Concise Review of the Sellita SW 200-1 and Comparison with ETA 2824-2

[VWatchie]

I recently serviced my first Sellita movement, the SW 200-1 calibre. It was my very first Sellita movement, so it was a bit more exciting, especially since I could compare it with my experience of servicing and repairing several ETA movements, including the famous 2824-2.

The first time I heard about this movement, it was described—and still is—as an ETA clone. The impression I got back then was that the SW 200-1 was a fairly decent and relatively inexpensive copy, though it didn’t quite reach the same level of quality as the original.

After servicing it, however, I’m pleased to say that my overall impression is that Sellita's movement is at least as good and, in some aspects, even better than ETA’s.

When I disassembled the movement, the only unexpected thing was that the cap jewels and pallet stones were somewhat overoiled. Whether Sellita or someone else was responsible for this, I don’t know. Regardless, the movement performed well, but after seven years of 24/7 use by the previous owner, it was time for a service.

One thing I really appreciate about the Sellita SW 200-1 is how easy it is to pull the crown to its second position to set the date. There’s absolutely no risk of accidentally pulling the crown too far out. This, I believe, is an improvement introduced by Sellita. My memory of the corresponding function in ETA's movements is that it’s far too easy to overshoot, inadvertently stopping the watch when you only intend to set the date. In fact, it works about as well as on the Rolex calibre 3135, which is perfect in this regard.

ETA’s 2824-2 has 25 jewels, while Sellita’s SW 200-1 has 26 jewels. I’ve long been curious whether this difference was simply a way for Sellita to outdo ETA in the jewel-counting competition. To my delight, this turned out not to be the case. The extra jewel is placed exactly where, in my opinion, it does the best: as a bearing for the barrel arbor on the barrel bridge. Very nice!

It’s also my impression that the click spring is stronger in Sellita’s movements, to the point where it became a bit fiddly to fit the click itself. I think there’s a good reason for this. When the cogs of the winding pinion and sliding pinion begin to wear (which only happens when you manually wind the watch), the pressure from the click on the crown wheel (which can move sideways away from the ratchet wheel) needs to be high enough to prevent the teeth of the crown wheel from slipping over those of the ratchet wheel. This could result in the ratchet wheel losing grip on the mainspring (not good!). This issue only manifests when you wind the watch manually. I’ve written about this issue in this thread/post. In short, I believe Sellita has solved this problem by making the click spring stiffer.

Another sign of good manufacturing precision is the wonderful feeling when setting the time. The play you almost always feel in the crown of ETA movements is almost completely eliminated. It’s not at all stiff, just very precise.

What unfortunately doesn’t impress me is Sellita’s assembly instructions. However, the documentation, unlike ETA’s, includes several exploded diagrams with part measurements. Personally, I don’t find this particularly useful, although it’s a nice touch. As for the assembly instructions themselves, there’s certainly room for improvement.

The documentation is not particularly easy to understand and contain a few outright mistakes, such as showing that the escape wheel bearing on the main plate should first be oiled with 9010 and then with HP-1300. ETA isn’t entirely free from this issue, but their documentation is significantly more useful. And, of course, there’s nothing stopping you from using ETA’s documentation, as both movements are built in exactly the same way. This is something I actually recommend if you’re not experienced enough to not need the documentation.

All in all, I would recommend the Sellita SW 200-1 over the ETA 2824-2. Not least because spare parts are readily available for independent watchmakers, meaning owners of watches with Sellita movements can generally expect faster and cheaper service and repairs. This also means they’re not dependent on the Swatch Group, which owns ETA, as well as brands like Hamilton, Tissot, Omega, Longines, Rado, Certina, Mido, and others, and doesn’t sell parts to independent watchmakers. In this respect, it’s better to choose a watch that houses a Sellita movement from brands like Oris, Baume & Mercier, Maurice Lacroix, Christopher Ward, or Stowa, to name a few.

Additionally, ETA has started using plastic in some of its movements, which, for me at least, is a red flag and something I struggle to associate with high-quality Swiss movements. Thankfully, as far as I know, Sellita's movements are entirely free of plastic.

Thanks for reading!

Edited April 6 by VWatchie

[RichardHarris123]

I need to read several or as many documents as possible to form an opinion, well aware of bias, both in myself and others.  My conclusion, without working on a Stellita movement is they are just as good, as ETA, if not better (subjective). At least parts are freely available  

Edited February 5 by RichardHarris123

[tomh207]

The bit about the Sellita movement being as good or in some parts improved is less of a surprise when you find out that they were for many years the primary manufacturer of ETA movements. Not clones but actual ETA movements. When ETA stopped the partnership the movements we consider work horse ETA movements had gone out of patent. So if your company is wholly setup to make a range of movements that are no longer IP restricted? well it does rather make sense to make some improvements your engineering team have identified and carry on manufacturing in your own name. Sellita also do design and manufacture of movements for other Swiss brands not ETA “clones” but I have not found any connections to others. More secretive than Swiss banks.

