Ébauche

Definition

A movement supplied unfinished, as a set of plates, bridges and train, to be completed, decorated, regulated and cased by the buyer. For most of the twentieth century the Swiss industry ran on ébauches from specialist houses, and much of what a maison sold was its finishing of someone else's base. Lemania supplied the 2310 that Patek Philippe and Omega both built on; ETA's 2892 and Valjoux 7750 sit under Breitling, IWC, Omega and Panerai calibers here; Frédéric Piguet's 1185 sits under the Audemars Piguet 2385. The shift to in-house movements since the 2000s is largely a shift away from ébauches, and the manufacture label describes a maison that no longer buys them.