Driver8 wrote:
Current ownership may be Swatch, but just because Omega and ETA have the same parent company it that doesn't mean that Omega can claim ETA's to be in-house.
No, they're definitely not in-house. However, given that ETA ebauches are no longer supplied to any manufacturer outside the Swatch group, the modified ETA-made movement itself has become more exclusive. Obviously manufacturers can use the ETA design, and have third parties manufacture the parts, but the average consumer will have a more difficult time knowing how well those parts are made. I rather like the fact that by going with Omega, I know that the movements in the ETA-based models are still made by ETA, rather than having to guess who else's hands have been involved in the mix. That alone won't be a deciding factor for me between going with an Omega versus another brand, but I do see it as a perk.