1960s Eterna-Matic Kontiki Auto on Gay Freres Eterna Bracelet
Ref: 130 T
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Non-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original full-szied 18mm Gay-Frères Eterna stainless steel bracelet; all links are included in the bracelet, the bracelet has been well worn and does have stretch. The watch is from Circa. 1960s and is sold in worn, vintage condition, with signs of wear and age throughout but overall fair condition for its age as you can see from the photographs, original Eterna signed crystal is present. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yvk0zE48r_ABx6I0W-2GVe1wEynERrlM?usp=share_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 24:14 - https://youtu.be/PSYNUupBTnQ
The Watch
Here we have a 1960s Eterna-Matic Kontiki Auto on Gay-Frères Eterna Bracelet 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 sunburst silver domed dial, an outer minute track has applied long steel baton indexes with tritium pips marking the hours, as you rotate your wrist the chamfered edges play with the light, 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 dress watch. On the reverse a screw-down case back we have a nicely embossed depiction of the raft, in the 1947 KonTiki expedition of Thor Heyerdahl and his crew, 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 hand-made Gold chains for pocket watches and other jewellery items, their bracelet designs can be seen on a variety of brands such as Patek Philippe on the Nautilus, Audemars Piguet on the Royal Oak, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex and many others.
Personal Note
When you stop to look at this watch as a whole you realise the value is just incredible, the overall design is clean and simple, but you look closer and the curves of the case are sublime, the slightly recessed original crown, the original Eterna signed crystal with their logo etched into the centre, the screw down case back with the gold medallion... Then you come to the Gay Freres bracelet, these alone are considered desirable and sought after, this one comes full-sized and is just beautifully built... I wouldn't hesitate on this one if you are interested!
The Brand
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.