Eterna Schild Clocks Age Determination - Eternamatik, Kontiki, Porsche Design
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Brief overview of the Eterna brand
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Founded: 1856 in Grenchen, Switzerland
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Known for:
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Rotor with ball bearings (Eterna-Matic) – Milestone 1948
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High-quality in-house calibers
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Collaboration with Porsche Design (from the 1990s onwards)
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The five spheres in the logo represent the ball bearing of the automatic rotor (from 1948 onwards).
How do I determine the age of my Eterna watch?
1. Design & model series as a time indicator
| Feature or model name | Period |
|---|---|
| Early works (no Eterna logo) | before about 1910 |
| "Eterna" in cursive | 1930s–40s |
| Eterna-Matic | from 1948 (automatic with ball bearings) |
| Kontiki | from 1958 |
| TV casing, colorful dials | 1970s |
| Quartz movements (e.g. Beta 21, ETA) | from the 1970s onwards |
| Porsche Design / ETA 2892 | from the 1990s onwards |
Short story by Eterna
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1856 | Founded as Dr. Girard & Schild in Grenchen (Switzerland) |
| 1876 | Renamed Eterna Uhren Fabrik Gebrüder Schild |
| 1905 | Introduction of the brand name Eterna |
| 1932 | Spin-off of raw material production → Founding of ETA SA (Eterna subsidiary) |
| 1948 | Introducing the “Eterna-Matic” – automatic transmission with ball bearing rotor (world first) |
| 1960–1980 | The great era of Eterna Matic, KonSternik, Centenaire, etc. |
| Today | Eterna belongs to the Citychamp Group (formerly China Haidian). |
Eterna-Matic = safe after 1948
5 spheres in the logo = usually from after the 1950s
Identify the clockwork (caliber)
Eterna has built many of its own calibers. Movement engravings are usually marked "Eterna Cal." or "Cal. xxxxx".
| Type / Caliber | Period |
|---|---|
| Manual winding (e.g. 600, 610) | 1930s–1960s |
| Eterna-Matic 1247, 1412U | 1950s–60s |
| Caliber 1489K, 1500T | 1960s–70s |
| ETA movements (after the Swatch merger) | from the 1980s onwards |
List of serial numbers from 1894 to 1974:
From 1899 onwards, the movement and case were always marked with consecutive serial numbers.
It starts at number 1,000,000.
Watches bearing six-digit serial numbers were predominantly supplied to jewelers before 1900, who also determined the inscription on the dials. On these watches, the trademark "IXL" can be found on the inner case backs – a reference to the manufacturer "Schild Frères & Co." that is not immediately obvious to everyone.
Production figures have fluctuated greatly over the years, therefore these figures are only approximate.
+/- 200,000
The serial numbers on the right are from well-known Eterna watches with private date engraving.
1894 630 000 626 752 IXL
1900 1,045,000
1901 1,090,000
1902 1,135,000
1903 1,180,000
1904 1,225,000
1905 1,270,000
1906 1,315,000
1907 1,360,000
1908 1,405,000
1909 1,450,000
1910 1,500,000 1,556,288
1911 1,550,000
1912 1,600,000
1913 1,650,000 1,663,980
1914 1,700,000
1915 1,750,000 1,914,868
1916 1,800,000
1917 1,850,000
1918 1,890,000
1919 1,930,000
1920 1,970,000
1921 2,010,000
1922 2,050,000
1923 2,090,000
1924 2,130,000
1925 2,170,000
1926 2,210,000
1927 2,250,000
1928 2,290,000
1929 2,330,000
1930 2,370,000
1931 2,410,000
1932 2,450,000
1933 2,500,000 2,451,950
1934 2,550,000
1935 2,600,000
1936 2,650,000
1937 2,700,000 2,740,007
1938 2,750,000
1939 2,800,000
1940 2,850,000
