This thread from last Fall got me thinking:

Archives > Someone wasnt happy w their Squale watch lol

I read that the lower grades of their movements are made in China. Saw some top grade movements on eBay. How much better are the top grade movements, and are they interchangeable? What says the hive?

More like China is copying the movement.

Real 2824-2 movements are still made in Switzerland.

OP- let's talk about what kind of timepiece excites you and your budget. If you can pay more than $3k or so, the options open up dramatically.

3-5k. Get an omega speedmaster professional. It was on the moon and is probably the entry point for a watch with some history and legitimacy in haute horology.

4-6k in the wallet? Like something sporty. A chronograph, you say? Try a Zenith chronomaster with an El primero movement in it. One of the first chronographs to beat at 36k hz. Storied history including being under the hood of the famous Rolex Daytona for several years. Reliable and beautiful.

6-9k. Feeling a little more refined? Why not one of the jaeger Lecoultre in house movements they have to offer in the master series? The master ultra thin moon is beloved by collectors and can be versatile with a different watch band. The new JLC geophysic true second has a completely new movement with an H shaped balance wheel and "dead beat" complication.

...

Thanks for the replies- helps to broaden my horizons. Could some of the parts of them come from China?

ETA movements are Swiss made.

And only sold in new watches... anyone who said different is from a place you don't want to do bidness with.

The standard ETA 2824 currently is made in 4 grades, Standard, Elaboré, Top, and Chronometre. There's a discussion of them here.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f2/smoke-mirrors-part-1-eta-grades-explained-458060.html

It's not true that there are no loose movements out there to be had. The Swatch group has been trying to stop selling movements or repair parts to anyone outside of their company for a while now. There's a new agreement in place that has them selling fewer and fewer until 2020 when they are to quit selling them at all. So there are still brand new ETA movement out there for sale at materials houses and so on.

I've had the Chinese fakes of the ETA movements apart and had a good look at them. They just keep getting better as time goes on. They're still not nearly as well made as the genuine article. The patents on the ETA 28xx series of movements ran out years ago so now that Swatch has stopped selling movements and parts there are "clones" being made in Switzerland from Selitta and Soprod that are very good quality.

I can buy them, but I have a parts account.

Nearly every time piece with a "Eta" advertised that I looked at or read into had "cloned" components.

If you can get a real movement, do tell... how much do those go for these days?

Minus shipping a 2824-2 is $305.98 at my supplier.

And no I will not buy them to resell them. I like having my parts account.