Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Eterna Kontiki Super ref 130FTP "Feet bezel", 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Eterna (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 40 mm
- Stock no.
- W-2383
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2383)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Eterna Kontiki Super ref 130FTP "Feet bezel" (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-2383), this is a wristwatch by Eterna, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 40 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Bulang & Sons
This is a very cool and unusual version of Eterna dive watch the Kontiki. The history of the watches relate to a raft built by Thor Heyerdahl for a scientific voyage, with all crew members wearing Eterna Matic watches – Matic being Eterna’s term for automatic. To celebrate the success of the voyage the Kontiki was launched. This watch has a La Plongee bezel that was Eterna’s design for divers to measure their allowed time at certain depths. This watch is further unusual in that the bezel is calibrated for feet not meters. This watch remains in excellent original condition with lovely bevels on the steel case. This bezel function was explained in Eterna advertisements and required manual setting of the triangle marker in line with the minute hand upon reaching the final dive depth. The diver then had until the minute hand hits their respective depth to stay immersed before returning to the surface. The case back has the lovely Thor Heyerdahl Kontiki medal. The black dial features gilt printed text and zinc-sulphide tritium lume. This watch is fitted with a vintage Tropic rubber strap to give dive-vibes to the max ! The automatic movement has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Specifications: - Eterna Kontiki 130FTP - Case serial 531xxxx dates to 1960s - 40mm stainless steel case - Thor Heyerdahl case back - Black dial with gilt text - Eterna Cal 1489K automatic movement - Vintage Tropic strap - Fully serviced by our watchmaker - Includes a handmade leather watch pouch
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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