The History of the ETA Peseux 7001, The Hand-Wound Classic That Stood the Test of Time

Self-winding calibres are undeniably an advancement, especially those boasting extended autonomy. Yet, there is a timeless ritual, almost archaic, the deliberate act of winding a watch by thumb and forefinger, each click of the ratchet wheel a symphony for the discerning ear. This tactile dance, this connection to the mechanics, is a pleasure some aficionados cannot forsake. As we edge closer to the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, manually wound watches persist and experience a new surge in popularity, fueled by a resurgence in appreciation for hand-wound calibres.

Among these calibres, one movement has stood the test of time for over fifty years. It has powered numerous watch brands’ broad spectrum of creations, remaining a steadfast presence in the industry. I’m talking about the ETA/Peseux 7001, a movement with a storied legacy. Here is a recap of its enduring saga.

A road from Peseaux to ETA

Like the Valjoux 7750, the ETA 2824 and ETA 2892, the 7001 is another significant calibre integrated into the ETA-Swatch Group family as the conglomerate expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. The 7001 was originally created and produced by the Fabrique d’ébauches de Peseux, a movement maker based in Peseux, in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.

The factory was founded by Charles Berner (1892-1951), the son of La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaking professor Paul Berner. Before this, Berner helped establish and manage the Fabrique d’ébauches de Fleurier. Berner settled in Peseux in 1923, founding the factory and moving into a building constructed a few years earlier by the Sandoz family, known for their work with Tavannes and Cyma. Shortly after selling it to Berner, Henry Sandoz & Fils set up a new factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Berner developed his business in Peseux, specializing in compact, oval, and tonneau-shaped movements, and over the years, registered numerous patents.

1933, Ebauches SA (then known as ETA) absorbed Peseux, though the latter continued to operate independently. Francis Berner, son of founder Charles Berner, stayed within the company for many years after his father left in 1949 due to health issues. Sydney de Coulon became president in 1951. By 1970, Peseux was reportedly producing about a million units annually. However, the Fabrique d’ébauches de Peseux was legally dissolved in 1979, with its operations taken over by the Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon, which eventually became part of ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse. The Peseux 7001, introduced in 1971/72, had a remarkable run, with some sources mentioning that over 2 million units were made. After 1985, it was produced by ETA without any significant modification until 2004, then rebranded as the ETA 7001 in 2011 when manufacturing was resumed, so there’s no surprise it is often referred to as the ETA/Peseux 7001. 

The qualities of a slim workhorse

The ETA/Peseux 7001 is a small, hand-wound movement, measuring 23.3mm in diameter (10.5 lignes) and just 2.5mm thick. Its compact size and straightforward yet durable construction were crucial factors in its swift rise to a reputation for reliability and adaptability. The 1970s was an era before oversized watches became fashionable – when large timepieces were often considered unattractive, even vulgar, unless worn by pilots. The 7001 found its niche, powering watches from a broad range of brands like Elgin, Paul Picot, Rado, Bucherer, Favre Leuba, Maurice Lacroix and Raymond Weil, to name only a few. It even served more prestigious names like Girard-Perregaux (cal. 100-840) and Universal Genève as the calibre UG28, with a power reserve module, for example.

Despite the upheavals of the quartz crisis, the Peseux 7001 endured and evolved into a staple. Many watchmakers continued to use it as a foundation for their developments until its supplies eventually dwindled by ill/good fate bestowed by the Swatch Group. Like that of the ETA 7750, this movement’s legacy underscores the transformative period in watchmaking history during the 1980s and beyond.

The ETA/Peseux 7001, a testament to enduring design, featured 17 jewels and operated at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3Hz frequency). It employed Incabloc for its anti-shock system, had a 42-hour power reserve, and showcased central hours and minutes with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. Key components included an index regulator and a Swiss lever escapement.

According to ETA technical sheets from 2011, the 7001 was constructed with brass mainplates and bridges – one for the escapement, one for the going train, and one for the mainspring and winding mechanism. These components were bevelled, and the movement utilized a Nivaflex barrel spring, a Glucydur balance wheel, and an Anachron hairspring. It boasted a middle rate accuracy of +/-7 seconds per day and a nickel finish. As the ETA 7001, it was likely to come in various grades, although specific details are elusive and point out to just one variant – top, regulated in three positions. ETA’s website also indicates the existence of a version with an Etachron regulator.

