1940s Eterna Automatic "Bumper" Cal. 1159H

In the 1900s, wristwatches were just starting to become fashionable. Schild Fréres, as the company was then known, started to produce ladies’ timepieces that were based on modified pocket watch movement that came from small pocket watches. In 1905, Schild Fréres changed its name to Eterna. Eterna from that point on continued to be at the leading edge of watch development. Matter of fact Eterna is responsible for the first alarm wristwatch which was patented by the company in 1908.

Another interesting and little-known fact is that in 1932, Eterna created a subsidiary company called ETA SA. ETA was created to make movements for Eterna and other Swiss watch companies. ETA is still in business today and has withstood the test of watchmaking technology and time, ETA is the largest Swiss manufacturer of both automatic, mechanical, and quartz movements which are the base caliber movements still being used in today's top tier brands still to this day.

Eterna is best known for its more sports-driven tool watches such as the Eterna Kontiki and Super Kontiki dive watches, but the brand has produced some very interesting watches in its 165 years of existence, including some incredible time only watch like this 1940's era Eterna Automatic, and that would be just barely scratching the surface of what has come from this brand over its many many years of existence.

This specific Eterna "bumper" leverages the  Eterna atomic self-winding "bumper" Cal. 1159H movement which in the 1940s was a triumph of horological excellence in itself. The dial is simple yet sophisticated possesses the quality and feel similar to what you'd find in a Patek Phillippe from the same era with a raised font, text, and an outer minute track. The case is simple yet interesting with its unique and broad "fancy" lugs.  The thin simple hands paired with simple details like the red tip of the sweep seconds make this a winner in our book.