Technica swiss ebauche by Watch Geeks

05-25-2009, 05:39 PM Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Redding,CA Posts: 1,658 Real Name: Jim

bigjimzlll Senior Member Super Geek Technica Swiss ebauche

Ok, I've read all info, I've heard Jim, Shaun and Jill explain it's the name of the company. Then Eyal said last night it's made with swiss parts that's why they can call it swiss???? Maybe there ought to be a time delay button like on the radio. #2 05-25-2009, 06:24 PM sheraortho Senior Member True WatchGeek

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From what I understand they are Asian in manufacture. That's why there has been so much conversation about the name 'cause they aren't really Swiss. I could be wrong but don't think so. __________________ Renato, Marina Militare, Zodiac, Invicta, Hamilton, SeaPro, Orient, Wenger, Riedenschild, Luminox, Swiss Legend, Seiko, Sector, Bulova, Gruen, ESQ, Tauchmeister, Vostok and Alpha all have their place..... on my wrist! BRIAN sheraortho

#3 05-25-2009, 06:33 PM

JNL Senior Member Super Geek

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I think its just the name they decided to call the company, It may be to confuse people. I cant really think of another reason __________________

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#4 05-25-2009, 07:12 PM

Arclight56 Senior Member Super Geek

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I like the movement but I'm sure they move a heck of a lot more of them keeping the "Swiss" in the name. They can dance around it all they want but in my opinion it's shamefully misleading to most "normal" folks and not something Invicta needs to do.

__________________ ___________________________ Time is the fire in which we burn Arclight56

#5 05-25-2009, 07:18 PM Watchbear WatchGeeks Moderator Master WatchGeek

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The key phrase is "The movement contains SOME swiss made parts" __________________ Da bear is in da house Yabba Dabba Dooo...Fred Flintstone...

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#6 05-25-2009, 08:56 PM jeeper78 Senior Member Veteran Geek

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Yes, SOME Swiss parts, assembled in Asia. I agree that the name of the company is

intentionally somewhat misleading. __________________ Jesse jeeper78

#7 05-25-2009, 09:02 PM Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Redding,CA Posts: 1,658 Real Name: Jim

bigjimzlll Senior Member Super Geek

Quote: Originally Posted by Watchbear The key phrase is "The movement contains SOME swiss made parts" Bob, I understand the movement contains some swiss parts and it is a "copy" of an Unitas movement. I know it's made over seas in the far east. My point was, Eyal said the reason it is called Swiss is because of the swiss parts it contained. Which we all know is erroneous, hence my comment about a delay button to keep wrong or embarrassing info from going out "live" bigjimzlll

#8 05-25-2009, 09:08 PM

zenrn Senior Member Senior Geek

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I like mine, keeps within 15-20 seconds a day. nice skeltonized movement!! I believe it was presented as Asian Made.

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JNL Senior Member Super Geek

Where does it say any swiss parts, ?? __________________

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Mr Horology WatchGeeks VIP True WatchGeek

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Pretty much what Ebauche is movement blank, which is pretty much a movement which is sold as a set of loose parts, including the main plate, the bridges, the train, the winding and setting mechanism and the regulator. The timing system, escapement and the mainspring, are not parts of the ebauche __________________

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Add Mr Horology to Your Contacts #11 05-25-2009, 09:18 PM Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Universal City, Texas (N.E. of San unclefixit Antonio) Senior Member Posts: 1,832 Super Geek Real Name: Jay No one is being mislead Quote: Originally Posted by bigjimzlll Ok, I've read all info, I've heard Jim, Shaun and Jill explain it's the name of the company. Then Eyal said last night it's made with swiss parts that's why they can call it swiss???? Maybe there ought to be a time delay button like on the radio.