Tom

[Knebo]

1 hour ago, VWatchie said:

I recently serviced my first Sellita movement, the SW 200-1 calibre. It was my very first Sellita movement, so it was a bit more exciting, especially since I could compare it with my experience of servicing and repairing several ETA movements, including the famous 2824-2.

The first time I heard about this movement, it was described—and still is—as an ETA clone. The impression I got back then was that the SW 200-1 was a fairly decent and relatively inexpensive copy, though it didn’t quite reach the same level of quality as the original.

After servicing it, however, I’m pleased to say that my overall impression is that Sellita's movement is at least as good and, in some aspects, even better than ETA’s.

When I disassembled the movement, the only unexpected thing was that the cap jewels and pallet stones were somewhat overoiled. Whether Sellita or someone else was responsible for this, I don’t know. Regardless, the movement performed well, but after seven years of 24/7 use by the previous owner, it was time for a service.

One thing I really appreciate about the Sellita SW 200-1 is how easy it is to pull the crown to its second position to set the date. There’s absolutely no risk of accidentally pulling the crown too far out. This, I believe, is an improvement introduced by Sellita. My memory of the corresponding function in ETA's movements is that it’s far too easy to overshoot, inadvertently stopping the watch when you only intend to set the date. In fact, it works about as well as on the Rolex calibre 3135, which is perfect in this regard.

ETA’s 2824-2 has 25 jewels, while Sellita’s SW 200-1 has 26 jewels. I’ve long been curious whether this difference was simply a way for Sellita to outdo ETA in the jewel-counting competition. To my delight, this turned out not to be the case. The extra jewel is placed exactly where, in my opinion, it does the best: as a bearing for the barrel arbor on the barrel bridge. Very nice!

It’s also my impression that the click spring is stronger in Sellita’s movements, to the point where it became a bit fiddly to fit the click itself. I think there’s a good reason for this. When the cogs of the winding pinion and sliding pinion begin to wear (which only happens when you manually wind the watch), the pressure from the click on the crown wheel (which can move sideways away from the ratchet wheel) needs to be high enough to prevent the teeth of the crown wheel from slipping over those of the ratchet wheel. This could result in the ratchet wheel losing grip on the mainspring (not good!). This issue only manifests when you wind the watch manually. I’ve written about this issue in this thread/post. In short, I believe Sellita has solved this problem by making the click spring stiffer.

Another sign of good manufacturing precision is the wonderful feeling when setting the time. The play you almost always feel in the crown of ETA movements is almost completely eliminated. It’s not at all stiff, just very precise.

What unfortunately doesn’t impress me is Sellita’s assembly instructions. However, the documentation, unlike ETA’s, includes several exploded diagrams with part measurements. Personally, I don’t find this particularly useful, although it’s a nice touch. As for the assembly instructions themselves, there’s certainly room for improvement.

The documentation is not particularly easy to understand and contain a few outright mistakes, such as showing that the escape wheel bearing on the main plate should first be oiled with 9010 and then with HP-1300. ETA isn’t entirely free from this issue, but their documentation is significantly more useful. And, of course, there’s nothing stopping you from using ETA’s documentation, as both movements are built in exactly the same way. This is something I actually recommend if you’re not experienced enough to not need the documentation.

All in all, I would recommend the Sellita SW 200-1 over the ETA 2824-2. Not least because spare parts are readily available for independent watchmakers, meaning owners of watches with Sellita movements can generally expect faster and cheaper service and repairs. This also means they’re not dependent on the Swatch Group, which owns ETA, as well as brands like Hamilton, Tissot, Omega, Longines, Rado, Certina, Mido, and others, and doesn’t sell parts to independent watchmakers. In this respect it’s better to choose a watch housing a Sellita movement from brands like Christopher Ward, Stowa, or Maurice Lacroix, just to name a few.

Additionally, ETA has started using plastic in some of its movements, which, for me at least, is a red flag and something I struggle to associate with high-quality Swiss movements. Thankfully, as far as I know, Sellita's movements are entirely free of plastic.

Thanks for reading!

That is an interesting comparison. Congratulations! 

[Jon]

Which grades of both movements were you comparing?

[mikepilk]

Nice to see the extra jewel on the barrel bridge. As a lot of the watches I service need some "hammertime" on the barrel bridge, it's surprising that it's not more common to have a jewel there.  I guess that a large jewel with a big hole is quite expensive to make and prone to cracking ?

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, Jon said:

Which grades of both movements were you comparing?

