KonTiki

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KonTiki - Eterna
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In memory of an adventurious expedition.

The watches in the KonTiki line are a reminder of the courage and resolution of archaeologist and ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl. Back in 1947, the 32-year-old Norwegian and five other scientists set out from the Peruvian coast into the Pacific Ocean on a simple raft made of balsa wood named after Kon-Tiki, an Incan sun god.

Heyerdahl had embarked on his derring-do expedition to prove that it would have been technically possible for the pre-Columbian Indians of South America to reach Polynesia with the help of the Humboldt Current and the Passat wind. On their wrists the researchers wore specially made, extremely tough and reliable watches from Eterna’s workshops. The crew put their trust in these indispensable navigation aids whenever they had to carry out manoeuvres or make decisions upon which depended not only the success of their mission but also the survival of the men themselves. After 101 days and nights on the high seas, with almost 8000 kilometres behind them, Thor Heyerdahl and his crew finally reached the Raroia atoll in Polynesia.

Their watches likewise survived the journey and shown no sign of damage from salt water, the humidity or the fluctuating temperatures. The technical findings and expertise taken from the creation of the timepieces for this successful expedition subsequently flowed into the further development of Eterna’s sports watches.

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