Swatch Caliber Sistem51 Watch Movement

Swatch Caliber Sistem51

Manufacturer	Swatch (ETA)
Caliber Number	Sistem51, Sistem 51
Base Caliber	ETA C10.111, C10111
Vibrations Per Hour	21,600 bph 3Hz
Power Reserve	90 hours
Jewels	19
Components	51
Hacking Seconds?	No
Hand-Windable?	Yes
Winding Direction	Counterclockwise
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; central seconds; date at 3:00 (there is also a petite seconds model with a small running seconds subdial at 6:00)
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland, Swiss made
Known Models	Swatch Sistem 51, Swatch X Blancpain Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection

The Swatch caliber Sistem51 automatic movement is made specifically for the Swatch Sistem51 watch. Officially announced at Baselworld on April 25, 2013, this movement gets its name from the 51 total parts it is comprised of.

Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:

In Swatch’s Own Words:

“Design is a key part of the Swatch DNA. SISTEM51 extends its reach into the innovative depths of the movement itself, now across more exciting models than ever before. 100 percent Swiss Made, featuring a self-winding movement with only 51 parts and an exceptional 90 hour power reserve, SISTEM51 continues to be a top seller.”

Made by Robots

The Sistem51 is 100% assembled by machines at ETA’s factory in Bancourt, Switzerland. Even the digital printing of the patterns and designs on the rotor (and other parts) is a completely automated process. Swatch claims that Sistem51 assembly is the first and only mechanical movement with a fully-automated watch manufacturing process.

From the Sistem51 Wikipedia entry:

“100% Swiss made on a 65-foot-long automated assembly line in clean-room conditions, without human intervention.”

Materials

From the Swatch press-release:

“Sistem51’s movement is made entirely of ARCAP, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc with exceptional anti-magnetic qualities.”

One Screw

The Swatch caliber Sistem51 movement consists of 51 parts, one of which is a screw. The entire movement has a single screw in which the entire assembly is centrally based on. In previous Swatch press-releases, they mentioned Nicolaus Copernicus and his model of the universe demonstrating that the sun is at the center.

Regulating/Repair/Replacement

The Sistem51 movement does not have a regulator on what Swatch calls their “high-tech” escapement. Therefore, the rate cannot be increased or decreased manually. The rate is set by lasers at the factory during assembly. In Swatch’s marketing materials, they say:

“The high-tech escapement has no regulator; the rate is set at the factory with a laser, making the manual rate adjustments normally required by a mechanical watch unnecessary.”

The Sistem51 is hermetically sealed (aka permanently sealed) also not designed to be a repairable movement. Of course, this would be completely dependent on what precisely is in need of fixing, and if you can find a watchmaker willing to do such repairs. For these reasons, the caliber Sistem51 is considered to be a disposable movement. Since ETA does not provide this movement to the public (it is currently only available to brands within the Swatch Group) there is no way to order a replacement, unless you can source a parts watch on the secondary market – for example, at the time of this post there was a movement with dial being offered on eBay for around $11.00 USD.

Accuracy

Swatch claims that the accuracy rating of the Sistem51 movement is within -5/+15 seconds per day with a +/-10 seconds variable fluctuation depending on factors such as temperature.

Swatch Caliber Sistem51 Accuracy

Sistem51 Irony Video

Mechanical Revolution of Swatch Video

Video User Manuals:

Examples of Watches With This Movement

Update: Swatch X Blancpain Watches

The Sistem51 movement is used in the Swatch x Blancpain collaboration watch: Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms. AT a quick glance, the ocean adorned movement appears to be a manual-wind, with the rotor not easily visible. The rotor is indeed present in the form of clear plastic with a digitally printed illustration.

In Swatch’s own words:

“The watches in the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection are equipped with Swatch’s mechanical movement SISTEM51. Launched in 2013, Swatch SISTEM51 is the first and only mechanical movement whose production is entirely automated. This Swiss-made mechanism features just 51 parts including only one central screw, has a 90-hour autonomy and is fully anti-magnetic thanks to its hairspring made with Nivachron™, ensuring high precision.” –Source

Warning: There have been reports of an influx of F@KE Swatch x Blancpain watches being advertised across social media platforms like Instagram and Tik-Tok. These watches often ship directly from China and while they appear to have a moving rotor in the back, it is merely a plastic assembly with a mock rotor, covering a cheap high frequency quartz movement inside. Watch video evidence here.

Additional Resources: