analogue watches except for the display. The important
thing to remember is that a 25 dollar quartz watch will always be more accurate
than the most expensive mechanical watch. So you can see that it all comes down
to status when consumers purchase an expensive watch.
Most watches
are actually assembled/manufactured in Japan, China and Thailand. The movements
are made by ETA and the only characteristics different are in the casing and
strap. Kind of takes the personal touch out of owning a quality watch doesn't
it. Oh well........most people will not have the information you are reading
here and the status of your brand new Omega watch will not be diminished. Myself,
I buy a watch simply for comfort, style and affordability. I believe that is
the main criteria used by most consumers.
How watches
vary in water resistance and the "bar" scale.
To finish this
article I want to point out the factors used by watch manufacturers when it
comes to water resistance. Wristwatch
companies used to employ the term "water proof" but had to change
that due a few rare law suits. Apparently a scuba diver perished in the early
1970's and there were lawyers that tried to blame a watch manufacturer. They
contended that the scuba diver's watch failed, causing him to misread his oxygen
supply. In those days watches were marked as "water proof" and now
they are marked "water resistant".
The water resistance of
a watch is measured in bars. An easy way to remember this scale is this:
1 bar = 10 meters.(3.3
feet deep in water)
So when you see
the markings on the back of your watch "Water resistant 10bar", or
"W.R. 10bar, this means your watch is likely to resist water up to 333
feet. If you see a 20bar marking this means your watch
is "likely" to resist water up to 666 feet deep. (my math is impressive......no?)
Anyway, you get the point right? If your watch has no markings regarding water
resistance you don't have any protection. If the back of your watch casing is
engraved with "water resistant" and does not have a bar rating, this
means it is "likely" to resist intermittent splashing or heavy rain.
All of these water
resistant ratings can be voided if watches are exposed to salt water, soap,
shampoo, nail polish, nail polish remover, cleaning agents etc. etc. Wristwatches
are sealed with gaskets and therefore susceptible to drying and deterioration.
The only way the water resistance rating given by the manufacturer can be given
any weight is if you carry out periodic maintenance. If you own an expensive
watch, it is worth your while to follow up on maintenance. Most people buy inexpensive
watches and replace them when they fail.
Thank you for
visiting www.about-jewelry.com and
I hope you have found some information in this article that will help you when
it comes time to order your next watch. The links I have embedded in this article
will take you to websites I recommend for online wristwatch shopping.
Betty Silverman
is a successful author and publisher of http://www.watches-wristwatches.com
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