You must remember the terms being used are meant to discribe various parts of a fully assembled watch movement. Try thinking in custom automotive terms..."Ebauche" would equal "short block", than you add a whole bunch of other parts to create a finished engine / movement. This is a very simplistic way to explain why they can call it the Technica "Swiss" Ebauche movement. Jay unclefixit

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I like the "short block" reference and it is most appropriate. You can by an Edelbrock crate motor based on the Chevy smalll block foundation using Edelbrock proprietarty parts to complete the package. On the issue of advertising and marketing, it should be understood that the "full truth" is rarely presented in any public or broadcast medium. For example, I work in the display industry and consult for some of the largest display manufacturers in the world. When you look at the brightness spec or the contrast spec on a plasma or LCD display or a projector, the actual performance does not match the advertised spec. In the realm of cars, the MPG gotten by DOT rarely if ever matches what you actually get. In short, the "full truth" is rarely revealed in advertising hence the phrase "caveat emptor" or let the buyer beware. My advice is to do your home work and then decide if something is right for you but do NOT rely on advertising or marketing for the "rest of the sotry" as Paul Harvey was known to say. ProfessorB __________________

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bezel_bob Senior Member Senior Geek

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Its the best of both if you ask me ,you know swiss cheese and rice ,both good ,a little different though,makes a great movement at a great price!! __________________ Time is the tooth that gnaws at everything; Gizzly bears don't digest STSTL well; Higher education is going into the mountains and learning to start a fire with out matches. the sign said "This is God's country don't drive thru it like hell " Happy's Inn,Mt bezel_bob View Public Profile Send a private message to bezel_bob Find all posts by bezel_bob Add bezel_bob to Your Contacts #14 05-26-2009, 10:06 AM

jskelton WatchGeeks Owner True WatchGeek

I like the short block reference too, very nicely put.

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The company was named before Invicta bought them, so it is not a marketing ploy by Invicta. The brand was named "Technica Swiss Ebauche" because the essence of their business is to build movements in Asia with.... now pay attention.... Swiss Ebauches. And that's why the name is as it is. __________________ Quote: Living well is the best revenge. -George Herbert Quote: Originally Posted by charleswatts Your candor in the explanation reveals the nature of the relationship you have formed with your viewers.

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dvp55 Senior Member Veteran Geek

Makes sense to me. dvp55 View Public Profile Send a private message to dvp55

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Arclight56 Senior Member Super Geek

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fabman Senior Member Veteran Geek

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If it was named China Ebauches or Far East Ebauches it would clear it up but sales would plummet! fabman View Public Profile Send a private message to fabman Send email to fabman Visit fabman's homepage! Find all posts by fabman Add fabman to Your Contacts #18 05-26-2009, 12:46 PM Watchinator Senior Member Veteran Geek

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Quote: Originally Posted by jskelton The brand was named "Technica Swiss Ebauche" because the essence of their business is to build movements in Asia with.... now pay attention.... Swiss Ebauches. And that's why the name is as it is. I had a rash on my ebauches once... that sure did hurt. Watchinator View Public Profile Find all posts by Watchinator Add Watchinator to Your Contacts #19 05-26-2009, 01:01 PM

