Commentary: The revival of France Ebauches – with new French made mechanical movements

After almost 30 years of absence, Manufacture France Ebauches returns to making mechanical movement manufacture under the auspices of the Festina Group.

Press Release details with commentary in italics.

France Ebauches – with new French made mechanical movements

Commentary and historical setting

Interesting development in the movement manufacture sector. In the last 10 years, the watchmaking industry has living under the shadow of the agreement made between the Swiss anti-competition agency COMCO (also known as WEKO in German) and The Swatch Group (then the largest Swiss watch company) to deregulate the the market for Swiss made mechanical movements in 2020. The settlement came to effect in 2013 as the conclusion of COMCO’s scrutiny of the Swatch Group’s then decision to limit the sale of their ebauches to other brands. The industry was highly reliant on the ubiquitious ETA movements then, and many saw that it would suffer severe consequences if the group was allowed to dictate terms of the supply (or non-supply) of their movements. Under this settlement, the Swiss government allowed Swatch Group to reduce deliveries in stages. COMCO had figured that six years would be enough time for alternative suppliers of mechanical watch movements to develop to fill the void left by ETA production cuts. And thus, the agreement was set with a delivery commitment that remains valid until 31 December 2019. On the basis of the 2009-2011 average, Swatch Group, or ETA, has to deliver 75% of the quantities sold in 2014/2015, 65% in 2016/2017 and 55% in 2018/2019. ETA will then be released from all its obligations on 31 December 2019. In this framework, Swatch Group, or ETA, undertakes to treat each of its customers equally. Swatch Group has scrupulously and rigorously fulfilled all of its obligations.

Just before this effective date, COMCO has decided to call off the agreement, extending it and deregulation became a non-event. However, on July 2020, COMCO decided to lift all restrictions. COMCO and other industry observers, ourselves included, have seen that The Swatch Group is continuing to deliver movements, and the competitive landscape has changed such that the pressure on the industry is now relieved. We understand this state of deregulation of the supply of Swiss made movements is currently prevailing.

The industry, reacting in 2013 to this agreement began looking for solutions of movement manufacture so that if the agreement did come to effect in 2020, and the availability of movements from ETA and Swatch ebauches became limited, then they would be served by other sources for Swiss movements. Thus, we saw the rise of Sellita who began with making ETA clones but has progressed since. And other makers like Schwartz-Etienne, La Joux Perret, Kenissi and the like. At the same time, we also saw the demise of Eterna, though perhaps for a different reason.

So it is with interest that now the French, who with the English were the pioneers of mechanical clockwork, has decided to return to the environment. The Festina group has thrown its hat in to the ring with the revival of FE, a maker which began in 1967 from the merger of the four largest French movement manufacturers. It produced several million movements annually in the 1970s and 1980s and reached a peak of 14 million quartz movements in 1990 before being forced into bankruptcy in 1994. It has been owned by the Festina Group since 2017.

With this new release, and the French back in business, and we hope to see these movements being supplied to the industry as yet another alternative. In recent years, we have also seen the rise of French based brands, from the likes of Bell & Ross to Hegid, Reservoir, Depancel. These may benefit from the additional player in the supply chain.

We have not examined the two new movements, but the images we received with the press release look decent. The bridges appear to be well designed and the finishing is at probably better than ETA. We have no information as to what pricing points these movements are targetted at yet.

Release details

 After an almost 30-year absence, Manufacture France Ebauches (FE), one of the major European producers of mechanical movements, is returning to the forefront of the watchmaking scene. Owned by the Festina Group since 2017, the Manufacture is reconnecting with its prestigious past by producing two exclusive “Made in France” self-winding movements. This revival is a source of pride for Franche-Comté, the cradle of French watchmaking, and strengthens national sovereignty in terms of industrial production.

The long-awaited comeback of a French field of expertise

Manufacture France Ebauches, located in the Doubs region in the heart of Franche-Comté, currently produces watch components for the sister brands of the Festina Group of which it has been part since 2017. Thanks to the recently relaunched production of French movements, the France Ebauches factory is in the process of relocating, re-industrialising and developing the production of quality French mechanical movements. The Festina group intends to respond to the expectations of brands, consumers and politicians who are calling for the development of French movements incorporating French values. 

Festina, Pierre Lannier, Apose, Akrone and Carzo & Lieutier along with other French brands, are delighted to be once again sourcing mechanical movements from France Ebauches. The aim is to achieve 70% French value, with major components such as baseplates, bridges and oscillating weights manufactured at the Maîche site. The remaining 30% – mainly balance springs, pallet-levers and escape-wheels – are produced in the Swiss Jura by the group’s sister companies.

Two tried and tested calibres with resolutely French finishes

These movements, inspired by vintage France Ebauches 4600-5600 calibres, have been optimised to deliver both precision and reliability. The movements beat at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), the optimal compromise between speed, accuracy, durability and torque. They are also equipped with best-on-market Incabloc® double-cone shock absorbers in order to ensure incomparable robustness for the regulating mechanism. 

Engineers have worked on the movement’s solidity and resistance by constructing a cross-through balance bridge, a signature characteristic of the most famous brands. Nor is the aesthetic aspect neglected, as the bridge has been hollowed out to provide a perfect view of the regulating organ. The finishes are just as exclusive: the original rhodium-plated honeycomb motif symbolising France replaces the traditional Swiss “Côtes de Genève” pattern. The design also reveals the calibre on both faces, with the balance visible on the dial side and the sunburst blued steel rotor as well as the baseplate adorned with the honeycomb motif visible through a transparent caseback.

Reinforcing national industrial production

The Festina Group is thereby demonstrating its commitment to French industrial production, the preservation of local employment and the promotion of ancestral expertise. This iconic Manufacture’s return to the forefront of the French watchmaking scene serves to strengthen territorial independence in the production of mechanical movements, a crucial issue amid an uncertain geopolitical context. With the production of these two “Made in France” mechanical movements, the Manufacture France Ebauches is thus contributing to the development of the French watch industry and its long-term survival.

Specifications

France Ebauches self-winding movement

Three hands – date

11 ½ ‴

Diameter 25.60 mm

Thickness 4.60 mm

Hours, minutes, sweep-seconds hand
Semi-instantaneous aperture-type date display

Fast date adjustment

Time-setting with stop-seconds function

Automatic winding

 
28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)

23 jewels

44-hour power reserve

Two types of finish: nickel-plated trowelised and rhodium-plated honeycomb

Self-winding France Ebauches movement

Festina 120^th anniversary watch

Three hands

11 ½ ‴

Diameter 25.60 mm

Thickness 4.60 mm

Hours, minutes, sweep-seconds hand

Visible balance

Time-setting with stop-seconds function

Automatic winding

28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)

22 jewels

44-hour power reserve

Rhodium-plated honeycomb finish