I learned a lot today...
both by reading through all of these posts and by talking to my local watchmaker at the local Omega AD. I agree with Sam's synopsis - whether the movements are made by ETA or by Omega directly doesn't affect how much I love my watches. The issue I had was that I felt that I, as a consumer, was being misled by being told that "Omega does this and that to modify their movements". It clearly gives the reader of magazine and internet articles the impression that Omega is modifying their own movements, not having ETA do it for them. I can honestly say that up until a few days ago when I read through the timezone thread I had NO IDEA that ETA was making entire movements to Omega's specifications.
Nevertheless, my watchmaker informed me that the modifications that are done to ETA movements for Omega are extensive and do result in what would practically amount to "in-house" movements (most notably the co-axial). As Georges Z. pointed out earlier, my watchmaker noted that Breitling tends to do only very minor modifications to base ETA movements. Breitling buys ETA movements and does the modifications in-house, but their modifications are minimal compared to the extensive modifications Omega requires ETA to do on all of their movements. So, if the "in-house is better theory" were true, the Breitling in-house modified movements would be better, but they are not. I also found it interesting that my watchmaker is a certified Breitling trained watchmaker, yet he gives Omega movements much higher marks. He sells both brands in his store.
Just as an added FYI, he gave the highest praise to the co-axial movement overall and to the Moon Watch's chronograph movement.
Anyway, it was a real education. I think it's great that there are so many knowledgeable people on this forum who seem to know as much about movements as professional watchmakers. I keep learning the more I read.
