Glossary · Trade
Ébauche
An unfinished rough movement, complete in layout but lacking escapement finishing, jewelling, decoration or a signature.
Explanation
An ébauche is a rough, unfinished movement — plates, bridges, wheels and barrel complete in layout but without jewelling, escapement finishing, engraving or adjustment. Specialist ébauche makers (historically firms such as Fontainemelon, A. Schild, ETA and Valjoux) supplied them to watch houses that finished them to their own standards. The same ébauche can therefore underlie watches of very different quality.