TBD619 Senior Member Super Geek

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Quote: Originally Posted by jskelton I like the short block reference too, very nicely put. The company was named before Invicta bought them, so it is not a marketing ploy by Invicta. The brand was named "Technica Swiss Ebauche" because the essence of their business is to build movements in Asia with.... now pay attention.... Swiss Ebauches. And that's why the name is as it is. Jim, Eyal and the gang have gone out of their way to make it clear that this movement is not Swiss made, however, that reaches the audience of the shows (I don't know those numbers) and the 2,000 or so of 9,000+ (wow) members of WG who may view the threads regarding this movement. The name of the movement however is not clear as to it's origins and IMO this is the genesis of the controversy swirling around this movement. There seems to be a trend for brands to try to associate themselves with Swiss craftsmanship/labor, oftentimes a very minimal, weak link at best, the motives or intentions of which really don't matter- What is important IMO is that there is confusion in the mind of consumers in this instance that needs to be addressed regardless of how/why it came about or who named the company. And while the issue awhile back on the SNBC page(movement errantly referred to as Swiss Made) was fixed, the written copy on the actual item pages on watches with this movement were not and have not been touched and as Jim put it "the information in it's most basic form" has been left to stand on it's own without further description. As Jim noted in that instance..."Obviously, the folks in our marketing department aren't watch people..." and apparently they made the very simple and basic assumption/mistake that the majority of the watch buying public, who, I would venture to say are not "watch people" either, are likely to make based solely on the name of the movement.. It says Swiss, therefore, it is Swiss. In the short block example, folks who are going to buy an EB engine are certainly more sophisticated buyers when it comes to cars than the average joe looking for a car. There is nothing confusing as to the origin of those motors either. While the example holds up for the comparison of fabricating from a platform, the comparison of the consumer who would buy such an engine to the typical watch consumer, who wouldn't know an ebauche from a hole in the ground does not. I think the name should be changed, or, the movement better described in Invicta's advertising/item descriptions. From what I've read, it is a great movement... I'd like to try one

out myself- Please just be crystal clear about what we're getting. TBD619 View Public Profile Send a private message to TBD619 Find all posts by TBD619 Add TBD619 to Your Contacts #20 05-26-2009, 01:25 PM hitch Senior Member Senior Geek

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mrwatch921 Wrote that a ebauche is: Quote: a movement which is sold as a set of loose parts, including the main plate, the bridges, the train, the winding and setting mechanism and the regulator. and Jim said: Quote: ...The brand was named "Technica Swiss Ebauche" because the essence of their business is to build movements in Asia with.... now pay attention.... Swiss Ebauches. So from the above 2 statements it seems then that the TSE movement at the least has swiss made main plates, bridges, trains, winding and setting mechanisms and regulators. hitch View Public Profile Send a private message to hitch Send email to hitch Find all posts by hitch Add hitch to Your Contacts #21 05-26-2009, 01:25 PM

wave3214 Senior Member True WatchGeek

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Bottom line is a great move't in a lovely watch at a tremendous price point. No problems here __________________

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Please watch and listen to what Eyal says about this movement. This is the reason for my post Click play video on the skeleton watch. http://www.shopnbc.com/OnAir/Program...howid=10605327 bigjimzlll

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Quote: Originally Posted by hitch So from the above 2 statements it seems then that the TSE movement at the least has swiss made main plates, bridges, trains, winding and setting mechanisms and regulators. Here is what Eyal told me in an email from approx. Feb 2008. (not a quote, but paraphrased) He said that the movement is assembled in Korea. Invicta outsources some labor from Seagull employees and also source some parts from Seagull. The assembly is managed by a team of Swiss watchmakers. He also indicated that they are seeing better performance from their movements and are able to extend this value to the customer.

And here is another wrinkle on the name. Why is it OK to totally dismiss the "Swiss" part of the name? It's just a name, nothing more. Then on the other hand, totally buy in to the "Ebauche" part of the name. Implying that they take an movement blank and improve upon it or make a better movement from it. It is more likely that they are 100% Chinese movements (Sea-Gull for the ST1902 mechanical chrono example), and any improvements they see is a product of the QC and assembly conditions at TSE. Now, I'm not bashing these 6497/6498 movements. I like them a lot and have a few but I do have a problem with the TSE name. Cheers, gigfy gigfy View Public Profile Send a private message to gigfy

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Mr Horology WatchGeeks VIP True WatchGeek

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Quote: Originally Posted by gigfy Here is what Eyal told me in an email from approx. Feb 2008. (not a quote, but paraphrased) He said that the movement is assembled in Korea. Invicta outsources some labor from Seagull employees and also source some parts from Seagull. The assembly is managed by a team of Swiss watchmakers. He also indicated that they are seeing better performance from their movements and are able to extend this value to the customer.

