1960s Eterna KonTiki Automatic No-Date Tropical 34mm 130T

Here we have a rare 1960s Eterna KonTiki Automatic No-Date 130T with a 34mm stainless steel case that curves over your wrist with finely tapered lugs, a bevelled edge flows across the case's flanks, leading to a lug-to-lug length of 41.5mm, and a case thickness of 12mm ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side is the original domed signed crown. A domed crystal sits above the incredible tropical dial. An outer minute track features applied triangles at the cardinal points and long steel baton indexes with tritium pip markings for the hours. As you rotate your wrist, the facet edges play with the light. The slender Dauphine hands are complemented by a tapered, sweeping second hand. At 12 o’clock, we have the Eterna motif with “Eterna-Matic” printed underneath, and at 6 o’clock “, KonTiki” completes this striking vintage watch. On the reverse, a screw-down case back, we have a nicely embossed depiction of the raft, used in the 1947 KonTiki expedition of Thor Heyerdahl and his crew, which made the incredible crossing of the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands on a raft made of balsa wood; it took 101 days over 6,900 km (4,300 miles). Inside an automatic Eterna Cal. 1412UD, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. The watch comes paired with its full-size original 18mm Gay-Frères Eterna KonTiki stainless steel bracelet; all links are included in the bracelet. This bracelet is well-worn and does have stretch. Gay-Frères was founded in 1835 by Jean-Pierre Gay and Gaspard Tissot, initially producing handmade Gold chains for pocket watches and other jewellery items. Their bracelet designs can be seen on a variety of brands, including Patek Philippe on the Nautilus, Audemars Piguet on the Royal Oak, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, and many others.

This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original full-sized 18mm Gay-Frères Eterna stainless steel bracelet secured by an Eterna Kontiki signed folding clasp, which includes all links. The bracelet has been well-worn and does have some stretch. The watch is from Circa. 1960s and is sold in worn, vintage condition, with signs of wear and age throughout, including the incredible tropical dial, as you can see from the photographs. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

It is far from everyday that a 1960s Eterna KonTiki crosses your desk, especially one as unique as this with its distinctive tropical patina. This reference 130T is powered by the impressive automatic Eterna Cal. 1412UD and comes paired with its original, and equally as rare, Gay-Frères Eterna KonTiki stainless steel bracelet. I would not hesitate to add this freshly serviced example to your collection today!

Reference : 130T
Movement : Automatic Eterna Cal. 1412UD
Age : Circa. Early 1960s
Year : Circa. 1960s
Case Size : 34mm
Case Thickness : 11.5mm
Lug to Lug : 41.5mm
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

Eterna was founded in Grenchen, Switzerland, in 1856 by Josef Girard and Urs Schild. Jointly founding the famous ébauche factory. The company was formerly known as Schild Fréres, starting out by producing ladies’ wristwatches. In 1905, the company changed its name to Eterna. In 1932, Eterna set up a subsidiary company, ETA SA, which made movements for itself and other Swiss watch companies. In 1948, Eterna created the Eterna-Matic automatic, an advanced self-winding movement. Five ball bearings were placed in such a way as to make the movement very efficient. In 1948, Eterna used the five-ball arrangement as its corporate logo. In 1999, Eterna produced a series of watches marketed under the Porsche Design label. Porsche Design sold Eterna to International Volant Ltd, a subsidiary of China Haidian, in June 2012. China Haidian was later renamed in 2014 to Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited, where they continue to own Eterna.