1948

Since 1948, Eterna’s added value to time  

From 1948 on, Swiss-made self-winding movements benefited from a major technical advance devised and implemented by Eterna: ball-bearing assisted rotational movement. Swiss wristwatches fitted with this revolutionary innovation soon enjoyed worldwide success, solidly consolidating Eterna’s reputation internationally. Today’s revival of the “1948” in a dimensionally updated version and a choice of two dial styles preserves the technical inventiveness and overall excellence of the original. A contemporary classic in its own right, its shapely contours and typically incurved case lugs are back essentially unchanged.     

1948 - the year of a pivotal invention   

Eterna’s epochal 1948 development proved a major step forward for self-winding technology, with a ball-bearing greatly easing the oscillating weight or winding rotor’s rotation around the pivot axis. Reducing wear and tear on vital parts, Eterna’s development extended the watch’s working time, hence its useful life – a smart way to increase its value.   Eterna knew it had a winner and made the most of it. Management lost no time turning the five spheres of the now-famous bearing into its now-celebrated corporate symbol.     

The “1948”, acclaimed the world over   

In a matter of months, the watch’s reputation, quickly followed by the watch itself, established itself all over the world. Runaway sales of the model delighted then surprised Eterna, the company finding itself with a worldwide best-seller. For years to come, the “1948” would find discerning   customers everywhere. Its popularity set new records.   

With such an impressive past, little wonder Eterna decided to make the “1948” available to new generations – all the more so that its looks were as clean and crisp as ever... Presenting the new “1948”.  

2012 – the new “1948”: matching its reputation   

The contemporary version of the “1948” features a sturdy self-winding mechanical movement fitted with a ball-bearing device similar to the original’s. 44 mm across, its finely polished stainless steel case with transparent sapphire porthole at the back embodies today’s design preferences. The case frames a silver-toned or sunray brush-patterned black dial enhanced with rounded hour markers and a date window at 6 o’clock, over which rotate rhodium-plated hour, minutes and seconds hands protected by an anti-reflexive scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.   

Like the original design, today’s “1948” comes with elegantly facetted and incurved case lugs securing a black alligator strap with polished steel deployment clasp. The small plates on either case flank, with “1948” engraved at 9 o’clock on one of them, and the crown’s peculiar silhouette round out the coolly classic design signature of the contemporary “1948”.   

The Eterna brand   

Eterna has since 1856 manufactured high-quality mechanical timepieces born of traditional craftsmanship. Over its more than 150 years of existence, numerous major developments have emerged from the company's workshops. Revolutionary innovations such as the Eterna-Matic ball-bearing-mounted rotor and the first alarm-equipped wristwatch originated at Eterna. Other milestones include the recently developed spring barrel construction mounted on ball-bearings Eterna Spherodrive setting a new reference with respect to quality and longevity of a mechanical movement. As one of a few manufacturers, Eterna values on new ideas and sophisticated materials for its traditional craft. And it is by doing so that Eterna has succeeded time and time again in devising unexpected solutions to watchmaking challenges that had defied the centuries. Eterna today belongs to the China Haidian Group. It also owns the license of the prestigious Porsche Design collection.