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It’s a noteworthy fact that despite their great variety, most analog watch movements are made by one of three giant movement makers: ETA, Seiko or Citizen. The first is a Swiss company owned by the Swatch Group: the other two are Japanese firms. All three also make huge numbers of finished watches sold under many names all over the world. (Digital-watch movements, often called “modules,” are made by various companies many of which are in China.)

Most watch companies buy movements from an outside supplier, either a member of the big three or one of a handful of smaller movement makers, then assemble them with other components into finished watches and sell them under their own brand names. Not all movements are cased “off the rack,” so to speak. Some watch companies modify the movements they purchase, adding certain functions say a chronograph or calender for example. In most instances, companies purchase these add-on functions, often called “modules,” from an outside supplier, just as they do the main, or “base” movement. Watch manufacturers can also finish or decorate purchased movements, engraving patterns such as Geneva waves, also called “Geneva stripes” or “Cotes de Geneva,” on the movement plate or rotor.

The word “caliber” is used to specify a certain type and size of movement, either quartz or mechanical. Watch manufacturers sometimes assign their own caliber numbers to movements they have modified. A company might purchase say, a Valjoux 7750 which is a very popular automatic chronograph movement made by ETA, modify it and give it a new name.

Not all watch companies buy their movements from outside suppliers. Some make them from scratch. A company that makes at least one of the various movements it uses is called a “manufacture”, considered a prestigious designation by many watch connoisseurs.

Some watch companies seek to distinguish their watches by having them certified as “chronometers.” The chronometer designation is awarded by an independent testing agency in Switzerland called the Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres, abbreviated “C.O.S.C.” Watch companies send uncased movements to the agency, which subjects them to rigorous accuracy tests. About 1 million movements pass the tests each year and hence earn certification. The vast majority of them are mechanical movements, but a few are quartz.

Another honor bestowed on some watches, mechanical ones only is the Geneva Seal or Poincon de Geneve. A bureau in the Swiss city of Geneva issues the seal to movements on the basis of the quality of their workmanship. Only Geneva made movements can apply for the seal.

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