Technica Swiss Ebauches
From Chinese Watch Industry Wiki
The US owned Invicta Watch Group have long used mechanical movements from well-known sources such as ETA and Miyota. In the mid 2000s they expanded their range to include watches with mechanical movements described as "Technica Swiss Ebauches". When questioned, Invicta have stated that Technica Swiss Ebauches is not a company, but simply a brand registered to Invicta. There has been speculation that Invicta were running a movement-finishing facility in Switzerland, but they have been found to have no holdings in that country. Later there were claims that the Technica movements were sourced from Japan, although they did not match the appearance of any known Japanese calibres.
When questioned specifically about the Technica 1902, which looks identical to the Sea-Gull ST1902, Eyal Lalo owner of Invicta stated that it was in fact assembled from Sea-Gull parts, with Sea-Gull technical assistance, at an Invicta-owned facility in Korea.
The name Technica Swiss Ebauches has caused confusion with some consumers who assume that it implies a certain amount of Swiss content in the movement, however it is important to note that Invicta watches marked as having Technica Swiss Ebauches movements are never labelled either "Swiss Made" or "Swiss Movement". Conversely, Invicta watches labelled "Swiss Made" never have TSA movements.
The term Swiss Ebauches Microtechnique has also been used apparently interchangeably with Technica Swiss Ebauches to describe Invicta's Chinese sourced movements. Technica Swiss Ebauches should not be confused with the von Burg-owned quartz movement manufacturer Swissebauches Ltd.
Some known Chinese calibres rebadged as Technica Swiss Ebauches
Sea-Gull ST19 chronograph
Sea-Gull ST22 dual-movement
Sea-Gull ST36 skeleton
Standard skeleton
Hangzhou 2189 & 2198 skeletons
Shanghai 2H 'four eyes'
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