The Ronda Powertech 500 series of calibers are affordable quartz movements. These watch movements are available with Swiss made and Swiss parts designations. The 500 series is often found in inexpensive timepieces.
Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:
In Ronda’s own words:
Affordable metal movements for reliable quality watches
- Quartz movements – typical height 2.50-3.00 mm
- Many high hand heights available for 6¾ x 8”’
- Complete interchangeability within 10½”’ & 11½”’
- 10½”’ & 11½”’ with very powerful stepping motor
- Battery-life up to 10 years
What is the same?
The Ronda 500 calibers share the following features:
- 11.5”’ lignes (25.6mm diameter) and 3mm tall.
- Available as Swiss Made or Swiss Parts
- Have central hours, minutes, and seconds hands.
- Take a 371 battery cell
What are the differences?
The differences between the movements are listed below. Click on each caliber number to learn more:
- 513 – hours, minutes, central seconds
- 513S – hours, minutes, central seconds (updated version of 513)
- 515 – hours, minutes, central seconds, date at 3:00
- 515S – hours, minutes, central seconds, date at 3:00 (updated version of 515)
- 515.24D – hours, minutes, central seconds, date at 3:00, 24 hour disc indicator with panoramic window at 6:00
- 515.24H – hours, minutes, central seconds, date at 3:00, GMT hand
- 517 – hours, minutes, central seconds, day of the week at 3:00, date at 3:00
- 519 – hours, minutes, central seconds, big double digit date at 3:00
Pros and Cons:
Each caliber may have it’s own set of pros and cons, but when examining the entire family of 500 series movements, the pros and cons are:
Pros:
- Affordable Swiss quartz movements
- Decent battery life
- Easy to find replacements
Cons:
- The coil is not covered and is positioned near the battery clamp, making it easy to damage the movement when replacing the battery
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