What is the difference between a movement, an ebauche, and a caliber?
A movement is the completed, finished individual mechanism contained inside the case of the watch, not including the case or dial itself, which is responsible for keeping time. An ebauche is typically understood to mean a “raw” or unassembled, unfinished movement, including the major structural components (plates, bridges) and sometimes parts of the wheel train and other moving parts. A caliber is the collective name given to a series of movements of the same design. Many watch companies will purchase complete movements from a major supplier such as ETA or Lemania, engrave their company’s name and other information onto them, and encase it with their own or even contractor-supplied cases. This practice can be up-front – where the company acknowledges that the movements are not of their own design or manufacture, or it can be hidden – where the watch company claims to use “in-house” movements when the movements are in no way designed or manufactured internally. Some watch companies will
