First ebauches or raw blank movements were produced around 1771 in Beaucort France. They consisted of two plates with barrel and train bridges, the cock and fusee, pillars, the clicks and assembly screws. In 1793 brothers Benguerel and Humbert-Droz setup first factory in Fontainemelon, Switzerland to make blank movements. In 1856 Schild and Girard setup an ebauches factory which was the first watch factory in the canton of Solothurn and the origin of ETA.

Named after third letter in the Greek alphabet ETA was formed from a number of small, independent manufacturers operating around the Joux region. In 1876 ETA had 400 employees and produced 240000 ebauches per year. In 1926 ETA and other watch manufacturing companies became a part in creation of Ebauches SA. In 1950 Ebauches SA controlled about 20 watch production and sales companies. In 1969 ETA took over Felsa Ebauches factory in Grenchen and in 1978 it merged with A.Schild SA.

In 1982 reorganization of ETA, FHF (Fabriques d"Holrogerie de Fointainmelon) and EEM (Ebauches Electroniques Marin) established a new and simplified management with a single headquarter in Grenchen. In November that year Swatch watch made of synthetic materials was introduced in the USA In 1985 ETA SA Fabriques d'Ebauches took over all the activities of the Ebauches SA. 1988 50millionth Swatch was produced. In 1992 Michel SA and SMH (Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d"Horologue) Engineering SA became part of ETA SA. In 1994 ETA had 15 factories in Switzerland, 3 in France, 1 in Germany, Thailand and Malaysia. In 1998 the SMH changed its name to The Swatch Group LTD. At the beginning of 2003 ETA SA abandoned the name Fabriques d'Ebauches and took a new name of Manufacture Horologere Suisse.