Eterna: Forgotten Founder of ETA

If you’re into watches, you’re likely already well familiarized with ETA. Love them or hate them, ETA movements are found in watches in almost all price brackets, except maybe the very, very high end (think Patek Philippe) or brands that produce pretty much everything “in-house” (think Rolex and Seiko). ETA is the largest producer of finished watch movements, and it’s also the inspiration behind many modern movements, such as Omega’s Co-axial caliber 2500, which started its life as an ETA 2892-A2 (which powers one of my all time favorite watches at any price – the Omega Planet Ocean 2500 in 42mm – but that’s a different story).

The Great Depression Split-up

The modern ETA we know today was originally the movement-manufacturing arm of the watchmaker Eterna (which is now owned by Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited since 2012). ETA is now owned by the Swatch group.

Both Eterna and ETA became a part of the ASUAG group in 1932 as part of an industry consolidation, but ETA went under the Ebauches SA part of the company. Basically, the name Eterna was kept for watch production, and ETA for movements.

ASUAG also acquired A. Reymond SA in 1932, which brought Unitas under the umbrella. The Unitas 6497 has been used by way too many brands to name, but probably the most notable would be Panerai. It’s still providing the engine behind a lot of great watches today (the Stowa Marine Original comes to mind).

Valjoux, primarily a chronograph maker, also came into the fold in 1944, when it was acquired by Ebauches SA, which in turn was a part of ASUAG at that point in time.

The Valjoux/ETA 7753 chronograph movement in my Baume & Mercier Capeland

Eventually, after numerous more consolidations, mergers, and one very big quartz crisis, the ETA we know and love today became part of the Swatch group in 1983 when ASUAG merged with SSIH (a group that was originally created when Omega and Tissot merged with Lemania).

A Relatively Unknown Innovator

Besides birthing ETA, Eterna is responsible for major innovations such as the ball-bearing assisted rotational movement, which it released in 1948 with the Eterna-matic automatic movement. Utilizing five strategically placed ball bearings, it made the movement more efficient, while also reducing wear and tear. The five dots in Eterna’s current logo pay homage to these five ball bearings, and its pioneering technology is still being used in automatic movements today.

Most watch enthusiasts know ETA, and probably know Eterna as well, but I’d venture to guess that not as many know that ETA was once embedded inside Eterna, before being separated due to the historical ups-and-downs of the watch industry – never to be reunited again.

This is probably in part due to the fact that ETA is owned by Swatch, which is widely known, owning many widely known and well-loved brands like Omega, Breguet, Hamilton, Longines, and Tissot – just to name a few. Eterna, on the other hand, has been bought and sold many times before most recently settling in with the Citychamp Group headquartered in Hong Kong.

Vintage Eterna Watch Advertisement

Eterna changed the game with the Eterna-matic movement and pioneered the modern automatic rotor system still in use in many movements today. Eterna also gave birth to what would eventually become what we know today as ETA – the largest producer of Swiss movements in the world. I think Eterna deserves much more widespread recognition today than what it actually gets within the wider world of watches, therefore.

For more vintage advertisements, visit the archive. Know more about Eterna or ETA and want to add to the discussion? Please post a comment below!