Eterna Kontiki watch book.

Hey guys,

I’ve been doing some research lately on the Eterna Kontiki line. Together with another collector who actually introduced me to the brand, we’ve been thinking about publishing a coffee table book dedicated to the Kontiki.

The idea is to tell the story of the Kontiki line as completely as possible, with commercial prints, old pictures of people wearing them, stories, official Eterna documents, and obviously pictures of all the different models and dial configurations, paired with serial numbers, movements, etc. Basically, as complete a history of the Kontiki line as we can put together.

The one thing I feel a little insecure about is that we don’t have every single dial configuration documented yet. We have most of them, but every now and then I come across something really different and rare, and it makes me think the book won’t feel complete without it.

Is this something I should be worried about?

I really feel that the Kontiki line deserves a book, and that Eterna itself deserves more attention. Do you guys think a book like this would be interesting to collectors?

I’m still quite young at 31 and obviously have a lot to learn when it comes to watches and their history. But I know there are some die-hard collectors and people with a huge amount of knowledge on this forum, so I’d really love to hear your opinions, whether positive or negative.

Also, if anyone here is willing to help with anything you know about the Kontiki line, or would be willing to share pictures of your watch along with the serial number for the database, we would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

I would not worry about documenting every dial variation. It's not necessary, and you could miss something. A significant array of variations would please virtually every potential reader.

I agree that the model line is interesting enough, and of sufficient quality to warrant a stand-alone book. And yes, I expect that plenty of collectors would have an interest.

However, I would suggest focussing a large bulk of the work on vintage examples, and give more modern and contemporary versions a passing glance. I would also suggest that you do serious research using all of the available resources. Much worse than missing a dial variation or two would be to miss, or publish incorrect related facts. When you think that you are finished, find a couple of experts to proofread the text, and offer editing suggestions.

Thank you, Tony C, for the feedback. I really appreciate it. The focus will be on vintage watches, and you are completely right about getting the facts right. We don’t want to spread nonsense.

I do have a hard time finding good, reliable information, though. A lot of the information out there seems to be a copy of a copy of someone else’s writing.

I was also thinking about trying to get in touch with some people who used to work in the factories back in the day. That might be a difficult thing to do, but it could be really interesting if I can find anyone.