Swatch Automatic Chronographs Introduced

Swatch recently introduced a line of inexpensive mechanical chronographs. Previously, any Swiss watch with the ubiquitous ETA/Valjoux 7750 was typically $700 or more. The new line (pictured at right) starts at $360!

Movement is the ETA C01.211, about which information is a bit scarce. It seems to only be available to the Swatch group, which is a bummer. As with the movement in the Irony skeleton, they’ve cut costs by using some plastic parts, but the result is inexpensive and still durable.

Swatch has several color and case schemes available, as you’d expect. Kudos for bringing chronographs out at mass-market prices.

By Paul Hubbard