Laco Caliber 2S Watch Movement

Brand	Laco
Caliber Number	2S
In-House?	No
Base Caliber	Miyota 82S0
Movement Type	Automatic, self-winding mechanical
Lignes	11.5”’
Diameter	26mm
Height	5.67mm
Jewels	21
Beat Rate / Frequency	21,600 bph / 3 Hz
Lift Angle	49 degrees
Power Reserve	42 hours
Rotor Winding Direction	Uni-directional (left)
Hand-Windable?	Yes
Manual Winding Direction	Clockwise
Anti-Shock System	Parashock
Hand Count	3
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; central sweeping seconds
Hacking Seconds?	Yes
Country of Manufacture	Japan
Known Models	Augsburg 39, Augsburg 42, Aachen 39, Aachen 42, Altenburg 42, Bielefeld 39, Bielefeld 42, Neapel 39, Palermo 39 (Add your watch in the comments below…)

LACO caliber 2S is basically Miyota 82S0 with a “LACO WATCHES / MADE IN GERMANY” laser engraved marking on the rotor. Notice the caliber number is “2S” as is 82S0.

Although the 82S0 features a open balance wheel at 7:00 (see this image), LACO does not seem to make use of this design element, opting for solid dials that cover the skeletonized design.

Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:

Upgrade Options:

LACO appears to offer an upgrade from the LACO calibre 2S to the LACO cal. 31. The 31 is a Miyota 8315.

At the time of this post, upgrading will jump the price up by €55.00 (about $60 USD).

The main technical difference between the two is that the 31 (8315) has a longer power reserve of 60 hours, compared to the 2S (82S0) at 42 hours. A cosmetic difference is that the 31 has blued screws, whereas the 2S does not. Other than that, the accuracy rating and overall finish is the same.

Accuracy Rating:

Although LACO officially claims the 2S runs with the precision “0 to +25 seconds/day”, Miyota states that the caliber 82S0 offers accuracy of -20 to +40 seconds per day. It is unclear how LACO is achieving this difference in accuracy on the 2S vs the 82S0.

To fully wind the movement, turn the crown 40 times. The winding direction of the rotor is counterclockwise.

Country of Origin:

The Miyota 82S0 is made in Japan, however, the rotor of the Laco 2S is signed “Made in Germany”. What does the term “Made in Germany” entail?

“… German courts have ruled that products with this label must at least be assembled in Germany. And more than half of the parts used should also come from Germany.” –Source

And this…

“The ‘Made in Germany’ logo is not a protected term, which means that it’s often difficult to find out how German a ‘Made in Germany’ product actually is. Theoretically, manufacturers can describe products as ‘Made in Germany’ even if they were largely produced abroad.” –Source

But, hey, you could always blame it on consumer ignorance…

“When it comes to deciding whether the designation is ‘‘misleading’ or ‘not misleading’, it generally depends on the purchaser’s perception and the existing knowledge that can be presumed.” -Source same as above

While this may be an issue with what Germany constitutes a “Made in Germany” product, if the movement itself was in fact produced in Japan, it seems misleading for the rotor of the movement to be signed “Made in Germany”. Was the rotor made in Germany? Any part of the movement? If “Made in Germany” relates to the overall watch, with assembly done in Germany, then it seems that the more transparent approach would be mark the case rather than the Japan-made movement.

Editor’s Commentary: As Germany borders Switzerland, it appears that they have learned a thing or two from their neighbors about how to use loose country of origin markings for a marketing advantage.