Claro Caliber CL-888

The Claro caliber CL-888 is an automatic watch movement with 18 jewels and a beat rate of 21,600 vph, with an indirect seconds system. This caliber was introduced in 2004 and was produced until 2009.

Swiss-ese:

The CL-888 is based on the a Sea-Gull caliber ST-16 (specifically the ST1612 aka TY2806) framework, but follows the Swissness laws to qualify for “Swiss Made” labeling. This is what we here at Caliber Corner have coined as a “Switzerland via China” movement.

In Claro’s own words:

“CLARO Watch SA has been operating in Hong Kong and Greater China for over half a century and it has developed a solid network of relationships within the region. In consideration of this, CLARO made a strategic decision to re-engineer an existing calibre that was readily available from the market. After carefully evaluating a number of options, CLARO selected a traditional, long-established calibre from the Far East that was originally developed by a Swiss group.”

And here’s where Swiss smoke and mirrors enters the chat:

“Starting with raw parts, CLARO Watch SA completely re-worked, cleaned, measured, set and tested each part before adding our 100% Swiss-made content. The full assembly was completed, tested and calibrated in CLARO’s wholly-owned factory in Bellinzona, Switzerland.”

CL888 VS ST16:

Cosmetic differences between the CL888 and ST16 are the finishing, which is sandblasted on the CL888, as well as the rotor style. Inside, the CL888 has 18 jewels and the Seagull has 21.

Here they are side-by-side (Claro on the left, Seagull on the right):

Production Info:

The introduction of the Claro CL-888

The manufacturer has stated that by 2008, the CL-888 could be found in at least 20 different watch brands, with over 100,000 movements produced. By 2009, they stopped production of the CL-888, opting for a more Swiss caliber called known as the VB9832. This is not to say that watches after 2009 don’t have the CL-888, as there may still be some NOS movements out there.

Caliber Number Location:

You can’t miss the caliber number on a CL-888. It is a large engraving on the mainplate near the balance wheel: CL (Claro logo) 888.

The example shown here also featured a “38” engraving. This could be a factory code, brand code or even a date code. If you have a movement with a different number, or if you know anything about it, please comment below…

Below is a CL-888 found in one of the 20 brands: a Swiss Legend Abyssos dive watch. The metal movement spacer has been removed to show the difference in size between the movement and the case.

This watch was NOS when it was opened for movement inspection. The assembling watchmaker left a fingerprint calling card as well as some debris deeper in the movement.

Additional Images:

Rotor off:

Technical Recommendations (pdf):

The following document was distributed as Technical Recommendations for Watch Assembly from Claro. You may want to give it a read before performing a service on a CL-888.

Additional Resources:

• Seagull ST16