Press release
Since 1948, Eterna's 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 revolu-tionary innovation soon enjoyed worldwide success, solidly consolidating Eterna's reputation internationally. Today's revival of the “1948” in a dimensionally updated version and a choice of two dial styles preserves the technical inventiveness and overall excellence of the original. A con-temporary classic in its own right, its shapely contours and typically in-curved case lugs are back essentially unchanged.
1948 - the year of a pivotal invention
Eterna's epochal 1948 development 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 development extended the watch's working time, hence its useful life – a smart 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 now-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, established 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 to come, the “1948” would find discerning 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”.
2012 – the new “1948”: matching its reputation
The contemporary version of the “1948” features a sturdy self-winding mechanical movement fitted with a ball-bearing device similar to the original's. 44 mm across, its finely polished stainless steel case with trans-parent sapphire porthole at the back embodies today's design preferences. The case frames a silver-toned or sunray brush-patterned black dial en-hanced with rounded hour markers and a date window at 6 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” comes with elegantly facetted and incurved case lugs securing a black alligator strap with polished steel de-ployment clasp. The small plates on either case flank, with “1948” en-graved at 9 o'clock on one of them, and the crown's peculiar silhouette round out the coolly classic design signature of the contemporary “1948”.
1948
Technical Specifications
Movement:
ETA 2824-2 calibre; self-winding movement; power reserve 38 h; 28,800 v.p.h.; 25 jewels; diameter: 25.6 mm (11 ½ lines) ; 1 ball bear-ing; hours, minutes, seconds; date calendar.
Dial/hands: silver-toned or black sunray brushed, rhodium-plated baton hour markers; rhodium-plated centre hour and minute hands; date cal-endar at 6 o'clock.
Case/back: case in polished and satin-finished stainless steel; case back secured by 5 screws with sapphire crystal porthole; water-resistant to 50 m (~ 165 feet or 5 bars); diameter: 44 mm; height: 11.7 mm; scratch-resistant, anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
Bracelet/clasp: black alligator leather strap with polished stainless steel folding clasp.
