It’s very difficult to imagine life in 1856. If you were in America then your country was on the verge of civil war. In the same year, the United Kingdom put an end to the Crimean War with the signature of the Treaty of Paris, but at the same time got involved in two new wars: The Second Opium War (between several western powers and China) and the Anglo-Persian war. Browsing through Wikipedia to discover what happened in Switzerland in the same year, you will discover that things were much calmer in the Alpine country. The first entry is “November 7 – Eterna is founded”. The second entry is “Ernest Borel is founded”. A few years later came Omega. The Swiss watch industry was booming.
Eterna has introduced a number of new watches to celebrate its 160th anniversary. The “Granges 1856” celebrates the founding year and city of origin of the brand, where the manufacture is still today based just a stone’s throw from the railway station. The new collection is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a limited edition, with only 100 of each of the ten different references available. Secondly, it is fitted with the world’s thinnest automatic movement with large date display. Finally, it is also the first collection that can be purchased directly from the brand via the new Eterna e-boutique.
I tried out the model with the bronze dial and brown calfskin strap, which has a pushbutton folding clasp that is particularly easy to operate. As with any watch I wear for a review, the acid test is the spontaneous reaction from my peers and friends whenever I wear it. In the case of the Eterna Granges 1856 these were overwhelmingly positive, mainly for the classic design and the distinctive domed dial, which immediately grabs the attention. The slender hands and large date make the watch easily legible and a choice of Arabic (for the silver, blue and black dials) or Roman numerals (for the silver and bronze dials), as well as calfskin straps or stainless-steel bracelets for a total of ten different references, allows Eterna to account for a wide range of tastes.
At 4,900 Swiss francs with the leather strap and 5,100 Swiss francs with the stainless-steel bracelet, the Eterna Granges 1856 limited editions are attractively priced for the world’s thinnest self-winding large date watch in a limited series. For that extra-special touch, Eterna also offers the possibility of adding a special engraving on the case middle.
