Swiss 7750 Mechanical Chronograph Seconds Movement
Throughout the entire history of ETA, good movements have always existed: The original name of ETA-7750 was Valjoux7750, which belonged to Valjoux Company's most famous chronograph movement. Later, due to Valjoux being acquired by ETA, this classic Valjoux7750 naturally renamed to ETA-7750. Valjoux 7750 was released in 1974, initially with a design of only 17 jewels, later upgraded to 25 jewels. In the 1980s after being acquired by ETA, the term "Valjoux" is now rarely used unless referring to those movements produced before the acquisition in the 1980s. ETA 7750 made its debut on July 1, 1974, and became one of ETA’s proud models. Over the years, it has commonly been seen in automatic chronographs and complex watches from various brands. The standard version of 7750 features 17 red rubies, 42 hours of power reserve, vibrating at 28,800 times per hour, adopting a single-direction winding design, using a pointer-type micro-adjustment device similar to eccentric screw principles, with scale indication for easy fine-tuning operations. Some people say that ETA-7750 is like wood that cannot be carved. I don't know why they say that; perhaps from the perspective of craftsmanship, the 7750 seems a bit ordinary. But one truth remains unchanged: simplicity is durability, and durability is reliability. That's what ETA-7750 is—a chronograph movement.
ETA-7750 is a single-direction winding movement, and I don’t know why ETA never converted it to bi-directional winding. Some friends once discussed this, concluding that “single-direction winding offers higher efficiency than bi-directional.” Up to now, I haven't clearly understood the theoretical basis of this conclusion, but it is well-known that the winding efficiency of ETA-7750 is not high. Sometimes innovation is a good thing, but creating something out of nothing can be somewhat awkward.
ETA-7750 uses a pusher-style chronograph structure, which is simple and easy to maintain. Aesthetically, it cannot compare with Lange 1001 (similar to comparing SANTANA with BENZ), but in terms of timing functions, it is indeed one of the best designs. The entire watch industry should thank the existence of ETA-7750 because with it, more watch factories can produce chronograph watches without having to develop their own chronograph movements. Moreover, everyone understands this fact: even if you throw a lot of money into it, you may not necessarily create a more durable chronograph movement than ETA-7750. Appropriating existing technology is the best strategy here.
How do you most simply identify an ETA-7750? If there are sub-dials at the 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, and 12 o'clock positions, there's a 99% chance it's an ETA-7750. However, this cannot be reversed. If a watch does not have sub-dials at the 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, and 12 o'clock positions, it doesn't mean there's a 99% chance it's not an ETA-7750. It's like a "Transformer"; its advantage lies not only in its durability but also in its versatility. From two sub-dials to three sub-dials to four sub-dials, all can be modified versions of ETA-7750. For example, IWC modifies it to have chronograph sub-dials at the 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions.