Let’s Talk History of Eterna (and Calatravas)
Jake Heffner of The Perpetual Post is back with another guest editorial, discussing why you should care about vintage Eterna, and how the brand may soon skyrocket in popularity.
What comes to mind when you hear the name ‘Eterna?’ Perhaps you think affordability or a value-packed brand with a vintage heyday, or maybe even nothing comes to mind. After all, Eterna is a brand that hardly gets much recognition outside of their most iconic or mainstream models. Truth be told, Eterna was never really on my radar, that is until I had a couple hundred bucks to blow and I became infatuated with the Calatravas of the 1940s. Just like that, the keyword “Vintage Eterna” was a saved search in my eBay browser.
A ‘Brief’ History of the Brand
I bet you had no idea that Eterna has been around for more than 160 years. The brand was originally started by Dr. Joseph Girard, and a young schoolteacher named Urs Schild. The two were in business for some time, and during these ‘quiet years’ for the brand, company leadership changed many times (while still remaining in the Schild family). As the company entered the 20th century under the leadership of Theodore Schild, they started to realize that wristwatches were becoming societally fashionable. It’s important to note that over a hundred years ago, wristwatches were viewed as feminine until they became a necessity in the trenches of World War I. Eterna saw this as an opportunity and started crafting women’s watches from small pocket watch movements. As the brand started to ‘take off’ so to speak, they made one of the biggest moves in 1932 that would forever change the watch game.
A vintage Eterna Ad foreshadowing the next watch we’ll discuss in this article (courtesy of the Eterna Archives)
So what did Eterna do in 1932? They started ETA SA, a movement manufacturer (subsidiary company) that made movements for other Swiss brands to use in their watches. This was a huge move, and still is to this day. Most off-the-shelf movements today are either Seiko movements, or ETA movements - and for Swiss brands it’s almost always an ETA movement. Calibers like the ETA 2824 have been used by Tudor, Hamilton, Breitling, Tissot, Stowa, IWC, countless microbrands, the list goes on and on.
During the 1940s, Eterna was on the forefront of pioneering the automatic rotor system. Not only was it a practical business move, but the brand also had a history of innovation, and automatic watches were still in their infancy. Eterna introduced to the market an automatic movement in 1948 that utilized five distinct ball bearings on the rotor to increase reliability and functionality. This movement was a development of the Eterna - matic platform, and was a real innovation in the watch world. The five ball bearings soon became the Eterna logo as it was synonymous with the brand, and even today we can observe these mechanical wonders on the backs of ETA movements.
An example of the famous Eterna logo with the five ball bearings (courtesy of Veblenist)
Throughout the 1980s to today, Eterna faced financial struggle and was sold many times. The once Swiss giant was merely a business name to be bought and sold. Luckily for enthusiasts, the brand is still producing watches to this day, and you can still pick up some of their classic icons like the Kontiki (however I recommend looking into vintage).
The Bridge From Eterna to Patek Philippe
When you first found this article, you might have been a little surprised (or a lotta) to see Patek and Eterna mentioned in the same sentence, and for good reason! When I was originally looking to spend a couple hundred bucks on a new watch, I had a very specific style of watch in mind. I wanted to buy something that resembled the Patek Calatrava ref 96 in steel, but still had its own unique brand design/identity. I experimented with a couple of brands, but somehow my search kept ending with Eterna. The truth of the matter is that during the 1940s, Eterna produced some extremely high quality and stylish watches that are timeless in design, yet hardly break more than $600 online. The Calatrava style watches of the 1940s are rare when in good condition, and they’re truly a style of watch that you can’t find many good examples of nowadays.
Through days and weeks of searching, I found this gem…
…and it's exactly what I wanted. The case is completely unpolished, still showing the 80-year-old factory finishing. The watch is so mint that it even came on its original strap from the 1940s. Just look at that dial. It’s clean, old, full of character, and has its own unique styling with those circular hour markers. On the wrist, the watch is quite small - but it feels period-correct. Back when this one was made, smaller watches were the norm, and with its art deco style and conservative sizing, dare I say this has the same small timeless feel on wrist as a Cartier?
Even though it's small, and most people wouldn’t wear it, there’s something so satisfying about it that just feels right. Most importantly, the watch bears a striking resemblance to a Calatrava of the same era, specifically my favorite example of a Patek 96, pictured below.
A Patek Philippe Calatrava 96 (courtesy of Philips)
Bringing it All Together
Considering the illustrious history described above, and the fact that Eternas like mine are readily available, it’s surprising that the brand doesn’t have as huge of a vintage following that it should. They’re simply solid vintage watches, from a sturdy brand, with a fantastic history. If you know anything about the watch industry, that’s the perfect recipe for something to increase in value. If my watch was an Omega instead, we’d be looking at a price tag much larger, but the fact that the dial says “Eterna,” we can avoid that premium.
“There’s something so satisfying about it that just feels right.”
Meanwhile, this watch feels just as solid as an Omega, and is in even sharper condition than the Omegas I have in my collection. If watches like this pique your interest, if you’d like to inquire about this one, or simply learn more about Eterna, let us know!
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