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 revolutionary innovation soon enjoyed worldwide success, solidly consolidating Eterna’s international reputation.
The brand’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 contemporary classic in its own right, its shapely contours and typically incurved case lugs are back essentially unchanged.

Eterna’s “1948 Legacy”

1948 - A Pivotal Invention
In 1948, Eterna signed off on an epochal development that 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 – an astute 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 newly famous bearing into its now-celebrated corporate symbol.

The “1948” - A World-Over Success
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, 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 Legacy”.

2014 – The New “1948 Legacy” Honoring its Reputation
“Legacy”, the contemporary version of the “1948” features a sturdy proprietary self-winding mechanical movement, calibre 3030, fitted with a ball-bearing device similar to the original’s. 41.50 mm across, its finely polished 18 ct 4N rose gold and stainless steel case with transparent sapphire porthole at the back embodies today’s design preferences. The case frames a silver-toned dial enhanced with rounded hour markers and a large-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 Legacy” comes with elegantly facetted and incurved case lugs securing a brown alligator strap fitted with an 18 ct rose gold deployment clasp.

Source: Eterna