“The Valjoux 7750 is characterized, on the one hand, by its extraordinary toughness and its very good, nearly indestructible self-winding mechanism. On the other hand, it also represents a good cost-benefit ratio. And it’s very easy to service, as long as no work is needed on the mechanism for tailying the elapsed hours, which is a difficult item to service on any chronograph. Some improvements have been made since the 7750 was designed. For example, in the early 1990s, Chronoswiss was the first company to produce and insert a blocking-lever (component no. 8200) made of metal. ETA later adopted this change and incorporated it into its movements. We therefore regard this caliber as a very contemporary device. Of course, we have no other option, since there’s no other model with a built-in chronograph. We would like to see a reduction in the overall height, and would welcome versions with a big date display and power-reserve indicator. But most important of all, we hope that this model will continue to be manufactured for a long time.”
“Oris uses the Valjoux caliber in the basic version and in several variations. Its architecture is straighforward, with a clearly defined timekeeping movement and a separate chronograph assembly. The caliber delivers good rate perfomance and supports numerous options. Other companies also modify and equip it with other features, underscoing the fact that the 7750 provides a solid base for additional functions. Its service-friendliness also deserves mention: after disassembly, this caliber can be readily reassembled and set into motion again. This movement remains very much abreast of the latest horological developments. We would welcome a version with a power-reserve display or a big date. Delivery delays are quite long, too. Possible improvements could include reducing its height, enabling the rotor to wind the mainspring in both directions, and giving the movement a longer power reserve. But all in all, the 7750 gives us enough latitude for innovations.”
The 7750 is a tried and tested movement without any negative surprises. It’s outstandingly well suited for alterations and additions, such as depicting the time in a second time zone, as Sinn does. Futhermore, it provides many options for technological developments, for example, Diapal technology, where we select special duos of materials that can work together without friction and thus require no lubrication. We’re also satisfied with the range of variations, which leaves plenty of room for us to augment this caliber with our own additions. One example is Sinn’s SZ02, where we’ve rebuilt the caliber so that it can now tally 60 rather than 30 elapsed minutes. Many watch companies have used the Valjoux 7750, so watchmakers are very familiar with it. This familiarity further enhances its already excellent service-friendliness for retail customers. There’s currently no other movement with a better cost-benefit ratio. This fact makes it all the more important for this caliber to remain available, also because altematives such as the Lemania 5100 are no longer being made.”