Notably, the official ETA information on mechanical movements, previously accessible through a dedicated B2B shop page, is no longer available – an intriguing development, considering it was accessible just weeks ago when our research into workhorse movements began.

Utilizations, embellishments and modifications

At first glance, the Peseux 7001 might not seem particularly remarkable. However, its true strength lay in its adaptability – a highly modifiable “workhorse” that brands could elevate through various enhancements or use as is, which many did. 

Within the Swatch Group, the movement enjoyed a prosperous life. Mido featured the 7001 in its Baroncelli collection, Tissot in its Heritage Porto and Lisboa lines, and Longines utilized it as the calibre L396.2. Omega’s calibre 651, found in the De Ville series, was also based on the 7001. Yet, the most notable transformation within the Swatch Group came from Blancpain with its Villeret 7002 reference. Blancpain’s calibre 64-1, emerging as a certified chronometer, showcased a completely reworked top plate and impeccable finishing on every component, setting a standard for what the 7001 could achieve.

Beyond the Swatch Group’s lineup, the 7001 held a special place for many brands aiming to craft dressy, classic-looking or vintage-inspired manual winding timepieces. These watches typically feature smaller case dimensions to maintain a balanced dial design. In larger cases over 40mm, the small seconds subdial could look awkward, positioned too close to the centre, already so at 40mm, as demonstrated when housed in the Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Flameante series as calibre CYS2052. However, the 7001 still found itself in larger cases.

Take, for example, the Bell & Ross Vintage WWI. Aiming to create a watch that “bridged the gap between pocket watches and the wristwatches of the 1940s”, Bell & Ross housed the 7001 in a 41mm Argentium case. While the running-second subdial overlaps the centre, the overall design works remarkably well. Similarly, the 7001-equipped 39mm square Bell & Ross BR S also achieved a pleasing aesthetic, demonstrating the movement’s versatility and appeal in various formats.

The ETA Peseux 7001 found its way into an impressive array of brands. Baume & Mercier and Chronoswiss utilized this movement, while Montblanc employed the 7001 base for its calibre MB 23.01, which powers the Heritage Chronometrie Ultra Slim 38mm watches. Oris also leveraged the 7001, branding it as calibre 396 in their Artelier Hand Winding series. The re-launched Vertex brand opted for the 7001 for its M100 model, Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Peseux Open Heart Limited Edition was powered by it, Louis Erard added its RE9 module to ETA 7001 to equip the Excellence Regulator series featuring a regulator-style display and power reserve indicator… to make a complete list would be an enormous task.

Eberhard & Co. took the 7001 to another level with its calibre 896-1 to power 8 Jours series, extending the movement’s autonomy to eight days and incorporating a power reserve indicator, and later for the Eberhard & Co. 8 Jours Grande Taille. Here, the brand has reworked the 7001 to include its patented barrel and mainspring system: a single barrel with two overlapping mainsprings, totaling 1.55 meters.

Meanwhile, Ball transformed the 7001 into a pair of automatic movements. The RR1501 added day, date, and world time functions, and the RR1502 included the same features and a chronograph. Recently, young brands such as Baltic with its Prismic collection and Furlan Marri with the Disco Volante benefited from this compact and thin hand-wound movement to present vintage-inspired, slimline watches. 

The brand builder

For Nomos Glashütte, the 7001 movement was a cornerstone from the brand’s revival in 1991 until 2005. This movement powered the early Tetra, Orion, Ludwig, and Tangente collections. Like many brands before it, Nomos made its own modifications, gradually incorporating traditional Glashütte finishing techniques such as Glashütte stripes and sunburst patterns on the barrels. Around 1997, ETA requested that Nomos stop using its name on the movement, prompting Nomos to rebrand the movement as the Nomos 1T by 2002.

