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Originally Posted by timkel
Does Rolex manufacture its own movements? Or does someone else build to their specs? Is there anything special about their movements? I mean there are other high quality accurate watches available. What sets Rolex apart? Is it just the style? Or is there more on the inside?
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They do indeed make their own movements - Rolex is one of very few watch manufacturers in the world that make just about every single component for their watches, they even smelt their own metal. The vast majority of watch brands at a similar kind of price level (Omega, Breitling, Panerai etc.) principally source their movements from elsewhere, from ETA (which is part of the Swatch group) as a general rule. ETA will sell them the ebauche, and the individual manufacturer will then decorate it and modify it to their own specifications.
However, ETA will be stopping this practice in the near future, selling only finished movements instead. You'll notice that a lot of brands are beginning to produce in-house movements, such as the Breitling B-01, for example. I believe it's going to take quite some time for rival brands to build up the necessary infrastructure to produce their own movements on the same kind of scale as Rolex, and even longer to reach the same levels of reliability and after sales care that Rolex provides.
Omega, for example, might have a more high-tech movement (in the form of the cal. 8500) than Rolex's equivalent (cal. 3135), but in my experience, it has been having some quite notable teething issues. The previous generation movement (cal. 2500) went through 3 iterations (A, B and C specs) before they resolved all the reliability issues. Rolex, on the other hand, has been using the cal. 3135 for about 20 years now, albeit with a few tweaks here and there, most recently to the hairspring and shock absorbers. However, it is very accurate, one of the most rugged and reliable movements money can buy, and very easy to service. Parts availability in the future will also be excellent, so as such, it is very hard to beat a Rolex movement. Yes, it might not be as pretty as some other movements, but as a workhorse, you can't get much better