probably only of interest to me, but according to this graph, eterna patented the first micro rotor movement in 1933. there is no evidence it ever went into production, however. so all a bit academic.
Re-united at last. These two watches bear movement serials c.61k apart, and their case numbers differ by c.205k. I think it is reasonable to assume they both hale from 1951, and the passage of time has not wearied either of them at all. Both in hand and on wrist, they feel massive, solid, dependable. They also tell the time very well.
Both of these watches have already appeared separately in this thread, but I could not resist the opportunity to present them together. I greatly appreciate this pairing because it offers so much compare-and-contrast material aesthetically. They each sport the Eterna 1249UT movement, although the "white" one is designated "Chronomètre" (a spelling that had changed to "-meter" by the mid-1950s).
I am grateful to @cineaste for letting me have that one, and to @Tony C. for discussing it with me at an earlier stage in its history - particularly its red enamel-tipped silver sweep seconds hand! The black one was my own find, and bringing its cousin home has certainly increased my already considerable enjoyment of it. They were each unexpectedly tricky for this amateur to photograph, so getting them together really was a challenge. I hope you like them nevertheless.
Just received the beauty on the right and am smitten. 🥰
130T Kontikis are exactly the right size for my small wrist, while Certina DS's are, I feel, just a liiiittle bit too large.
(Yes, I've been socialized at a time when a discreet Patek Philippe Calatrava in platinum was the height of desirability and style, not the tower-clock-sized monstrosities of today's graceless age).
Now waiting to get my grubby fingers on an Eterna-Matic Kontiki 130T with dauphine hands.
(Please excuse my posting a non-Matic Eterna here, hope it's not too offtopic)
The Kontiki above runs a bit too fast, and generally is in need of a service and cleaning.
I'd quite like for my watchmaker to also exchange the crystal, as it is dirty and slightly cracked at the base.
Does anyone happen to know if the PA459-5E 29.13mm crystals found on the bay are the correct ones for this watch?
Or is there a better source?
Thanks!
This weirdly fascinating watch is coming up in an auction here, but the strange combination of Centenaire «61»-type lettering in a 71 Centenaire, the weird 13 to 24 numbering and the tritium dots being on the inside of the index markers make me think this might well be some kind of frankenwatch.
(After googling some more, it appears this actually was a legit Centenaire 71 style. And here I was thinking that Certina were the ones wildly mixing styles in their watches over the years)
Sometimes I just don't understand how folks are. If you're doing a redial for an old and not unvaluable watch, why would you copy the Kontiki text to look like it's from a Kontiki 20, instead of the correct 60s handwritten Tiki-style KonTiki? 🤦
#Matic, Matic, so good he posted twice!" 🥰
