Skip to content
Eterna-Matic KonTiki Super ref. 633.1018.41, 1970 — view 1 of 6
View 1 of 6 · Image: Craft & Tailored · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Eterna-Matic KonTiki Super ref. 633.1018.41, 1970

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Eterna (maker)
Date
1970
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 39 mm
Stock no.
ETKSUP633
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (ETKSUP633)
Catalogue title (original)
1970's Eterna-Matic KonTiki SUPER ref. 633.1018.41 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number ETKSUP633), this is a wristwatch by Eterna, made in Switzerland, dated 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 39 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 — Craft & Tailored

Many iconic timepieces have been closely associated with expeditions especially in the tool watch category – from the highest mountain accents to the deepest depths of the ocean even into outerspace the need for accurate timekeeping has always been a top priority. The 1947 KonTiki expedition was not setting records, it was about establishing Polynesia had been established by mankind moving from South America and not from Central Asia. The guide of the expedition wore an Eterna on his wrist and in 1958, Eterna selected the KonTiki designation for its most rugged line in tribute to Thor Heyerdahl’s odyssey. The KonTiki line of rugged dive watches were selected by adventurers and divers in late 1960 into the 1970's and this is the case specifically with the Super KonTiki which was adopted by the Israeli secret service and UDT divers three decades ago. This specific 1970's Eterna-Matic Super KonTiki IDF 200m "Civilian Non-Issued Model" military dive watch. Original condition with all functions working. SPECS Stock # ETKSUP633 Brand Kontiki Style Dive Model Eterna - Matic Serial 920XXX Size Men's Material SS Dial Matte Black Millimeters 39mm Bracelet NATO Strap (Coyote Brown) CASE & BRACELET Excellent case shows some wear from use. The original insert shows some patina and the lume at the 12 o'clock position remains partially intact but it is original to the watch The caseback displays the KonTiki ship and the reference engravings are visible and highly intact. DIAL & HANDS The lume remains in excellent condition and has taken on a wonderful golden patina. The 2 o'clock marker has been removed from the dial. The cigarette style hour hand and the white minute hand have taken on a stunning patina and the lume remains in a wonderful and original condition matching the dial perfectly Under U.V. light the lume in the hands and on the dial shows no visible degradation. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is running at spec and is in perfect working condition and received a recent service according to the previous owner.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

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.

Read next:Detached lever escapementIdentification Centre

Related records