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Sellita are a brand that makes mechanical movements for watches. They are headquartered in the heartland of watch royalty, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Sellita has a rich history of watchmaking and are an expert in the field of automatic movements, having been contracted by ETA to assemble movements since 1950. Although this deal is no longer in place Sellita has not suffered too much from the fallout.

In fact, due to expired patents on specific ETA calibers (mentioned later), Sellita has been able to reproduce original ETA movements to an extremely high standard and began to compete for non-Swatch group related business. As soon as each movement reaches the end of its patent lifespan (20 years), it becomes eligible to be replicated by other companies. Although not all Sellita movements are based on expired patents, the vast majority of their movements are.

Furthermore, the Swatch group may not want to provide their ETA movements to specific brands for competitive reasons. This has further opened the door for companies like Sellita to do business with them.

Are Sellita Movements Reliable?

Yes, Sellita movements are very reliable. During the early 2000s, the reputation of Sellita was mixed to say the least. However, when comparing Sellita with any other watch movement manufacturing company in present day, the closest match by far would be ETA. This is in terms of accuracy, reliability, country of manufacture, or literally any other metric you can think of.

In short, Sellita produces movements that are not quite up to the standard of ETA, but are 99% of the way there. It is for this reason that many watch brands who are not in the Swatch group have switched their supplier of movements to Sellita. They are offered a very similar quality movement for a cheaper price. If Swiss brands did not have faith in the capabilities of Sellita, they would not have risked their own reputation by switching. This is the firmest evidence in terms of Sellita being a top quality watch movement manufacturer.

Where Are Sellita Movements Made?

Sellita movements are made in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, where the company is headquartered. This allows them to produce “Swiss made” movements.

How Much Do Sellita Movements Cost?

Sellita movements cost anywhere from approximately $150-$400 depending on the complications involved. At the lowest end of this range, you will have a standard workhorse movement such as the SW-200. Towards the upper end of this range, you will have a movement such as the SW-500 which has a chronograph function.

Much like ETA, servicing a Sellita movement by an independent watchmaker will also begin at a cost of around $150. This will also increase as you begin to add complications that also need servicing such as a chronograph or moonphase.

Who Owns Sellita Movements?

Sellita was originally owned by Pierre Grandjean, but the business was sold to Miguel Garcia in 2002. This sale came at a time when ETA began to restrict certain movements from assembly by Sellita, throttling the company and making their future extremely uncertain.

However, the company has since grown from strength to strength and is 100% owned by the aforementioned Miguel Garcia. This is as unusual as it is impressive, to own a company the size of Sellita without outside sponsorships or foreign investors.

What Brands Use Sellita Movements?

There are many brands that have switched their movement provider to Sellita since they proved that they can replicate ETA movements to a high specification.

Examples of some brands that now use ETA movements in their watches are:

• Tudor
• Raymond Weil
• IWC
• Oris
• Tag Heuer
• Hublot
• Sinn
• Alpina

The Most Commonly Used & Iconic Sellita Movements

SW-200

The SW-200 movement is the main staple of the Sellita company. Much like the ETA 2824-2, which this movement is based on, it is built to be a cheap and effective introduction into the world of Swiss movements.

Much like the ETA 2824-2, the SW-200 also has 4 different levels of competency for this movement. These vary a LOT in their accuracy from +/- 30 seconds up to Swiss COSC standard.

As one of the most inexpensive Swiss mechanical movements there are, the SW-200 can be picked up for approximately $80 online.

Some watches that have used, or still use the SW-200 are:

• Invicta Grand Diver Reserve
• Mercer Airfoil
• Glycine Incursore
• Edox Grand Ocean
• Christopher Ward C60 Trident

SW-300

Much like many other Sellita movements, the SW-300 is based on yet another ETA model, in this case the 2892-2. There are two different variations of the SW-300 other than the main movement which include a seconds subdial at the 6 o’clock position and also a GMT version.

This movement is quite a step up from the SW-200 and is preferred by some of the luxury watch manufacturers due to its slimline body alongside its accuracy and reliability.

If you want to purchase a brand new or replacement SW-300 movement, it will cost you around $280, which is significantly more costly than an SW-200.

Some examples of watches that use the Sellita SW-300 are:

• Glycine Airman GMT
• Montblanc Timewalker
• Monta Triumph
• IWC Portofino

SW-500

Originally this movement was made by Valjoux and known as the 7750. The SW-500 is more or less a clone of the ETA 7750, which is essentially the same movement with some very minor changes. Widely known as one of the best chronograph movements ever made, the SW-500 is favored by many luxury level watch brands who can choose to modify the movement to meet their own expectations.

If you wish to buy a replacement SW-500, it will cost you around $350, which is $25 cheaper than an ETA 7750.

Some examples of various watches and brands that use the SW-500 are as follows:

• Hamilton Khaki Chronograph
• Raymond Weil Parisfal
• Victorinox Airboss
• Bulova Gemini
• Laco Monte Carlo
• Jacques Lemans Liverpool