The Baume & Mercier Classima 10274 and 10275 are automatics designed to connect a younger crowd to the Swiss brand
Sellita caliber SW200 / SW200-1
There are quite a lot of Sellita SW200 calibers, here we try to explain what can be inside your watch.
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First generation:
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Sellita caliber SW200 (base ETA caliber 2824) | Automatic | Diameter: 25.6 mm (11½ lignes) | Thickness: 4.6 mm | Frequency: 28’800 vph (4 Hz) | Jewels: 26 | Stop-second device | Hours, minutes, seconds | Power reserve: 38 hours
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Second generation (updated 1st gen):
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Sellita caliber SW200-1 a (base ETA caliber 2824) | Automatic | Diameter: 25.6 mm (11½ lignes) | Thickness: 4.6 mm | Frequency: 28’800 vph (4 Hz) | Jewels: 26 | Stop-second device, quick date setting | Hours, minutes, seconds, date | Power reserve: 41 hours
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Sellita caliber SW200-1 b (base ETA caliber 2824) | Automatic | Diameter: 25.6 mm (11½ lignes) | Thickness: 4.6 mm | Frequency: 28’800 vph (4 Hz) | Jewels: 26 | Stop-second device | Hours, minutes, seconds | Power reserve: 41 hours
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The SW200 is the first generatie of this Sellita movement, a legal clone of the ETA caliber 2824 (1971 and onwards) from which the patents ends in 2002. The 2nd generaties is the SW200-1 in either version a (with date) or version b (without date). Their might also be watches with the SW200-1 a without a date on the dial due to stocks of this movement with a watchmaker.
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The Sellita SW200 is a whole series from which the SW200 is a part. There is also the SW220 in many variants, just like the SW240, SW260, SW270, SW280 and SW290. The differences are the complications. The SW200 is a three-hander, with or without date, the others offer complications like day/date, date by hand, power reserve indicator, moon phase, regulator, small seconds, day/night indicator and combinations of them.
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The SW210 series, to make it easy, is placed apart, as these are the hand-wound versions of the SW200 series. The SW300 series can be seen as the slim version (1 millimeter thinner) of the SW200, and also offers different GMT options (which makes them thicker). The SW400 is the larger version of the SW200, with an increased diameter (from 25.6 to 31 millimeters).
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Different grades of the SW200
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The SW200-1 comes in five different finishes, mostly not indicated by the brand who uses them. Without decoration (D1), with simple decoration (D2), with refined decoration (D3) and luxurious decoration (D4). Lastly there is the tailor-made decoration (TAI), when a watch brand wants to adjust more than the D1 to D4 grades offer.
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Grade D4 offers a main plate with circular graining, bridges with circular graining, snailed undercuts, snailed barrel, nickel plated parts and an oscillating weight with Geneva stripes and snailed bevels. And then things like engravings, blued screws, rhodium plated, gold plated or anthracite ruthenium plated are optional within this grade.
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Other known version of the SW200 series are the SW200-1 AJ (manual winding) and the Skeleton series. Which comes in the SW200-1 S a (a rhodium version in D1, D1+, D2 or TAI grade), the SW200-1 S b (an anthracite ruthenium version in D1, D1+, D2 or TAI grade) and the SW200-1 S c (an anthracite ruthenium version also in D1, D1+, D2 or TAI grade). The differences between the last two are unclear, and all these skeletons have no date.
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Accuracy of the Sellita SW200 / SW200-1
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The accuracy of the standard Sellita SW200 / SW200-1 can vary between +/-12 seconds per day up to +/- 30 seconds a day. However, the brand also has some differences in quality grades. So, there is a standard SW200, a Special (Elabore) one, a Premium one and even a COSC certified model.
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The Special (Elabore) version has an accuracy of +/-7 up to +/- 20 seconds per day. The Premium +/-4 up to +/- 15 seconds per day, and the Chronometer version complies with the COSC certification criteria. Which is -4 or +6 seconds per day.
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The slim version of the SW200-1 is the Sellita caliber SW300-1. One millimeter less thick, so often used for high-end dress watches.
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Watches with the Sellita caliber SW200
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