zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: - Does a movement's "in-house" status really mean
: anything in an era when even the really high-dollar brands
: use modified industry movements extensively?

I think not. The whole 'in-house' concept is archaic. It meant something when these were small, family owned operations cranking out a few hundred or a few thousand watches per year.

But now these are large corporations, with thousands of people working for them and cranking out hundreds of thousands of watches per year. At that point, it means nothing whether the team of hundreds of people making the movements have the name 'Omega' or 'ETA' on their paychecks.

What is important is that whoever and wherever they are, that the meet Omega's quality requirements in what they do.

In Omega's case, one team at the ETA division of SMH builds the basic movement, already of high quality, the same as they issue to several other watch making companies. The movement is handled over to another team at the Omega division of SMH who complete the finishing and modification to Omega's unique specifications for increased durability and performance.

: - Are "in-house" considerations a factor in anyone's
: appreciation of the Omega brand?

I will always appreciate the movements Omega made back when they were a smaller operation. I have one vintage Omega and expect to collect more.

I will also buy modern Omega products based on their quality, not meaningless trivialities. On the scale that these modern companies operate, debating whether movements made by a different division under the same parent corporation are 'in-house' or not is a silly semantic debate.