The 6497 and 6498 are swiss made by Unitas, which is owned by ETA __________________

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Quote: Originally Posted by Mrwatch921 The 6497 and 6498 are swiss made by Unitas, which is owned by ETA Not entirely true. Unitas does not make movements anymore. ETA has made them since they bought out Unitas in the early 1980s. What I was referring to is included in this post: http://watchgeeks.net/showpost.php?p=370005&postcount=5 Invicta model 4735 uses a Sea-Gull ST3600 (6498 style) movement. Cheers, gigfy

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Quote: Originally Posted by gigfy Not entirely true. Unitas does not make movements anymore. ETA has made them since they bought out Unitas in the early 1980s. What I was referring to is included in this post: http://watchgeeks.net/showpost.php?p=370005&postcount=5 Invicta model 4735 uses a Sea-Gull ST3600 (6498 style) movement. Cheers, gigfy Yes those are not swiss and pretty much what i meant was is the 6498 and 6497 are swiss and i know ETA makes them. __________________

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by hitch mrwatch921 Wrote that a ebauche is: Quote: a movement which is sold as a set of loose parts, including the main plate, the bridges, the train, the winding and setting mechanism and the regulator. and Jim said: Quote: ...The brand was named "Technica Swiss Ebauche" because the essence of their business is to build movements in Asia with.... now pay attention.... Swiss Ebauches. So from the above 2 statements it seems then that the TSE movement at the least has swiss made main plates, bridges, trains, winding and setting mechanisms and regulators. I guess that's what's niggling me a bit. Every Technica Swiss Ebauches movement that I have seen, I have been able to identify as a Chinese movement. There were some very early skeleton triple-calendar autos that I remember that were clearly from the Hangzhou 2000 series. That's a Chinese design based on the design of the Seiko 7009, but with a lot of in-house changes in the version Invicta used. (I vaguely recall some Chinese Standard skeleton Invictas, but I confess I can't remember for sure if they bore the TSE label) The mechanical chronograph is without any doubt the Sea-Gull ST19; essentially a modern update of the old Tianjin 'Project 304' from the 1960s, which was built on tools bought from Venus. So originally Swiss design, but significantly reworked and made in China. Then there are the big skeleton hand-winders. Sea-Gull ST36, largely copied from the ETA 6497 but made entirely in China, with a skeleton cut quite distinct from any coming from Switzerland. So then whatever Swiss parts may be involved in producing these movements, the ebauche seems to be Chinese, not Swiss. I should point out here that von Burg's Swissebauches Ltd, Hong Kong, only make 100% chinese quartz

movements and have done so for many years, so the words 'Swiss' and 'Ebauches' appearing in a brand name say as much about country of origin as 'Swiss Cheese', 'French Fries' or 'Belgian Waffles'. I may be wrong though, so if anybody has an example to show us of a Technica Swiss Ebauches movement pre-dating Invicta's use of the name, it might help to shed some light on the history behind it.

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Chascomm wrote: Quote: ...I should point out here that von Burg's Swissebauches Ltd, Hong Kong, only make 100% chinese quartz movements and have done so for many years, so the words 'Swiss' and 'Ebauches' appearing in a brand name say as much about country of origin as 'Swiss Cheese', 'French Fries' or 'Belgian Waffles'... After carefully reading your entire post I have to agree with you and stand corrected by removing the

underlined words (swiss made) from the following that I previously posted: Quote: mrwatch921 Wrote: Quote: that a ebauche is a movement which is sold as a set of loose parts, including the main plate, the bridges, the train, the winding and setting mechanism and the regulator. and Jim said: Quote: ...The brand was named "Technica Swiss Ebauche" because the essence of their business is to build movements in Asia with.... now pay attention.... Swiss Ebauches. Sandoz wrote: So from the above 2 statements it seems then that the TSE movement at the least has swiss made main plates, bridges, trains, winding and setting mechanisms and regulators.