Movement Matters: Why the Same Watch at Different Prices

Two watches sit on a counter. Same diameter, same style, same complication. One costs $500. The other costs $10,000.

Why?

The answer, more often than not, is the movement. The engine inside the case — invisible unless you flip it over — accounts for most of the price difference in mechanical watches. Understanding movements is understanding why some watches cost what they do.

The Movement Hierarchy

Not all movements are created equal. Here's the hierarchy from least to most expensive:

Level 1: Quartz ($0–$500 contribution to price)

Quartz movements use a battery and vibrating crystal to keep time. They're accurate, cheap, and require minimal maintenance.

Characteristics:

• Accuracy: +/- 15 seconds per month (typically)
• Power: Battery (2–5 year life)
• Service: Battery replacement every few years ($10–$50)
• Finishing: None visible (movement is hidden)

Examples: Most watches under $500, Tissot quartz, basic fashion watches

Price impact: Minimal. A quartz movement adds $20–$100 to production costs.

Level 2: Basic Mechanical (ETA/Miyota) ($200–$600 contribution)

Mass-produced mechanical movements from a few major suppliers power most watches between $500 and $3,000.

ETA (Swiss):

• ETA 2824-2: Workhorse automatic, powers hundreds of brands
• ETA 7750: Standard chronograph movement
• ETA 2892: Thinner, higher-quality automatic

Miyota (Japanese):

• Miyota 9015: Automatic, smooth operation
• Miyota 8215: Budget automatic

Characteristics:

• Accuracy: +/- 10–20 seconds per day (COSC: +/- 4–6 sec/day)
• Power reserve: 40–48 hours (Powermatic 80: 80 hours)
• Service: $200–$400 every 5–7 years
• Finishing: Basic, industrial

Examples: Hamilton, Tissot, Oris, most microbrands

Price impact: $200–$600 retail contribution. These movements cost $50–$200 wholesale.

Level 3: Premium Calibers (Modified ETA/Sellita) ($400–$1,500 contribution)

Some brands take ETA/Sellita base movements and significantly modify them — adding complications, improving finishing, or enhancing performance.

Examples:

• Omega Co-Axial calibers (based on ETA, heavily modified)
• Tudor calibers (based on ETA, now in-house)
• Longines exclusive calibers

Characteristics:

• Accuracy: COSC or better
• Power reserve: 50–80 hours
• Service: $300–$600 every 5–8 years
• Finishing: Upgraded decoration

Price impact: $400–$1,500 retail contribution.

Level 4: In-House Automatic ($2,000–$10,000 contribution)

Brands that design and manufacture their own movements add significant value — and cost.

Examples:

• Rolex 3200 series (3230, 3235, etc.)
• Grand Seiko 9S series
• Jaeger-LeCoultre calibers
• A. Lange & Söhne calibers

Characteristics:

• Accuracy: Superior regulation
• Power reserve: 55–70+ hours typical
• Service: $500–$1,500 every 7–10 years
• Finishing: High-quality decoration

Price impact: $2,000–$10,000 retail contribution. Development costs are amortized over years of production.

Level 5: Haute Horlogerie ($10,000–$100,000+ contribution)

The pinnacle — movements with complex complications, exceptional finishing, and small-batch production.

Examples:

• Patek Philippe complications (perpetual calendar, minute repeater)
• A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complications
• F.P. Journe movements
• Independent watchmakers

Characteristics:

• Hand-finished to the highest standards
• Complex mechanisms (hundreds of additional parts for complications)
• Small production numbers
• Often unique technical innovations

Price impact: Dominant factor. The movement is the watch.

Why In-House Costs More

"In-house" has become a marketing buzzword, but it represents real value:

Development Investment

Designing a movement from scratch costs $10–$50 million and takes 3–5 years. This investment must be recovered across production runs. A brand making 50,000 watches annually has different economics than one making 500,000.

Manufacturing Infrastructure

Making movements requires:

• CNC machines for parts production
• Clean rooms for assembly
• Specialized tooling
• Skilled watchmakers

Building and maintaining this capability is expensive.

Quality Control

In-house production means in-house accountability. When something fails, the brand can't blame a supplier. This drives quality standards higher.

Supply Security

Brands dependent on ETA/Sellita face supply constraints and competition. In-house movements provide independence and consistency.

Marketing Value

"In-house movement" is a selling point. It signifies investment, commitment, and capability that casual observers recognize as premium.

Movement Finishing: What You're Seeing

When you look at a display-back watch, you're seeing movement finishing — the decorative treatment of visible surfaces.

