Reply With QuoteNice review. I found the history of the movement very interesting:
The first 1911 chronographs used Zenith El Primero cal 400 (Ebel cal 134), which oscillated at 36.000 bauds per hour. Rolex used the same movement in Daytona but downgraded the bph to 28.800. Later models (just like BTR) used the Ebel caliber 137.
The movement started life as a Lemania 1340 (aka Omega 1040), which descends to some extent from the Lemania 1873 (aka Omega 1861). They are lever-action chronographs that nevertheless have very smooth pusher action and operation. Breguet uses the same movement, finished to about the same level, in the Type XX and XXI, with the additional of a flyback function. When Ebel started developing their version of this movement, they bought exclusive rights to the movement design from Lemania, with rights given to Ulysse Nardin for the base plate (which UN used in their calendar watches) and to Breguet for use in the Type XX.
Ebel then redesigned the winding mechanism and made a few other changes. They started the project in 1991, and the first watches with the new caliber 137 came out in 1995. Every single Ebel Caliber 137, 139, 240, and 288, which all use the same base, was chronometer-certified. Ebel contracted with Lemania (at first) and then with Dubois-Depraz to build about 40 parts that Ebel could not themselves make.
When MGI gave up on the BTR, they were struggling to make enough of the movements to cover fixed costs without raising prices higher than they thought they could sell. They ended production and sold the rights, tooling and specialized staff to Ulysse Nardin in April 2012. The movement lives on in Breguets as the 584 and in Ulysse Nardin watches as the UN152.
Originally Posted by Rizzio
