Eterna

Eterna is a Swiss watch company founded in Grenchen, Canton Solothurn, on 7 November 1856 by Josef Girard and Urs Schild.[1] The company is now owned by Hong Kong–based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited, an investment holding company formerly known as China Haidian Holdings.[2]

History

In 1948 Eterna adopted the image of five balls as its corporate logo.[3]

The Golden Heart for Ladies watch model, powered by Eterna-matic, was worn by actresses Gina Lollobrigida and Brigitte Bardot.[4]

In 1958, the KonTiki watch collection was released. It was inspired by 1947 Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition.[5]

After 1982, Eterna was sold several times. By 1995, it was owned by FAP Beteiligungs GmbH. In 1999, Eterna produced a range of watches marketed under the Porsche Design label. Porsche Design sold Eterna to International Volant Ltd, a subsidiary of China Haidian on 29 June 2011.[6][7] CEO Patrick Kury left the company in April 2013.[8][9] China Haidian was renamed in 2014 to Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited. According to the Dutch OSINT platform Datenna, Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited's stake in Eterna led to a low risk of state influence on Eterna by the Chinese government.[7]

In the 2000s Eterna resumed manufacturing watches and creating the Calibre 6036 in 2004. The ultra-thin automatic 3030 was produced for the 150th anniversary in 2006. In 2009, a half-century after the Eterna-Matic, the "Spherodrive" once again highlighted the significance of tiny ball-bearings in mechanical watchmaking. The company remains active in wristwatch design.[10]

In 2014, it was announced that the partnership with Porsche Design would end and therefore end the production of Porsche branded watches,[9] a partnership they started back in 1998.[11]

In 2016, the company celebrated its 160th anniversary with the release of its limited edition Skeleton 1856 watch. The watch was available with straps in 3 different colours and only 160 of each was released.[12]

Milestones

• The 1870s: The first watch built entirely in-house
• 1908: Patent filed for the world’s first wrist alarm clock
• 1910: "Grand Prix" honors at the Brussels World Exhibition
• 1914: The first serially-produced wrist alarm clock is introduced[13]
• 1930: Designs of the smallest production wristwatch with a "baguette" movement
• 1948: Birth of the friction-reducing ball-bearing mounted rotor system and production of the Eterna-Matic
• The 1950s: Actresses including Gina Lollobrigida and Brigitte Bardot wear the "Golden Heart"
• 1956: The 100th anniversary "Centenaire" automatic.
• 1958: The "Kon-Tiki", a tribute to the expedition of the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl in 1947[5]
• 1962: The thinnest men's watch with an automatic movement and a date window, the "Eterna-Matic 3000 Dato" with a movement height of 3.6 mm.
• The 1980s: The "Museum" line breaks the thinness record in all categories. The quartz wristwatch has a thickness of only 0.98 mm.
• 1980: Eterna receives the "Grand Prix Triomphe de l'Excellence Européenne".
• 1995: Eterna was purchased by F.A. Porsche Beteiligungen GmbH.[11]
• 2006: For the company's 150th anniversary the automatic calibre 3030 is released.
• 2011: Eterna was purchased by Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited.
• 2016: For the company's 160th anniversary the Skeleton 1856 is released[12]

Gallery

External links

• Official website