ETERNA

The Eterna watch has a long and illustrious history that dates back to 1856, when Dr. Joseph Girard, a physician, and his partner, Urs Schild, a schoolteacher, established the ébauche manufacture "Dr. Girard & Schild." Ébauche refers to an unassembled watch movement (or generic movement) that is then built for use in other Swiss watch brands. It is derived from the French word ébauche, which means "rapid sketch" or "underpainting" in oils. The Eterna watch movement has been at the forefront since the beginning, and they continue to develop and reinvent their own calibers and Sellita movements.

Dr. Girard retired in 1886, and Schild began producing his own designs of ladies wrist watches refurbished from pocket watches under the name Präzisionsuhren-Fabrik Gebrüder Schild (Precision Watches Factory Schild Brothers) or Schild Fréres & Co. with his brother under the name Präzisionsuhren-Fabrik Gebrüder Schild (Precision Watches Factory Schild Brothers) or Schild Fréres & Co.

In 1876, Schild Fréres & Co. launched a successful line of completely built and produced timepieces, including the case and dial. The firm had 300 workers and produced 180 clocks each day when the "Eterna" line was debuted in 1890 and designated on the dial. In 1906, the Eterna label was accepted as the corporate brand name: "Eterna-Werke, Gebrüder Schild & Co." The collection was so successful that the Eterna label was adopted as the corporate brand name: "Eterna-Werke, Gebrüder Schild & Co."

Thanks to modern production processes and novel electric machinery, the firm continued to develop globally, building multiple branch offices and considerably improving productivity.

In 1904, Eterna submitted a patent for a revolutionary wrist watch case with sliding safety band lugs that was meant for armed troops, demonstrating extraordinary vigor and spirit of invention.

A wristwatch with an alarm feature was patented four years later.

It was the world's first series-production wristwatch with alarm, debuting at the Swiss National Exhibition in Berne in 1914.

The alarm wristwatch was improved upon, and a new model with a practical 8-day power capacity was introduced in 1929.

Eterna continued to set records and, a year later, unveiled the world's smallest manufacturing wristwatch with a Baguette movement, the Calibre 610, which measured just 7.25 mm x 22.5 mm. Other watchmakers offered smaller versions, but they were hand-crafted and far more costly.

The Eterna-matic watch mechanism was introduced in 1948, which was a watershed moment in the history of Eterna watches and the global watchmaking industry. Other automatic watch designs were susceptible to wear and tear, compromising their accuracy and dependability. With Eterna's ball-bearing mounted rotor, this was no longer an issue. The rotor was supported by five small ball bearings, which provided balance and decreased friction greatly. The Eterna-matic watch worked smoothly and dependably thanks to its technology, even under the most harsh situations.

The Eterna-matic was a smash hit, and the five small ball bearings that propelled the company global were chosen as the new logo. Of course, Eterna continued to improve the movement, first miniaturizing it for ladies' watches, then slimming it down. The Eterna-matic Golden Heart for Ladies was driven by the world's smallest automated winding calibre as a result of this. Stars like Gina Lollobrigida and Brigitte Bardot have endorsed this watch, which has contributed to its success. The Golden Heart line is still in production today, with pieces like the Golden Heart LE, which have been upgraded with cutting-edge technology to pay honor to its history.

The Eterna-matic movement is still in use today, demonstrating the significance of Eterna watches' history as well as its creative capabilities. TimeScape is pleased to present Eterna watches from the Eternity line, which is based on classic pieces from the era. The timeless elegance of Eterna timepieces is captured in the Eternity Artena, Eternity For Her, and Eternity For Him collections.

The Eterna KonTiki Collection honors Thor Heyerdahl, an archaeologist and ethnologist who led a groundbreaking trip in 1947 to establish that South Americans came to Polynesia from the east, not the west. The expedition was captured in a documentary film that received an Academy Award in 1951, as well as a book about the adventure that was released in 1948 and translated into 70 languages.

With the aid of the Humboldt current and the eastern winds, Heyerdahl and five other scientists set out to establish that pre-Columbian South American tribes could reach Polynesia on a crude raft. The adventurers arrived in the Raroia atoll in Polynesia after 101 days aboard a primitive Balsa-wood raft named after the Incan sun deity Kon-Tiki, wearing Eterna watches that had survived the tumultuous expedition. To honor this historic journey, Eterna created a series of robust and durable pieces for adventurers throughout the world.

Since its introduction, this Kontiki diver wristwatch has been a huge hit, and it's one of the most popular collections available. From the basic automatic Kontiki with pyramid shaped appendages to the Super Kontiki diver with unidirectional bezel, the Eterna KonTiki watch is available in a number of designs. The elegant Royal Kontiki is enhanced with ornamental screws within the bezel of the Super Kontiki Chronograph Manufacture, which includes a see-through exhibition case back to reveal the movement. TimeScape also provides the KonTiki 4 Hands Eterna-Matic, which shares many of the same characteristics as the original, making it perfect for the historical explorer.

This Eterna technology advanced watchmaking to new heights, quickly becoming the global standard for all automated wrist watches. It's still being used today.