1941 2,900,000
1942 2,950,000
1943 3,000,000
1944 3,050,000
1945 3,100,000
1946 3,170,000
1947 3,240,000
1948 3,310,000
1949 3,380,000
1950 3,450,000
1951 3,520,000
1952 3,600,000
1953 3,700,000
1954 3,800,000
1955 3,900,000
1956 4,000,000
1957 4,100,000 4,059 XXX
1958 4,200,000
1959 4,300,000
1960 4,400,000
1961 4,500,000
1962 4,650,000
1963 4,800,000
1964 4,950,000
1965 5,100,000
1966 5,250,000
1967 5,400,000
1968 5,550,000
1969 5,700,000
1970 5,850,000 5,865 XXX
1971 6,000,000 5,909,304
1972 6,100,000
1973 6,200,000
1974 6,300,000
? 7 001 900
Examples
| Serial number | caliber | Presumed year of construction | remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 361,525 | Cal. 520 | circa 1930 | Manual movement, Art Deco pocket watch |
| 1,243,678 | Cal. 1247 M | circa 1950 | First Eterna-Matic (5-ball rotor) |
| 1,845,200 | Cal. 1439 U | circa 1958 | Centenaire / Calendar automatic |
| 2,954,782 | Cal. 1489 K | circa 1971 | KonTiki Super Automatic |
| 10,532,100 | Cal. 2824-2 | circa 1992 | ETA-based modern version |
| 11,985,540 | Cal. 3903 A | circa 2012 | “Madison Eight‑Days” manufacture movement |
Eterna serial numbers & production period
| Serial number (movement or case) | Estimated timeframe | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| < 50,000 | before 1900 | Early pocket watches “Dr. Girard & Schild”, Switzerland |
| 50,000 – 90,000 | 1900 – 1905 | First watches under the name "Eterna" |
| 90,000 – 200,000 | 1905 – 1915 | Manual winding, mostly FHF/AS-based |
| 200,000 – 400,000 | 1915 – 1925 | Oversized clocks, World War I |
| 400,000 – 700,000 | 1925 – 1935 | Flat hand-wound watches, Eterna Cal. 520–600 |
| 700,000 – 1,000,000 | 1935 – 1945 | Refined Eterna movements (transition to the “Eterna-Matic”) |
| 1,000,000 – 1,700,000 | 1945 – 1955 | Eterna-Matic successfully launched in 1948 |
| 1,700,000 – 2,500,000 | 1955 – 1965 | Classic Centenaire / Matic cal. 1428 and 1489 |
| 2,500,000 – 3,400,000 | 1965 – 1975 | New Matic, KonTiki series, cal. 1489K–1500 and 2824 family |
| > 3,400,000 | after 1975 | Later works by authors, partly based on ETA principles; up to the quartz phase |
| > 7-digit (10xxxxx, 11xxxxx etc.) | from 1980 | Modern series, quartz / automatic ("Super-KonTiki", Centenaire 2000 etc.) |
Eras and distinguishing features
| Period | Typical watches / calibers | Design features |
|---|---|---|
| 1890–1910 | Pocket watches, early hand-wound watches | Enamel dial, Roman numerals |
| 1915–1935 | Flat manufacture movements (500–600 series) | Dial “Eterna – Swiss Made” in cursive script |
| 1945–1955 | Eterna‑Matic (1st automatic generation) | Rotor with 5 ball bearing points (symbol) |
| 1955–1965 | Centenaire / KonTiki | “Eterna Matic” imprint, date window 3 o’clock |
| 1970–1980 | Quartz / 25 jewels ETA base | flat housing, ribbed rotor |
| from 1990 | Revival models, Skeleton / Super KonTiki | modern logo (5 ball points) + “Eterna Manufacture since 1856” |
Work families and caliber assignment
| caliber | Construction period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Eterna 520–600 Series | 1920–1935 | Flat hand-operated lifts |
| Eterna 1010–1030 Series | 1935–1945 | Basis for early ETA factories |
| Eterna 1158 / 1198 | 1940s | Manually crafted, already finely finished |
| Eterna 1247 / 1256 | 1948–1953 | Eterna‑Matic I , ball bearing rotor |
| Eterna 1408 / 1428 / 1439U | 1955–1960 | Centenaire, Calendar, Chronometer version |
| Eterna 1489K / 1500 | 1960–1970 | New automatic generation, flywheel rotor on both sides |
| Eterna ETA-based 2824 / 2836 | from 1975 | Plant –– ETA subsidiary plant line |
| Eterna 3030 / 3903 / 3032 | from 1990 | Manufactured automatic system, new design |
