ETA Caliber 2878

Manufacturer	ETA
Caliber Number	2878
Family	ETA 2800 series
Movement Type	Automatic, self-winding mechanical
Lignes	11.5”’
Diameter	25.6mm
Thickness	5.5mm
Power Reserve	~38 hours
Jewels	25
Vibrations Per Hour	28,800 bph, 4Hz
Lift Angle	52 degrees
Hands	1.50mm / .90mm / .25mm
Shock Protection	Incabloc
Rotor Type	Ball bearing
Hand-Windable?	Yes
Hacking?	Yes and No
Functions	Central hours, central minutes, central sweeping seconds, day/date at 3:00
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland, Swiss made
Known Models	Too many to list (Add your watch in the comments below…)

The ETA caliber 2878 is a vintage Swiss made automatic movement that started production in the 1970s. This caliber is related to the ETA 2800 series of movements which includes the ubiquitous 2824-2 workhorse, but there are differences due to it being sold as a more economical movement. Interestingly, despite any architectural/part differences, the dial feet positions carry over to other ETA calibers. The day/date calendar complication on this movement is bi-lingual and quickset with an instantaneous changeover at 12:00 AM.

ETA 2878 VS. 2879:

There is a similar caliber 2879 which beats at a lower rate. The 2878 has a beat rate of 28,800 bph 4 Hz, and the 2879 beats at 21,600, 3Hz.

Other Similar Calibers:

The 2878 has two siblings in this family of movements: the 2870 and 2872. The notable differences are outlined below.

• 2870 – No date
• 2872 – Date complication
• 2878 –  Day/date complication

The ETA caliber 2858 is a manual wind version with the same 28,800 bph and day/date features.

Non-Hacking?

The ETA 2878 was originally sold as a non-hacking movement with an optional hack feature (hacking means the seconds hand stops when the crown is pulled out to time-setting position). This means that if you have a 2878 without hacking, you should be able to add a part to get hacking functionality. The hacking part you need is called a stop lever, ETA part number 9433. This part number is the same on many ETA movements, so it is easy to find on eBay or other sites.

The fine timing device (regulator) was also optional when ordering the ebauches from ETA.

Additional Resources:

• More ETA movements