Basic Finishing (ETA-Level)

• Brushed surfaces
• Machine-applied textures
• Functional but not decorative

Mid-Level Finishing (Tudor, Oris)

• Côtes de Genève (Geneva stripes)
• Sunburst patterns on rotor
• Polished screw heads
• Some beveling on edges

High-Level Finishing (Grand Seiko, JLC)

• Hand-applied or hand-polished Côtes de Genève
• Sharp beveling with polished edges
• Polished countersinks on jewels
• Heat-blued screws
• Engine-turned patterns

Exceptional Finishing (Patek, Lange)

• Every surface treated by hand
• Black polishing on steel components
• Sharp interior angles (difficult to polish)
• Engraved details
• Exhibition-quality from every angle

Finishing doesn't affect timekeeping, but it represents craftsmanship, time investment, and care. The price difference between a $5,000 watch and a $50,000 watch is often visible in the finishing.

Practical Implications

Which Movement Level Do You Need?

For Daily Wear:
ETA/Sellita is perfectly adequate. These movements are reliable, serviceable worldwide, and accurate enough for any practical purpose. A $1,000 Hamilton keeps time as effectively as a $10,000 Rolex in daily life.

For Collecting:
In-house movements add collectability, brand coherence, and often better long-term value retention. They represent investment in the watch as an object.

For Enthusiasts:
Movement finishing and complexity become part of the enjoyment. A Lange & Söhne isn't "better" than a Hamilton for telling time — but examining its movement is a different experience.

Service Considerations

ETA/Sellita advantages:

• Parts available worldwide
• Any qualified watchmaker can service
• Parts cost is modest

In-house considerations:

• Often must be serviced by the brand
• Longer service times (4–12 weeks not uncommon)
• Higher service costs
• Parts availability dependent on brand support

Movement and Value: Real Examples

Same Case, Different Movements

Omega Seamaster 300M:

• Previous generation (ETA-based): $3,000–$3,500 pre-owned
• Current generation (8800 in-house): $3,800–$4,500 pre-owned
• Price premium for in-house: ~$500–$1,000

Tudor Black Bay:

• Pre-2016 (ETA 2824): $2,200–$2,800 pre-owned
• Post-2016 (MT5602 in-house): $3,200–$3,800 pre-owned
• Price premium for in-house: ~$800–$1,000

Movement as Value Driver

Grand Seiko vs. Swiss at Same Price:
At $4,000–$6,000, Grand Seiko offers:

• In-house movements (9S, 9R, 9F series)
• Exceptional finishing (Zaratsu polishing)
• High accuracy (Spring Drive: +/- 1 sec/day)

At the same price, Swiss brands often offer:

• Modified ETA movements
• Good but not exceptional finishing
• Standard COSC accuracy

The Grand Seiko represents better movement value at the price point — though Swiss brands may offer other advantages (brand recognition, design, resale).

Questions to Ask

When evaluating a watch's movement value:

1. What's the Base Caliber?

Is it ETA/Sellita, heavily modified, or truly in-house? Marketing can obscure this.

2. What's the Power Reserve?

Modern in-house movements typically offer 50–70+ hours. Basic ETA offers 40 hours. Longer reserves are more practical.

3. What's the Stated Accuracy?

COSC certification requires +4/-6 seconds per day. Grand Seiko specifies +5/-3 seconds per day for 9S Hi-Beat. Rolex Superlative Chronometer: +2/-2 seconds per day.

4. Can You See It?

Display casebacks let you evaluate finishing yourself. Solid casebacks hide what may or may not be worth hiding.

5. What's the Service Path?

Who can service it? What does it cost? How long does it take?

The Value Calculation

When considering two similar watches at different prices, calculate:

Price difference ÷ Years of ownership = Annual cost of upgrade

Example: $5,000 watch with ETA vs. $8,000 watch with in-house

• Difference: $3,000
• Expected ownership: 10 years
• Annual cost of "upgrade": $300/year

Is the in-house movement worth $300/year to you? Only you can answer.

Finding Movement Value

Some watches offer exceptional movement value — in-house calibers, strong finishing, and fair pricing. These often come from:

• Grand Seiko: 9S and 9R movements at $3,000–$6,000
• Tudor: MT5 series movements at $3,000–$4,000
• Nomos: Alpha and Epsilon calibers at $1,500–$3,500
• JLC Reverso: Manufacture movements at $4,500–$7,000 pre-owned

Price tracking through Dealhound can help identify when these value propositions become even more attractive on the pre-owned market.

Final Thoughts

Movement quality is the most important factor in mechanical watch pricing — but it's also the most invisible. You can't see it on the wrist. Most people will never notice.

So why does it matter?

Because a watch is more than a face. It's a machine, and the machine matters to those who care about machines. The finishing, the engineering, the decades of development — these are real things with real costs that translate into real prices.

Understanding movements means understanding what you're paying for. And that's the foundation of buying wisely.

Looking for watches with exceptional movement value? Dealhound tracks listings across major platforms and alerts you when target references drop below market.