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You are here: Home / Families / ETA Gabarit 2850 Family

ETA Gabarit 2850 Family

Last Update: April 16, 2020

BRANDS: ETA

Production:  – 
1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
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In the 1970s, two Ebauches SA subsidiaries, ETA and FHF, produced lines of movements that were designed to be interchangeable. These “Gabarit” (“Template” in English) movement families were ETA’s 2850 and FHF’s 400. Although newer in design than the ETA 2800 family, the ETA 2850 came too late and the project was cancelled after a short production period of just a few years.

Hand-Winding
21,600 A/h
Hand-Winding
28,800 A/h
Automatic
21,600 A/h
Automatic
28,800 A/h
Time-OnlyETA 2851ETA 2850ETA 2871ETA 2870
DateETA 2853ETA 2852ETA 2873ETA 2872
Day-DateETA 2859ETA 2858ETA 2879ETA 2878

The ETA Gabarit movements share most components of the day and date complication, as well as the hour wheel, with the earlier ETA 2800 family, including the modern ETA 2836. The clutch wheel and winding pinion are from the ETA 2750, the minute wheel and balance lever are shared with the ETA 2600 family, and the cannon pinion is shared with the ETA 2500. The remainder of the movement is unique to the Gabarit family.

ETA 2390/2450 FamilyETA 2500/2600 FamilyETA 2750 FamilyETA 2800 FamilyETA “Gabarit” 2850 Family
Decade1950s-1960s1960s-1970s1969-19821971-current1975-1980s
Size10.5-11.511.5-1311.511.5-1311.5
Speed18,00018,000-36,00021,600-28,80021,600-36,00021,600-28,800
Common ExamplesETA 2390
ETA 2406
ETA 2450
ETA 2454
ETA 2471
ETA 2500
ETA 2600
ETA 2620
ETA 2632
ETA 2732
ETA 2750
ETA 2760
ETA 2770
ETA 2780
ETA 2790
ETA 2801
ETA 2824
ETA 2826
ETA 2834
ETA 2836
ETA 2850
ETA 2858
ETA 2870
ETA 2872
ETA 2878

ETA Gabarit Project

ETA’s “Gabarit” (“Template”) movement project came to fruition in 1975 with the launch of the ETA 2850 and FHF 400 families of movements. These were designed to share many characteristics so as to be interchangeable. Both were 11.5 ligne movements that measured 4.30 mm thick (hand-winding) or 5.50 mm thick (automatic). Some components were even interchangeable across manufacturers.

The Gabarit movements specifically shared the following characteristics:

  • Case fitting and overall diameter (11.5 ligne or 25.60 mm)
  • Overall movement height (4.30 mm or 5.50 mm)
  • Position and size of case-fitting bead and bridge beveling
  • Position of the winding stem, dial feet, and movement fixing screws
  • Position and size of the day and date windows (if fitted)
  • Dial camber
  • Height and fitting of hands (two hand heights offered)

Both the ETA 2850 and FHF 400 movement families were available by 1976 in either hand-winding or automatic versions. Although ETA created a time-only automatic movement (Cal. 2870/2871), FHF did not. ETA also created both 21,600 A/h and 28,800 A/h varieties, but FHF only produced 28,800 A/h movements in this series. The automatic day/date Cal. 2878 is most commonly seen.

ETA/ESA also offered a line of compatible Gabarit Quartz movements as well. Cal. 9361 and 9362 were the same size as the automatic Gabarit movements and boasted the same features, including day and date calendar with instant date change and hacking seconds. By that time, ETA also offered the Cal. 952 “Manufacture Quartz” and Cal. 954 “Flatline Quartz” which were thinner than the 5.50 mm Gabarit, at 4.50 and 3.70 mm, respectively. The main difference was runtime: The Gabarit could run for 5 or even 10 years on a single battery!

From Mechanical to Quartz

In the 1970s, ETA Director Fritz Scholl decided to bring together the mechanical capabilities of ETA with the electronics leadership of EEM and the CEH. This project would bring ETA into the quartz era by adding quartz timing and a Lavet stepper motor to existing mechanical wheel trains. This task largely fell on talented engineer Anton Bally, who had created the ETA 2892 movement and would become Chairman and President of ETA in 1985.

Bally’s first quartz movement was Cal. 9362, the first Swiss movement with a Lavet stepper motor. It was based on the day-date Cal. 2872 of the ETA Gabarit family, the thickness of which gave extra room to integrate this new timing technology. But the date complication was derived directly from that in Cal. 2836, an earlier ETA design. The stepper motor was produced in Switzerland based on the design of French firm Léon Hatot and the integrated circuit came from ETA partner Faselec. The similar Cal. 9361 lacked the day wheel. These were sold under the “Swissonic” name in 1976 but was called “Gabarit Quartz” by 1978.

Bally next turned to his recent “Flatline” design to create a thinner quartz movement. Cal. 940 used the hour and minute wheel, setting mechanism, and date complication of Cal. 2892 along with a new thin rotary stepper motor and 32 KHz quartz crystal. This was also initially sold under the “Swissonic” name in 1976 and 1977, but Cal. 940 would use the “Flatline Quartz” name after this.

Bally also developed a compact quartz movement for ladies watches. The 7.75 ligne Cal. 950 was based on ETA’s Cal. 2512 and measured just 3.1 mm thick. This made it one of the smallest quartz movements created to date by any company or nation.

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Calibre Start Year End Year Jewels Diameter (mm) Height (mm) Complications
ETA 2850 17 25.60 4.30
ETA 2851 17 25.60 4.30
ETA 2852 17 25.60 4.30 Date, Instant Date Change, Quick Date Correction
ETA 2853 17 25.60 4.30 Date, Instant Date Change, Quick Date Correction
ETA 2858 17 25.60 4.30 Bilingual Day Wheel, Date, Day, Instant Date Change, Instant Day Change, Quick Date Correction, Quick Day Correction
ETA 2859 17 25.60 4.30 Bilingual Day Wheel, Date, Day, Instant Date Change, Instant Day Change, Quick Date Correction
ETA 2870 17, 21, 25 25.60 5.50
ETA 2871 17, 21, 25 25.60 5.50
ETA 2872 17, 21, 25 25.60 5.50 Date, Instant Date Change, Quick Date Correction
ETA 2873 17, 21, 25 25.60 5.50 Date, Instant Date Change, Quick Date Correction
ETA 2878 17, 21, 25 25.60 5.50 Bilingual Day Wheel, Date, Day, Instant Date Change, Instant Day Change, Quick Date Correction, Quick Day Correction
ETA 2879 17, 21, 25 25.60 5.50 Bilingual Day Wheel, Date, Day, Instant Date Change, Instant Day Change, Quick Date Correction, Quick Day Correction

ETA 2850

ETA 2851

ETA 2852

ETA 2853

ETA 2858

ETA 2859

ETA 2870

ETA 2871

ETA 2872

ETA 2873

ETA 2878

ETA 2879

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