Unitas 6497

The Unitas 6497 is a legendary Swiss manual-wind pocket watch movement introduced in the 1950s. Known as a 'Lépine' caliber with small seconds at 9 o'clock (opposite the crown). Its large 36.6mm diameter and robust construction made it perfect for oversized pilot watches during the 1990s mechanical renaissance. Panerai famously adopted this movement for their pre-Vendôme references. Later rebranded as ETA 6497-1 (18,000 vph) and 6497-2 (21,600 vph). The movement is widely used in watchmaking schools as a teaching caliber due to its large size and easy handling. Unitas was founded in 1918 in Tramelan, Switzerland, became part of Ebauches SA in 1932, and eventually merged into ETA (Swatch Group).