That's an interesting question and one I haven't thought much about. Googling "Maurice Lacroix ML115" I get this page:
https://calibercorner.com/maurice-lacroix-caliber-ml115/

This page says: "Grade: Special (Elaborated)"

Unfortunately, I don't know the grade of the ETA 2824-2 movements I've serviced. As far as I can remember, they were all from rather inexpensive watches. Not "top of the line". I guess the memories of other ETA calibres I've worked on (1080, 2472, 2763, 2772, 2804-2, 2836-2, and 2892) lurk in the back of my mind when comparing, so it may not be completely fair. Nevertheless, overall, the Sellita left me with an excellent impression, but I don't know if Maurice Lacroix has made any other changes to it than decorating the rotor. Finding detailed information isn't easy. As @tomh207 said: "More secretive than Swiss banks".

 

54 minutes ago, mikepilk said:

Nice to see the extra jewel on the barrel bridge. As a lot of the watches I service need some "hammertime" on the barrel bridge, it's surprising that it's not more common to have a jewel there.

I couldn't agree more. In my opinion, it should rather be the rule than the exception. As you point out, there are probably some disadvantages, but in my view, there are definitely more advantages than disadvantages.

[spectre6000]

I recently replaced the elabore grade 2824-2 in one of my dailies with a top grade SW200-2. The 2824 turned out to be modified in an unknown/unpublished way (extra long hand shafts) that required moving some parts around between movements. Zero (non-self-imposed) issues. The only difference between grades, as I recall, is in the escapement. Balance wheel and balance jewels. There's a middle grade, which I think has 100% to do with finishing, but I'm not certain about that off the top of my head. I knew that Sellita made ETA's movements for a long time, and wasn't at all concerned with there being any degradation in quality. The extra jewel was expected and appreciated. There's a difference in one of the plates, as I recall (a locating pin in lieu of a screw hole or something like that) as well. Mostly, I didn't want to throw any more money at ETA. Sellita will sell me parts, so I'll buy their movements (even if their parts will work on the ETA just fine). I'm all about right to repair, and Swatch is firmly affiliated with the dark side on that.

[tomh207]

@spectre6000 yes, iirc the primary differences from standard/elabore and top is the glycedur balance wheel, maybe a different spring. They are adjusted to different levels though, standard 2 positions, elabore 3 positions, top and chronometer 5 positions with the chronometer obviously having cosc testing and certification. I think chronometer is restricted and very expensive, I haven’t seen any for general sale.

 

Tom

[mikepilk]

I was looking up these numbers just the other day, as I've just finished working on an ETA movement and wanted to see the spec for  accuracy.  

The easy way to spot Top/Chrono grades is that the Glucydur balance has curved arms, as opposed to straight on the standard balance.  I read that the Chrono movements are stamped with a number. I've never come across one. 

From https://calibercorner.com/eta-grades/

 

[VWatchie]

13 hours ago, mikepilk said:

The easy way to spot Top/Chrono grades is that the Glucydur balance has curved arms, as opposed to straight on the standard balance.  I read that the Chrono movements are stamped with a number. I've never come across one.

Interestingly enough, the corresponding description for Sellita does not mention Glucydur.

It is claimed that the movement I serviced – Special – should have Novodiac but has Incabloc. I assume there are more variants than those mentioned, as the clients, in my case Maurice Lacroix, can specify how they want their movements.

Furthermore, I believe that the pallet stones in my movement are red rubies (not Polyrubies).

"Polyrubies: Often have a more muted or slightly cloudy red appearance. This can result from the polycrystalline structure and less refined production methods. The colour might not be as vivid or consistent.

Red Rubies (synthetic rubies): Typically exhibit a clear, deep red or pinkish-red colour due to their uniform crystalline structure and purity. They have a more transparent and vibrant appearance, often resembling natural rubies.

The colour difference isn't just cosmetic—it can indicate differences in quality and material properties."

[spectre6000]

23 hours ago, tomh207 said:

@spectre6000 yes, iirc the primary differences from standard/elabore and top is the glycedur balance wheel, maybe a different spring. They are adjusted to different levels though, standard 2 positions, elabore 3 positions, top and chronometer 5 positions with the chronometer obviously having cosc testing and certification. I think chronometer is restricted and very expensive, I haven’t seen any for general sale.

 

Tom

Balance wheel, yes. Not sure about hair spring. The shock settings are different as well. Memories are being poked at here a bit, and there might be some different jewels as well; not sure if that's in specific locations or throughout. I take the adjustment bit to be a matter of being able to get really consistent adjustments with the glucydur balance vs the lower grade nivachron, but could just be man hours. The top vs. chronometer difference is probably a matter of pulling off the movements that can be regulated out better and getting paper for them. May not even be a cull metric, but it wouldn't surprise me. I was surprised to be able to find top grades from both ETA and Sellita from a seller on eBay, and availed myself of them. A 7750 and a SW200-2.

