Ebauches S.A. 1928 watch movements catalogue

Deniss Fedotovs, 24.08.2025., 21:11

In 1928, the first catalogue of watch movement calibers produced by Ebauches S.A. companies was published. This was the first known specialized movements catalogue containing information from multiple manufacturers. The catalogue had almost 300 pages and featured more than 500 movement images with parts lists from A. Schild, FHF, A. Michel, Felsa, Aurore-Villeret, Sonceboz, Landeron, Venus, and Berger.

It included early cylinder escapement movements, trench watch movements, key-wind movements, and 8-day movements for both pocket watches and wristwatches - many of which were previously unknown or poorly documented. According to the catalogue’s preface, by 1928 more than 50% of Swiss watches contained movements produced by Ebauches S.A.

Ebauches S.A. 1928 catalogue

Ebauches S.A. was created in 1926 as a holding company, with the initial members being A. Schild AG (AS), Adolphe Michel SA (AM), and Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF). In 1927 Hora SA, Sonceboz, Charles Hahn & Cie, and Landeron - along with other smaller makers - joined. The following year, Felsa SA, Venus SA, and additional companies became members.

Brands represented in Ebauches SA 1928 catalogue

Until recently, much of the information about the calibers listed in the 1928 catalogue had never been published online, and many of these movements were either unidentified or misidentified. This made it difficult to find spare parts or donor movements for repairing broken watches.

Typical page of Ebauches SA 1928 catalogue

For those without access to The Watchmakers App, a reprint of the 1928 Ebauches S.A. catalogue published in Berlin in 2019 in a limited edition of just 1,000 copies is available on Amazon and Flume website.

Since 1928, Ebauches S.A. continued publishing movement caliber catalogues containing information about newly produced movements. Three more catalogues were issued in the 1930s, and around ten more (not including supplements) followed until Ebauches S.A. came to an end in the 1980s, becoming part of ETA. Some of these catalogues, especially the earliest ones, are now practically impossible to find.

Information about all movements listed in Ebauches S.A. 1928 catalogue is already available in The Watchmakers App.

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