Introduced in 2020, the Soprod “Newton” is an inexpensive Swiss movement designed for mass production. It is a modern movement and does not appear to be related to the earlier Soprod A10 family, which was based on a Seiko design. Key elements include a full balance bridge supporting the exposed balance at 6:00, a robust design with plates over most gears, and a central winding rotor supported by five ball bearings and a single screw.
The initial movement, with 23 jewels and date, was identified as the Cal. P092. A version with 22 jewels and without the date complication was selected by Serica for their Ref. 5303 Dive Watch, though it is not identified by number.
Soprod Newton Family Overview
Introduced in 2020, the Soprod “Newton” family is an inexpensive Swiss movement designed for mass production. It is a modern movement and does not appear to be related to the earlier Soprod A10 family, which was based on a Seiko design. Key elements include a full balance bridge supporting the exposed balance at 6:00, suggesting that an open heart version is also in the works.
The Newton by Soprod is offered in two quality versions:
- “Sophisticated” – Plus or minus 7 seconds per day, adjusted in 3 positions
- “Top-Flight” – Plus or minus 4 seconds per day, adjusted in 5 positions
Each movement is tested by Dubois Laboratory and earns a “Chronofiable Certificate” after a number of tests.
Soprod’s previous offering was an ultra-thin automatic based on the Seiko 4L25 design. Introduced in 2004, the Alternance 10 (later called A10 or M100) was a high-end movement with advanced features and a radically different design more competitive with the ETA 2892A2. In contrast, the Newton is thicker and more plain in design. Notable differences, apart from the use of a full balance bridge, include the location of most components below plates and bridges on the top and a single-screw rotor with five ball bearings (unlike the triple-screw, 7-ball A10). This places it in competition with the common ETA 2824-2 (and similar Sellita SW200-1) in mainstream watches. But the Newton is quite different in design from this movement as well, with a smaller balance on the opposite side and the bridge.