Baselworld 2014: Since 1948, Eterna has added value to time
Baselworld 2014: Since 1948, Eterna has 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 international reputation.
Today’s revival of the “ 1948” in a dimensionally updated version 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.
1958 - THE YEAR OF A PIVOTAL INVENTION
In 1948, Eterna signed off on an epochal development that 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 devel-opment extended the watch’s working time, hence its useful life – an astute 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 newly 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, estab-lished 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, the “1948” would find dis-cerning 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 Legacy”.
2014 - THE NEW "1948": MATCHING ITS REPUTATION
"Legacy", the contemporary version of the “1948” features a sturdy proprietary self-winding mechanical movement, calibre 3030, fitted with a ball-bearing device similar to the original’s. 41.50 mm across, its finely polished 18 ct 4N rose gold and stainless steel case with transpar-ent sapphire porthole at the back embodies today’s design preferences. The case frames a sil-ver-toned dial enhanced with rounded hour markers and a large-date window at 3 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 Legacy” comes with elegantly facetted and incurved case lugs securing a brown alligator strap fitted with an 18 ct rose gold deployment clasp.