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Chronology of Important Watch Movements

  • 1910s: Early Wristwatches
  • Inter-War: Consolidation and Specialization
  • Post-War: Automatic, Thin, and Complicated
  • 1960s: New Movement Technology
  • 1970s: The Rise of Quartz
  • 1980s: Re-Birth of Mechanical Movements

1873

Indicateur Davoine, 1889
  • Charles Hahn & Cie is established in Le Landeron

1882

  • Edouard Heuer begins series production of chronographs in Bienne

1884

  • Alfred Lugrin establishes his workshop (later called Lemania) in l’Orient-de-l’Orbe in the Vallée-de-Joux

1891

  • Stolz Frères SA (later known as Angelus) is founded in Le Locle

1892

  • Léon Breitling establishes the Montbrillant factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, focusing on complicated watches including chronographs

1896

  • Léon Lévy et Frères establishes a factory in Moutier, which would become home to Pierce

1901

  • Reymond Frères SA, the predecessor to Valjoux, is established in Les Bioux

1906

  • Lugrin & Cie. registers the Lemania name for repeating watches

1910

  • Valjoux introduces Cal. 1, a 19 ligne monopusher chronograph movement, and Cal. 2 BR, a 19 ligne rattrapante chronograph movement
  • Valjoux moves into a larger factory in Les Bioux

1910s: Early Wristwatches

Longines Cal. 19.73N

1911

  • Valjoux introduces Cal. 18, a 17.675 ligne monopusher chronograph movement, and Cal. 20, a rattrapante movement, in the early 1910s

1913

  • A variety of chronograph wristwatches appear on the market from Henchoz Fils, Ed. Heuer, Samuel Jeanneret (Colombe), and Nathan Weil.
  • Longines releases the first chronograph wristwatch using Cal. 13.33Z, a 13 ligne monopusher chronograph movement
Valjoux Cal. 22

1914

  • Valjoux introduces a 15 ligne column wheel chronograph movement, later called Cal. 22, which would be revised with 2 pushers in the 1930s and remain in production through the 1960s
  • Georges Pellaton-Steudler establishes a factory in Les Pontes-de-Martel to produce complicated movements

1916

  • Valjoux introduces Cal. 23 VZ, a 13 ligne chronograph used by Breitling in wristwatches in the Valjoux 72 family
  • Valjoux introduces the 13 ligne Cal. 23C, a triple-date chronograph in the Valjoux 72 family
  • The Martel factory introduces the 16.75 ligne “6:00 monopusher” chronograph movement used in the first Universal chronograph wristwatch

1917

  • Perret et Berthoud of Le Locle introduces the first Universal-branded chronograph wristwatch, powered by a 16.75 ligne monopusher movement produced by Georges Pellaton’s factory in Les Ponts-de-Martel

1920

  • The Martel factory introduces their 15.25 ligne co-axial monopusher chronograph movement used by Universal and others

1923

  • Hahn in Landeron produce their first chronograph movements

Inter-War: Consolidation and Specialization

1924

  • Fabrique d’Ébauches Vénus is founded in Moutier
  • Lugrin & Cie. becomes Lemania Lugrin

1925

  • Hahn Frères of Le Landeron merges with FHF
  • The Martel factory introduces their 16 ligne monopusher chronograph movement
  • Angelus produces their first chronograph wristwatch using Valjoux Cal. 23 VZ or Cal. 22

1926

  • Ebauches SA is founded in Neuchâtel, containing A. Schild SA (ASSA) and Adolphe Michel SA (AMSA) of Grenchen and Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF)

1931

  • Eugène Meylan’s Automatic E.M.S.A. movement ring enters production by Glycine

1932

  • The Martel factory introduces their 14.5 ligne monopusher chronograph movement; it would be modified for 2-button operation over the next two years for use in the earliest Universal Compur chronograph watches
  • Lemania, Omega, and Tissot form SSIH
  • Lemania releases Cal. 13CH (Omega Cal. 28.9), a 13 ligne monopusher column wheel chronograph movement used in the first compact Omega chronograph wristwatches

1933

  • Vénus introduces their first chronograph movement, Cal. 103 CHR, a simple 10.5 ligne stopwatch

1934

  • The Universal Compur 2-button chronograph wristwatch is released for sale, using a modified version of the 14.5 ligne chronograph movement produced by the Martel factory
  • In late 1934 Universal updates the Compur with a revised movement, Cal. 285, from the Martel factory

