Ébauche

Ébauche is a French term that translates to "blank" or "unfinished." In the context of watchmaking, it refers to the basic movement or mechanism of a watch that has been partially assembled but does not yet include the final decoration, casing, or dials. An ébauche typically consists of the core components of a watch movement, such as the main plates, bridges, gears, and escapement, but lacks the finishing touches that make it a complete timepiece.