21 hours ago, mikepilk said:

I was looking up these numbers just the other day, as I've just finished working on an ETA movement and wanted to see the spec for  accuracy.  

The easy way to spot Top/Chrono grades is that the Glucydur balance has curved arms, as opposed to straight on the standard balance.  I read that the Chrono movements are stamped with a number. I've never come across one. 

From https://calibercorner.com/eta-grades/

This is the quick and dirty way to tell them apart. I didn't know about the number, but that would make sense. Also never seen one in person. 

7 hours ago, VWatchie said:

Interestingly enough, the corresponding description for Sellita does not mention Glucydur.

It is claimed that the movement I serviced – Special – should have Novodiac but has Incabloc. I assume there are more variants than those mentioned, as the clients, in my case Maurice Lacroix, can specify how they want their movements.

Furthermore, I believe that the pallet stones in my movement are red rubies (not Polyrubies).

"Polyrubies: Often have a more muted or slightly cloudy red appearance. This can result from the polycrystalline structure and less refined production methods. The colour might not be as vivid or consistent.

Red Rubies (synthetic rubies): Typically exhibit a clear, deep red or pinkish-red colour due to their uniform crystalline structure and purity. They have a more transparent and vibrant appearance, often resembling natural rubies.

The colour difference isn't just cosmetic—it can indicate differences in quality and material properties."

Can confirm Sellita follows ETA with the balance spec on that.

I recall (and stated above up there) that the jewels might be different between the lower and higher grades. I didn't pay too much attention to the color of them while I had them in my hands though. The ETA (elabore grade) would for sure not have been specd with any special jewels. They didn't even spec it without the unused date function... though they did spec it with extra long hand shafts... Still, I doubt they'd make a change like that on that particular watch. 

[Kalanag]

Some further information on ETA grades:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/horology-101-eta-grades.77882/

[SwissSeiko]

My problem with Sellitas is the keyless works. Ive seen multiple issues with them, mostly stemming from the stud on the setting lever that sits in the stem being too short, and allowing the stem to be pulled from the watch unintentionally. The stud is visibly shorter than its ETA counterpart. I also don't like the setting lever spring being attached to the set bridge jumper. That's not a Sellita problem, just a complaint on the ETA design. But, being able to buy the parts also makes it a nice movement to service.

[VWatchie]

22 minutes ago, SwissSeiko said:

the stud on the setting lever that sits in the stem being too short, and allowing the stem to be pulled from the watch unintentionally.

I completely missed that. I'll have a closer look the next time. Thanks!

Edited February 12 by VWatchie

[spectre6000]

Do you have any documentation of this? I don't recall seeing anything like that, and I've not had problems with the stem pulling out on my daily. Seems like an odd change for Sellita to make. The other changes all have a clear logic.

[SwissSeiko]

3 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

Do you have any documentation of this? I don't recall seeing anything like that, and I've not had problems with the stem pulling out on my daily. Seems like an odd change for Sellita to make. The other changes all have a clear logic.

Next time I get a 2824 in, I'll mic the height of the pin. The SW200 I have in for service currently has this issue. I will either add a bit of height with my PUC welder, or drill out the pin and make a new one that is longer. It doesn't help to buy a replacement, as it will have the same problem.

[mikepilk]

If only you had posted yesterday I could have measured one - I just put together a 2824 today !

Could you fit a genuine ETA part, or are they hard to find?.  There are some on ebay, along with lots of 'Generic' setting levers from China which look pretty dodgy quality. 

 

 

[spectre6000]

I have a few spare 2824s kicking around. One is a -2, and the other I think is an original. The Sellita is in use though, and I don't really want to strip my daily down to measure the length of the pin. I might be able to find some time over this extended weekend (daughter doesn't have school today for some reason and I'm off with her, and Monday is Presidents' Day) to poke around. I also have to find time to figure out how to set up a Minecraft server for daughter, so... priorities.

[mikepilk]

1 hour ago, spectre6000 said:

I have a few spare 2824s kicking around. One is a -2, and the other I think is an original. 

Mine is an original, and the setting lever is different to the -2

1 hour ago, spectre6000 said:

 Monday is Presidents' Day)

I'd better not comment on that ..... unless you want to possibly learn some new swear words 

[spectre6000]

I don't think there are any that haven't been turning the air around here a deep azure. And we're not even a month in...

[SwissSeiko]

On 2/13/2025 at 11:53 AM, mikepilk said:

If only you had posted yesterday I could have measured one - I just put together a 2824 today !

Could you fit a genuine ETA part, or are they hard to find?.  There are some on ebay, along with lots of 'Generic' setting levers from China which look pretty dodgy quality. 

 

 

I had a spare "generic one" that I tried out. Didnt work I had the same issue. So I bought a genuine ETA one and swapped it in. Worked much better