Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and the world of watches. I've been looking around and trying to do research on the various automatic movements (I want to buy one for myself), but I'm not sure what to go with as an entry level. I don't have a thousands of dollars to throw down on my first automatic, but I'm willing to go up to about $500-$600.
Price aside, I'm also wondering if anybody could help me with the types of movements out there and the prices I should expect, like a Miyota 82S series or a 9015? There's just so many, and I don't really understand them all even after combing through articles on these movements :-s
So far I've been using solar watches (family loves solar energy)..
Thanks in advance for the help!
Zach
The first thing to know is that an automatic movement is just a manual one with a rotor connected to the spring so that the watch will wind itself as a result of the motion of your arm as you go about your business while wearing it.
Technologically speaking, in your price range, there isn't all that much that notably different and worth worrying about. They will all keep time more or less to the same levels of accuracy, and in that regard, you should expect something on the order of +/- 20-40 seconds a day. Some of them will have hacking seconds and some won't. In your price range, few, if any, will be decorated, but they will be abundant and they are easily serviced by just about any trained watchmaker.
No matter whether they are decorated ("finished" is the watchie term for it) or not, they are still the same movement and barring technical enhancements by a given watch company, will deliver the same performance and wear characteristics. Here's a fair illustration of the difference:
ETA watch movements .
Two ETA 2824 movements
Here's a discussion of what one company has done to modify a base ETA movement to provide improved performance in at least one dimension:
https://www.bernardwatch.com/blog/swatch-eta-movements-pushing-ahead-with-hamilton-h-21-h-31/ .
I know you've done some reading. Hopefully this was among the articles you read --
Watches in Depth - Movement Calibres - The Baily Blog -- for it is a great primer as is this:
What Are The Best Watch Movements? - Ask Watch Experts Questions About Watches | aBlogtoWatch . If you just want some specs, this may help:
For more movements' specs, just use the search field at the top of the page on the site above.
Here are some comparisons:
Among movements -- automatic or manual -- up until recent years, ETA's were by far the most commonly found ones. In 2010, ETA announced that it was cutting back on ETA distribution to non-Swatch Group companies, with a few exceptions. In light of that, several companies have developed ETA clones. Among the clones, the ones from Sellita and Soporod are probably the two most often encountered Swiss ones. Here's a comparison of ETA's 2824 with Sellita's SW200:
Clone Wars: Sellita SW200 Vs. ETA 2824 | Watch Flipr . I won't say it's impossible to find a Soporod A10 in a watch costing less than $600, but I don't know of any.
Here's a discussion of the impact of ETA's 2010 decision:
Prometheus Watch Company | How ETA's Decision to Stop Supplying Movements Affects Prometheus Watch Company and Watch Industry . Now whether read the article or just look at the chart, you'll see a pretty comprehensive list of who makes ETA alternatives and their delivery capabilities as it affects at least one watch company that purchases movements. More than much else other than pricing negotiations, the availability of alternatives will drive what movement you see in affordable watches.
There are of course other ETA watch movements, but in the sub-$3K or so price brackets, you won't see too many of them. The two you have any reliable chance of bumping into are the 2892 which is an uncomplicated movement and the 7750 which is a chronograph one.
Red:
So, to your question, you should expect, given your price range, to see Miyota, Seiko, ETA 2824, Seagull and Orient movements if a mechanical watch is what you intend to buy. You need not be too concerned with which one is in a watch you like, but all other things being equal, if you can get a watch with ETA-inside, there's little reason not to prefer it, but there's also little reason to require it. The reason for the latter is that ETA makes the same movement in varying grades of accuracy. The Standard grade will be about the same as the other movements you encounter. The grades that are a step up from Standard will have greater accuracy, but at best, you'll only see Elablore grade movements in the sub-$600 range. If you care, just ask the seller which grade is in the watch.
If there's something else specific you want to know, ask.
All the best.