ETA SA

ETA SA

ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse (ETA SA Swiss Watch Manufacturer) designs and manufactures quartz watches and both hand-wound and automatic-winding mechanical ébauches and movements. Commonly referred to as ETA, the company is headquartered in Grenchen, Switzerland and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Swatch Group Ltd.

Though ETA was founded by Eterna in 1856 some part of its production line can be traces back to the 1793 founding of Fabriques d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF) by David Benguerel, Isaac Benguerel, François Humbert-Droz and Julien Humbert-Droz.

Although ETA specializes in ébauches, ETA is capable of making all components necessary for a completed watch and is therefore considered a manufacture d'horlogerie. ETA movements and ébauches are used both in watches of other Swatch Group subsidiary brands and in the watches of competitors.

Through a series of mergers, ETA has become the largest manufacturer of Swiss watch movements and controls a virtual monopoly over their production and supply. ETA has undergone several Swiss government investigations due to its market position. To resolve the concerns of Swiss government regulators, ETA has entered into an agreement that governs certain business practices.