Ronda Caliber R150

The Ronda caliber R150 is a Swiss made automatic movement with 25 jewels. This movement was announced at Baselworld in 2016. As a manufacturer of mechanical watch movements back in the 1960s, the R150 is not Ronda’s first mechanical caliber.

Ronda Mechanical Movements:

This movement is part of Ronda’s “Mecano 100” aka Series 100 line of movements. When the R150 was launched in 2016, there was talk of a full lineup of Ronda mechanical movements to come, however, at the time of this post in 2021, the R150 is still the only movement available in this series, and the only mechanical movement produced by Ronda.

In Ronda’s own words:

“The Mechanicals product range heralds the return of the Ronda Brand’s mechanical watch movements. The recently launched automatic movement R150 operates with a winding mechanism on both sides by means of a ball bearing. – “Ronda Mecano”, available exclusively as a Swiss Made line, is intended for premium timepieces.” –source

Ronda R150 VS ETA 2824-2:

Despite some misinformation online, the R150 is not an ETA 2824-2 clone. However, the R150 does share similar dimensions with the 2824-2: both are 25.6mm in diameter with roughly the same height (4.6mm for the ETA, 4.4mm for the Ronda).

Accuracy:

According to official documentation by Ronda, the calibre R150 is claimed to have an average accuracy rating of +/- 12 seconds per day with a maximum deviation of rate up to 30 seconds per day. Isochronism after 24 hours with +/-20 seconds per day. Ronda tests each movement in two positions at the factory. The R150 is equipped with an index system regulator for fine-tuning accuracy.

Power Reserve:

The power reserve of the R150 is about 40 hours when the movement is fully wound. According to Ronda, winding the movement by hand will reach full power reserve after ~27 winds. You cannot overwind the movement. In order to maintain constant running of the movement, Ronda recommends wearing the watch for 12 hours per day. When wearing the watch for fewer hours than 12, you may need to hand wind the movement a few times.

Removing the Crown / Stem:

According to Ronda, the crown should be in winding position (what they refer to as position I) when removing the setting stem. There are 4 lubrication points recommended on the stem (see the technical instructions in the additional resources section below).

Swissness:

Ronda has a headquarters in Lausen, Swizerland as well as in Hong Kong. The Ronda R150 is labelled as a Swiss Made movement, but with the smoke and mirrors of the watch industry, it is not unreasonable to question how “Swiss” any movement actually is. For example, were all of the components made in Switzerland or only some of the parts plus assembly?

Replacement Prices:

At the time of this caliber listing, replacement prices for the R150 were found online in the range of $159.00 USD to $169.00 USD.

Video:

Ronda R150 Official Datasheets (pdf):

Is the R150 Discontinued?

Ronda still lists the R150 in their online catalog of watch movements, with no mention of it being officially discontinued. Furthermore, there are still microbrands using the R150 in their product lineups. However, this is not to say that Ronda isn’t phasing out the R150 while perhaps they are working on an evolution or upgraded version. Caliber Corner will attempt to reach out to Ronda directly for more information and will update this post when applicable.

Additional Resources:

• Ronda R150 official page
• R150 technical instructions (pdf)