ETA Caliber F06.111

The ETA caliber F06.111 is an affordable Swiss quartz movement with 3 jewels. This caliber is part of ETA’s entry level Trendline series of movements. Based on ETA official tech documents, this caliber has been on the market since at least February 4, 2005.

Battery Life:

The FO6.111 has rather long battery life when using a higher mAh cell. When using a 40 mAh cell, the battery life can be up to 68 months. With a 55 mAh battery cell, the battery lasts up to 94 months.

Note that you cannot simply install a high mAh battery unless your watch is designed to handle the increased thickness. The 371 cell has a diameter of 9.5mm no matter what the mAh is, but the 40 mAh cell is only 2.1mm tall compared to the 55 mAh cell at 2.7mm.

EOL:

You may see this movement listed as an EOL, which stands for end of life. This is a low battery indicator that is built into the circuit board to cause the second hand to jump every 4 seconds when the battery is low on juice.

How to Change the Battery:

The F06.111 takes battery number 371 (aka SR920SW) low drain 1.55 V.

Replacing the battery on your F06.115 watch is very straightforward. As pictured, place your tool between the battery and the arm that holds it in place (#2 in the image below). Gently pry the arm back and the battery should lift up. Be careful not to bend of break off the arm that holds the battery in place!

To install the new battery, do the process in reverse, but make sure the battery is placed under the lip first (#3 in the image above). If you install a new battery and the watch doesn’t function properly, it’s possible that the battery is bad. Always try a new battery before giving up.

Video demonstration

Crown/Stem Removal:

To remove the crown/stem, look for the detent hole on the movement near the crown: there is a small arrow pointing to it.

Pull the crown out one click to date setting position should reveal a button in the hole that you can gently press with your tool to release the stem.

Do this carefully and do not press too hard. If you damage the stem release mechanism, there doesn’t seem to be a way to fix it since it’s encased in plastic.

Video demonstration

Date Changing:

The F06.111 has a quick set date feature with the crown in the second position. The date flip on a running watch is considered semi-instantaneous. Therefore, don’t be alarmed if there is lag from the time the date engages and flips over at midnight. The total time is takes for the date to flip can be up to an hour.

If the date on your watch doesn’t flip when the hands pass midnight, it doesn’t necessarily mean your watch needs serviced or has an issue, it could simply be how the hands were installed by the manufacturer.

Installing New Hands:

On January 8, 2003, ETA released a tech bulletin (No. 46) for all F0X.11X calibres stating the following:

“The fitting of the hour, minute and second hands must be done over 12o’clock, the three hands aligned.”

And also warning not to attempt adjusting the hands with your tweezers, or else you run the risk of damaging the gears:

“Any attempt at correction of the position of the hour hand by means of tools will cause the destruction of the teeth of the hour wheel.”

Replacement Price:

At the time of this post, replacement prices for the F06.111 were found online in the range of $26.41 – $38.95 USD.

Videos:

Below is the official “ETA Quartz Movements” video from March 2018:

Below is a video of an F06.111 being serviced with disassembly and reassembly:

Official Tech Sheets (pdf):

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

• Decent battery life.
• Gilt brass main plate and bridges.
• Relatively low cost to replace.

Cons:

• Some complaints about second hand having too much play and not lining up.
• Comment below if you have experienced any cons with this movement.

Additional Resources:

• ETA caliber F06.115 (newer version)