The movements found in countless Swiss watches are made by ETA, which is now owned by the Swatch Group but was originally the movement replica IWC Portuguese Automatic watch branch of Eterna.Eterna is now owned by the Porsche Design company and over the years has shared much DNA with the sleek pieces Porsche has designed.Incidentally, the Kon-Tiki line of Eterna watches was named for Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who in 1947 built a raft and sailed from South America to Polynesia to prove a theory that the South Pacific islands were settled by Americans, not Asians.There were several Kon-Tiki divers built in the '60s and '70s but none as famous as the Kon-Tiki Super, of which this is an example.
Even those true replica IWC 3715-18 watch snobs who would never consider purchasing something as plebeian as an Omega respect the Speedy Pro.Really, how could they not?Even before the Speedmaster Professional was dubbed the "First Watch on the Moon", it played an integral role in another first in exploring.The Speedmaster Professional was the watch worn by Ralph Plaisted on his famous trip to the North Pole.In fact, Plaisted and his team, who rode only 16 horse power snow-mobiles for over 43 days, used only a tant and an unmodified Omega Speedmaster Professional to navigate to true North.
You won't find one in better condition and the high price reflects that.Hodinkee makes no claims as to the authenticity of the issue replica IWC Portuguese Automatic watch markings so do your due diligence if you're interested in buying.Click here for more photos and information on this magnificent piece of history. Jason Heaton in Eterna Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 1:30PM We came across this wonderful post on aBlogtoRead and we had to share it.This article is about a watch made by Eterna in the 1970s for the Israeli Defence Forces.According to the article, this was the watch given to the group of special forces that were responsible for covert missions.
