When it comes to watches, determining the provenance of a component (say, the movement) can be a very difficult thing to do. Some of that is a brand wanting to keep a consistent identity, and simply rebrand an existing movement (say, a ETA 2824) by putting a logoed rotor on, or something to that effect.
Much as we saw with the A. Manzoni & Fils launch (here), LACO is embracing transparency, and letting us know exactly where their movements are sourced from. They’re still rebranding them to keep a consistent identity – but they’re not hiding from us, the consumers, the fact that movements are coming from ETA, Miyota, and Sellita. Of course, even with those being the starting point, LACO adds engraving to the rotor and bridge, and their watchmakers fine-tune the accuracy of each one.
But back to the transparency. To help you see where they’re sourcing movements, they’ve shared a handy chart (below) that outlines a sort of cross reference.. While I think that movements from any number of sources can get the job done just fine, I do applaud this move, as it can help you look for the exact one you want, or perhaps to compare between brands that have similar functionality and technology.
- LACO 01 = ETA 2801.2
- LACO 04 = ETA 2804.2
- LACO 15 = Miyota 9015
- LACO 21 = Miyota 821A
- LACO 24 = ETA 2824.2 or SW200
- LACO 50 = ETA 7750
- LACO 92 = ETA 2892A2
- LACO 97 = ETA 6497
- LACO 98 = ETA 6498
If anything, this should give you greater confidence that LACO is committed to creating a high-quality watch, and wants to arm you, the consumer, with as much information about their products as they can so you can make an informed decision. laco.de