1935

  • Vénus introduces Cal. 140, a monopusher chronograph with time at 12:00 and 30-minute counter at 6:00
  • Léon Lévy Frères’ Pierce Watch Co. patents the vertical clutch chronograph, which entered production the following year
  • Lemania introduces Cal. 33.3, a monopusher chronograph movement used by Omega and Tissot over the next decade
  • Angelus introduces their first 2-pusher chronograph, which uses their in-house Cal. SF210
Longines’ 13ZN was an early and successful chronograph movement

1936

  • Universal introduces the Uni-Compax watch, based on the new Cal. 281 movement produced at the Martel factory
  • Vénus patents Cal. 131 CHR, a tonneau-shaped chronograph movement
  • Vénus introduces Cal. 170, a 2-button chronograph with small seconds at 6:00 and 3 minute counter at 12:00
  • Valjoux revises Cal. 22 with two pushers
  • Longines introduces Cal. 13ZN, a 13 ligne monopusher or 2-button chronograph movement
  • Hahn in Landeron introduces Cal. 47, a 3-pusher cam-operated chronograph movement
  • Bovet Frères introduces their “mono-rattrapante”, a simplified flyback chronograph movement using Valjoux Cal. 84

1937

  • Universal introduces the Compax, with a 12-hour counter at 6:00, using Cal. 285 produced by Martel
  • Universal introduces the ladies Compur, using the compact 12.5 ligne Cal. 289 produced by Martel
  • Hahn in Landeron introduces Cal. 48, a 2-pusher cam-operated chronograph movement
  • Nicolet Watch SA is established in Tramelan as a successor to the Nicolet watchmaking family dating back to the 1880s
Landeron Cal. 48
Universal Cal. 285

1938

  • The Vénus Cal. 150 family is in production, an integrated 13 ligne 2-button chronograph which was possibly introduced as early as 1936
  • Valjoux introduces Cal. 71 GHH, which adds a 12-hour counter to the Cal. 22 chronograph
  • Valjoux introduces Cal. 72VZH, which adds a 12-hour counter to the 13 ligne Cal. 23 chronograph

1939

  • Pierce Watch Co. introduces the first 2-button vertical clutch chronograph watch
  • Nicolet Watch introduces a 2-button chronograph movement

1940

  • Universal introduces the Aero-Compax, with a manually-operated hour and minute hand at 12:00 on the 3-register Cal. 287

1942

  • Vénus introduces Cal. 152 (with hour counter at 6:00) and the Cal. 175 family including Cal. 179 (a rattrapante), though the latter took a few years to reach production
  • Between 1942 and 1945, every Landeron-powered watch Breitling’s catalog was replaced by a new model using a Vénus movement
  • Lemania introduces Cal. 27 CHRO C12 (later called Cal. 2310), a column wheel chronograph movement with hour counter used by Omega as Cal. 321
  • Angelus introduces the Chronodato with Cal. SF217

1943

  • The Breitling Duograph with Vénus Cal. 179 rattrapante chronograph is in production and on sale
  • Universal introduces the Montre-Calendrier, a hand-winding perpetual calendar watch with optional moon phase display

1944

  • Universal introduces the Tri-Compax, a triple-date moon phase chronograph powered by Martel’s Cal. 481
  • Valjoux is incorporated into Ebauches SA

1945

  • Universal introduces the Medico-Compax for doctors (with Cal. 285) and Dato-Compax with date at 12:00 (with Cal. 285)

Post-War: Automatic, Thin, and Complicated

1946

  • Albert Piguet of Lemania creates Cal. 321 for Omega

1947

  • Hahn in Landeron updates their cam-operated chronograph line as Cal. 51
Vénus Cal. 188

1948

  • Vénus introduces Cal. 188, a 2-button cam-operated chronograph movement

1949

  • Vénus adds calendar and moon phase functions to their chronograph movements, including Cal. 190 (rattrapante and moon phase)

1950

  • Vénus adds a calendar to their cam-operated Cal. 188 chronograph

1953

  • Vénus reduces the diameter of Cal. 188, resulting in the 12.5 ligne Cal. 210, a cam-operated chronograph movement

1954

  • Valjoux introduces Cal. 230, a 13 ligne flyback chronograph in the Valjoux 72 family

1955

  • Vénus introduces the first “big date” chronograph movement, Cal. 211, in the mid 1950s

1958

  • Ebauches SA stops enforcing restrictions on watch movement production
  • The Büren “Super Slender” and Universal “Microtor” movements with micro-rotor automatic winding are introduced

1959

  • The First Moscow Watch Factory (Poljot) is producing the “Strela” with Cal. 3017, a copy of Vénus Cal. 150

1960s: New Movement Technology

1961

  • Lemania introduces Cal. 1872, a hand-winding cam-switching chronograph movement

1962

  • Büren introduces Cal. 1281, their next-generation micro-rotor automatic movement