Nomos replaced the 7001’s plate and balance cock with gold-plated components decorated in a style named after watchmaker Rainer Langeleist, known as Langeleist-Perlage. The most significant upgrade was incorporating the Triovis fine regulation system, which gave the ‘T’ in the 1T its name. The 1T also used a Nivarox hairspring, retained the Incabloc shock protection, and extended the power reserve to 45 hours.

Nomos further evolved this movement with the NOMOS Glashütte 1 TS, which added hacking seconds, the NOMOS 1 TSD with a date function, and eventually, the NOMOS 1 TSP featuring a three-quarter plate. After adding a power indicator to the 1T, Nomos finally developed its own in-house movement. The NOMOS Alpha, first released in the Tangomat in 2005, retained a gear train similar to the 7001. Despite adopting the Glashütte three-quarter plate design and updating components and finishing, the Alpha clearly shared its DNA with the 7001. One can say that 7001 still is one of the essential components for Nomos Glashütte’s operations. 

The base for exceptional creativity

Speaking of finishing, the ETA 7001 might not be an “ugly duckling,” but the transformations some watchmakers have wrought upon this seemingly “pedestrian” calibre are genuinely astonishing. When Ming unveiled its 27.01 collection, it introduced the 7001.M1 calibre – a masterpiece redesigned by Ming and produced by Schwarz Etienne. This version was extensively skeletonized, offering a full view of the intricate gears beneath. At the time of launch, Ming emphasized that the original 7001 movement had been heavily reworked, retaining only the gear train and escapement. The bridges and plates were completely remade, featuring a solid baseplate with upper bridges opened up to showcase the moving components.

Another remarkable modifier and imaginative decorator of the 7001 movement is Michiel Holthinrichs from the Netherlands, also renowned for using a 3D printer to make watch case parts. The 7001 movements he decorates emerge from his workshops in various elaborated styles, each one fascinating and distinct. Holthinrichs Watches reworks and refinishes these movements “to match the brand’s design language and to focus heavily on traditional finishing techniques,” all while enhancing performance.

If we delve deeper into this subject, we can admire the nearly unrecognizable calibre 7001 after thorough modification and hand decoration by South Korean watchmaker Minhoon Yoo for his inaugural Carved Piece.

Others, like Ludovic Ballouard, pushed the Peseux 7001 to its limits, developing highly complex and finely decorated movements on its base. Take a look at Ballouard’s Upside Down and Half Time watches, both showing bits and pieces of the Peseux, while having highly complex displays. These adaptations yet again highlight the 7001’s capacity for modification and its enduring relevance in the (independent) watchmaking industry. 

The successor, the LJP D100

Michiel Holthinrichs and others were wise to secure the NOS 7001 movements for their creations, but we all know the sources are dwindling. As with other popular mechanical ETA mechanisms that are no longer obtainable from the manufacturer, a replacement has been introduced. Enter the D100 from Manufacture La Joux-Perret, launched in 2023.

The D100 mirrors the functions, dimensions and operating frequency of the 7001 and, like the original, lacks the hacking seconds feature. However, it boasts an improved power reserve of 50 hours. La Joux-Perret offers three versions of this movement. The Standard A001 is undecorated and adjusted in three positions. The soigné A011 features Geneva stripes, diamond chamfers, and adjustment in four positions. The soigné A012, the top-of-the-line version, includes all the A011’s features with the addition of blued screws. Although it is too early to say if D100 will be as lauded as its ETA/Peseaux inspiration, it’s good to know that such an option exists and there is a successor.

Concluding notes 

After spending quite some time on the subject, there is no hesitation, no ifs or buts about it – the classic manually wound ETA/Peseaux 7001 movement was the lifeline, the heartbeat, and often the absolute saviour for countless brands in the watchmaking world, especially the smaller ones. The simple, reliable 7001, a stalwart survivor through decades of horological turmoil, stood tall as a beacon of classic aesthetics and quality that few other mass-produced movements could even dream of offering.

This little engineering marvel didn’t just stand the test of time; it danced through it, inspiring a new generation of independent watchmakers to push boundaries, experiment, and create. Important in the past, prominently visible in the present, and with a laser-focused (or 3D-printed) eye on the future, the 7001 is a legend. It has earned, without a shadow of a doubt, its rightful place in the movement’s hall of fame.