Eterna Watches
Steeped in horological prestige and a reputation for innovation, Eterna watches and movements were pivotal in the history of watchmaking. Responsible for the ball-bearings solution that enabled the very first automatic movements, and the ETA SA movements that remains the largest manufacturer of watch movements, and an impressive catalogue of fine military wristwatches, Eterna is a true giant of 20th century watchmakers.
ETA SA
In the 1930s, Eterna began creating movements for other watchmakers to include Tudor, Hamilton and Breitling to name a few. Named the ETA SA and separate from the Eterna watchmaking aspect of the business, ETA SA became one of the largest movement producers in the world, and is today owned by Swatch.
Eterna Military Watches at Auction
Czech 'Majetek' Watches
Produced in the 1930s and 1940s for the Czech Air Force, the Eterna 'Majetek' Pilot's watches appear at auction fairly infrequently. Featuring a distinctive cushion shape case, tachymeter scale, luminescent markers and a black dial, these 38mm wristwatches sell well at auction owing to their rarity and style. Only Eterna, Lemania and Longines were tasked with creating these distinctive watches. Reissued as part of their contemporary 'Heritage' collection, the Majetek Pilot's watch remains an in-demand model.
Military Chronographs
In addition to the more infamous watches commissioned by the MoD and other countries, Eterna produced a range of military complications, designed for pilots and ground forces. Rarer examples with tachymeter dials, pushers to 2 and 4, double or triple subsidiary dials and either a white or black dial colour sell exceptionally well for their rarity and comparative complexity to their counterparts.
Eterna 'Dirty Dozen' Watches at Auction
Tasking twelve of the finest watchmakers to create timepieces for British Troops, the Ministry of Defence ordered 150,000 watches in 1944. Delivered between 1944 and 1945, these timepieces are characterised by their 'W.W.W' inscription to case back, broad arrow to dial, black dial, arabic markers, luminous dots and hands within a stainless steel or polished chrome case. The Dirty Dozen watchmakers are as follows: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex.
Eterna produced only 5,000 of these timepieces with a 520H calibre manual wind movement, making them amongst the rarest examples of Dirty Dozen watches. Dirty Dozen wristwatches are incredibly sought-after by collectors keen to complete the set, and this rarity really accelerates bidding when these pieces come to auction. For a free, confidential auction valuation of your Eterna Dirty Dozen watch, contact our specialist team.
Eterna-Matic Watches at Auction
Introducing the ball-bearing mounted rotor in the 1940s, Eterna was responsible for the development of the automatic movement. In honour of this innovation, Eterna produced all of their automatic wristwatches under the 'Eterna-Matic' name, with an apt company logo of five balls. This technology became the standard practice for watchmakers all over the world, and began in 1948 with the production of the cal. 1198 movement.
Eterna-Matic Kontiki
The Eterna-Matic Kontiki is amongst the top selling models from Eterna at auction. Dating back to the 1960s, this diver's watch took its name from the wooden raft 'Kontiki' that sailed from South America all the way to Polynesia in 1947. During this perilous 8,000 mile journey, all of the crew members wore an Eterna watch. The Eterna-Matic Kontiki was released in 1958, and each Kontiki timepiece bears an engraving of the raft to the case back in homage to this epic expedition.
Created in various iterations and still in production to this day, the Eterna Kontiki watch at auction sells exceptionally well as a true collector's dive watch.
Our specialist Fine Jewellery & Watch auctions are held 4 times a year and include the whole spectrum of jewellery, from modern and designer pieces to antique jewels, coloured gemstone jewellery to fine diamond rings. Our department is headed by Liz Bailey who is FGA and DGA qualified, with many years experience in the industry. We offer a free watch valuations service with both in-person appointment, and online valuation options available for clients across the UK.
Contact our qualified specialist Liz Bailey to find out more.