1963

  • Tianjin Sea-Gull introduces the first prototypes of Cal. 1901, a chronograph based on the Vénus 175 design

1966

  • The Vénus operation in Moutier becomes part of Valjoux and the company re-launches Vénus Cal. 210 with a mobile stud carrier as Valjoux Cal. 7730

1967

  • Valjoux (Vénus) introduces Cal. 7731 with a new balance and balance cock

1968

  • Ebauches SA introduces the Mosaba tuning fork movement line with Cal. ESA 9160
The Valjoux 7733

1969

  • Zenith introduces the El Primero automatic chronograph developed by their subsidiary, Martel, on January 10
  • Breitling, Heuer, and Hamilton-Büren introduce the Chronomatic automatic chronograph on March 3
  • The Seiko Speed Timer Ref. 6139 automatic chronograph is in production by March
  • Valjoux (Vénus) introduces Cal. 7733 and Cal. 7734 (with calendar)
  • Ebauches SA introduces the tuning fork Cal. ESA 9162 (with date)

1970s: The Rise of Quartz

1971

  • The workhorse ETA 2800 family is introduced

1972

  • Valjoux introduces Cal. 7740
  • Ebauches SA introduces two tuning fork movements: Cal. ESA 9210 (the first electronic chronograph movement) and Cal. ESA 9164 (with day and date)
  • Lemania introduces Cal. 1340, an automatic cam-switching chronograph movement with hour counter and date

1974

"The Most Comprehensive Range of Automatic Calibres", Ebauches SA, Europa Star, 1975
This 1975 advertisement in Europa Star shows the key movements in the Ebauches SA family: ETA 2678, AS 5103/5106, ETA 2783, ETA 2824, AS 2063/2066, ETA 2878, FHF 411/412, ETA 2892, AS 5008, and VAL 7750
  • Valjoux begins productions of Cal. 7750, an integrated automatic cam-switching chronograph movement
  • Production of the Valjoux 7730 series ends; the First Moscow Watch Factory (Poljot) is producing Cal. 3133, a copy of Valjoux (Vénus) Cal. 7734, in 1975
  • Lemania introduces Cal. 5100, an automatic cam-switching chronograph movement with hour counter, 24 hour hand, and day/date

1975

  • ETA introduces the “Flatline” 2890 Family of movements (designed by Anton Bally) at 12.5 ligne (28.0 mm) diameter

1977

  • Production of the Valjoux 7750 ends

1978

  • Production of the El Primero by Zenith ends, with the tooling stored in the attic at the company’s headquarters

1980s: Re-Birth of Mechanical Movements

1982

  • Nouvelle Lemania is brought under Groupe Horloger Breguet after being spun out of SSIH the year before
  • ETA revises the workhorse 2800 Family of movements, including Cal. 2824-2 and Cal. 2836-2

1983

  • Lemania introduces Cal. 1883, a cam-switching chronograph movement with moon phase
  • ETA reduces the diameter of the 2890 Family to 11.5 ligne (25.60 mm)

1985

  • IWC introduces Kurt Klaus’ Da Vinci automatic perpetual calendar chronograph

1986

  • Zenith restarts production of the El Primero automatic chronograph, now known as Cal. 40.0

1987

  • F. Piguet introduces Cal. 1180, an ultra-thin chronograph movement

1988

F. Piguet’s Cal. 1185 was the thinnest automatic chronograph movement produced to date
  • F. Piguet introduces Cal. 1185, an ultra-thin automatic chronograph movement

1989

  • F. Piguet introduces an ultra-thin automatic rattrapante chronograph movement for Blancpain, which would be released as Cal. 1186 for other makers in 1994

1992

  • ETA introduces the 2893 travel time movements

1994

  • Lemania introduces Cal. 1350, an automatic cam-switching chronograph movement
  • Zenith introduces the Elite family of automatic movements

1996

  • ETA introduces Cal. 2894-2, a compact automatic chronograph movement
  • ETA introduces Cal. 2892A2

2003

  • ETA introduces the compact 10.5 ligne Cal. 2094, an automatic chronograph movement based on Cal. 2004-1

2004

  • ETA introduces the “big date” Cal. 2826-2

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Links

  • Grail Watch
  • Watch Wiki
  • WatchBase

Popular Movements

  • ETA 2893-2
  • SW330-2
  • Landeron 248
  • Seiko 6L35
  • Seiko 6R35
  • ETA 2824-2
  • ETA 2894-2
  • Accutron 214
  • Accutron 218
  • Seiko 4R39

Popular Families

  • Sellita SW200 Family
  • Sellita SW500 Family
  • Landeron 48 Family
  • Valjoux 23/72 Family