Concepto Watch Factory could pick up ETA's slack

Founded in 2006, the Concepto watch manufacture has created a modular watch movement, modeled after the famous Valjoux 7750, the C2000. And best of all, it is available in seventy variations. I don't know about you, but I for one, am a fan of some of the smaller more affordable watch brands that use Valjoux 7750 and other similar base movements. This keeps the cost down, and allows consumers, like myself, to purchase reliable, quality mechanical watches, for a reasonable price. In speaking with the owner of Maurice de Mauriac, Daniel Dreifuss, he says, "even if the price on 7750 movements go up, we will be fine". However, many brands, at even lower price points are not saying the same thing. Many more affordable brands, in the $2,000 and below price range, could be negatively impacted by increased ETA/Valjoux prices and decreased production.

This is where the Concepto Watch Factory comes in. With seventy variations on their C2000 movement, even column wheel chronographs and tourbillons are available. This could easily become the one stop shop for base movements, that ETA once was (and still is, although they are trying to change this). Now that ETA wants no part of this market, Concepto appears to be positioned well for this significant change on the procurement side of the watch market. It is crazy to me that Swatch, who owns ETA and numerous other watch production facilities, would want to throw away a $300-$400 million business. And I think in the end, it is really just a way for them to hike up prices, while squeezing out less significant wannabe watchmakers. Either way, I applaud Concepto for having the foresight to predict this urgent need, and I hope they can maintain the demand and quality required.