Hmm, that's not my understanding. Most higher-end replicas use "Asian" ETA clones (ie A2824 and others). The manufacturers have copied ETA parts over the years

Hmm, that's not my understanding. Most higher-end replicas use "Asian" ETA clones (ie A2824 and others). The manufacturers have copied ETA parts over the years and now are able to create fairly reliable and, when they want them to, authentic-appearing Swiss movements, at least to the untrained eye. This brings the cost down much lower than the Seiko and Miyota automatics, which even purchased in bulk are much more expensive than Asian ETA clones. These Chinese movements look the part, but tend not to last as long, have larger tolerances, etc. Source: a number of watch shops around my city where people frequently try to trade-in fake watches.