Eberhard & Co.

Eberhard & Co.

Pre-Extra Fort Chronograph

A stainless steel single button chronograph with slide lock mechanism, tropical dial and snail scale, Circa 1940

Dial: gilt tropical

Calibre: cal. 16000 mechanical, jewelled

Movement number: 22'199

Case: stainless steel, snap on case back

Case number: 1’002’927

Closure: unsigned brown strap and stainless steel buckle

Size: 40 mm diameter

Signed: case, dial and movement

Accessories: none

Eberhard & Co.

Watchmakers and engineers have always used complications to enhance precision and bring pleasure to horology. Over the past few centuries, they have dazzled us with the tourbillion, minute repeater and perpetual calendar but none of these speak to us in the same way that the visually stimulating chronograph and split-seconds chronograph captures us. From the Greek “chronos” meaning time and “graph” to write, the chronograph measures and records time intervals stated in seconds.

Eberhard & Co. first introduced a patented setting mechanism in the 1890s, and in 1905 they introduced a digital system for displaying hours and minutes on a wristwatch. Eberhard has always produced extremely robust and high-quality chronograph watches and in 1919, released their first chronograph wristwatch featuring a hinged case and single button and in 1935 the two button chronograph. In 1939, they introduced their first split-seconds chronograph wristwatch.

The following 5 chronographs and split-seconds chronograph are great examples of why Eberhard is so popular today. They present interestingly and rarely seen dial colors and configurations, showcasing the rare and popular snail-shaped tachometer scales.

Each watch is housed in an oversized stainless-steel case and each example has been exceptionally well preserved, retaining crisp edges and with well proportioned lugs and well-defined stepped bezels. Each watch has been carefully looked after for close to 80 years and illustrates the beauty of an Eberhard & Co vintage chronograph wristwatch.

While Eberhard is a brand that is near and dear to many dedicated collectors, many of its achievements in chronograph development are not as celebrated as they should be. Founded in 1887, the brand has a long and storied history, and by the early 20th century had established itself as one of the premier manufacturers in La Chaux de Fonds, specialising in chronographs. It was during this period that they pioneered the first ever chronograph to be able to stop and resume elapsed time, as opposed to having to reset the entire chronograph each time it was stopped. Being able to pause the chronograph mechanism is something that we take for granted today, and this technology was first brought to us by Eberhard.

The present lot was made during the time when Eberhard first created the chronograph pause function, and thus operates in a totally different way to modern chronographs. In order to pause the chronograph, the user does not press down on the 4:30 pusher. In fact, the 4:30 pusher is not a pusher at all. Instead, it can be slid horizontally towards the crown to engage the chronograph pause function. The action has sometimes been said to somewhat resemble the smartphone “silence” button. Fitted with a gilt black dial that has taken on a very attractive tropical patina over the years, the present watch is not just bursting with vintage flavour, it is a very real piece of chronograph and watchmaking history that is exceptionally well preserved.