Round-UpTime, Uninterrupted: Introducing Eberhard & Co. And Their Top Watches

Unlike many independent watchmaking brands that were established in the 1800s, Eberhard & Co. have an uninterrupted history since the brand was set up in 1887. Despite the standard changes in ownership, the quartz crisis, and other trials that have plagued the mechanical watch industry, Eberhard & Co. have managed to build on their ethos of innovation, periodically advancing their inventions so as to remain relevant to contemporary collectors. Known primarily for their Chrono 4 chronograph with four horizontally-aligned sub-dials, and their Extra Fort line that put them on the horological map after World War II, Eberhard & Co. boast an illustrious legacy that includes dive watches and anti-magnetic timepieces. Yet, the brand continue to create new collections with the same inventive fervour as the brand’s eponymous founder displayed back in the late 1800s.

Unrelenting With Their Innovations: The Story Of Eberhard & Co.

In 1887, 22-year-old watchmaker Georges Eberhard established the watch manufacture Eberhard & Co. in La Chaux-de-Fonds, with technical innovation as the brand’s forte. His first wrist chronograph was released in 1919, and even after his sons took over the brand, Eberhard & Co. continued to update their collections, keeping up with innovations and trends. This doesn’t mean they blindly followed trends either—when most watches were sized in the range of 32 to 36mm, in the 1930s and 40s, Eberhard & Co. released watches with diameters measuring 39 and 40mm. The Extra Fort line, which gained popularity after the World War II, cemented the brand’s commitment to producing robust and reliable watches. This was followed by the release of what was to become another icon from Eberhard & Co.—the Scafograf dive watch collection. Starting with a water resistance rating of 100m, the brand later fortified this resistance to 300m, making the Scafograf a reliable tool watch when dive watches were a very nascent concept.

In 1969, Italian businessman Palmiro Monti took over the brand from the Eberhard family. The Monti family subsequently built upon its successes first with the 8 Jours timepieces that offered a considerable power reserve of eight days, followed by the Chrono 4 collection, the world’s first chronograph with four horizontally aligned sub-dials. Now under the leadership of Barbara Monti, CEO, and Mario Peserico, managing director, Eberhard & Co. headquarters moved back to La Chaux-de-Fonds. And in 2019, the Eberhard & Co. museum was inaugurated in the Unesco building where the brand was first established by its eponymous founder.

Fourth Dimension: The Eberhard & Co. Chrono 4

First released in 2001, the Chrono 4 made waves for their four horizontally-aligned counters—30-minute, 12- and 24-hour recorders, and the small seconds sub dial—placed between eight and four o’clock on the dial. On the 20th anniversary of the Chrono 4’s release, the brand showcased the Chrono 4 21-42 timepiece, where 21 was a nod to the year of its release, and 42 referenced the case size. On the steel case is a ceramic bezel marked with a tachymeter scale. Where the bezel is in polished steel the tachymeter scale sits on the periphery of the dial. Baton-shaped hour markers are faceted and filled with Super-LumiNova, and skeleton hands have a lume-filled tip for better legibility in darkened conditions. At 12 o’clock on the dial is a date window, under which is an angled and stylised Eberhard & Co. logo. These Chrono 4 21-42 watches are powered by the brand’s automatic EB251-R calibre, which beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, and offers a power reserve of 42 hours.

Eberhard & Co. Chrono 4 '21-42' SHOP THE COLLECTION

Extra Robust And Reliable: Eberhard & Co. Extra Fort Vitré

Eberhard & Co.’s history is divided into pre- and post-Extra Fort years, as christened by fans of the brand. First released in 1940, the Extra Fort (extra strong) got its name from the robust construction of its steel case. So popular was this chronograph timepiece that the brand have, over the years, created numerous iterations of the Extra Fort. One version is the Extra Fort Vitré (meaning window), which offers a view of the movement through the sapphire crystal window on the caseback. Distinctive blued screws, a pearl finished oscillating mass whose bearing is housed in the ‘E’ shield can be seen on turning the watch over.

Eberhard & Co. Extra-Fort Vitré SHOP THE COLLECTION

Characterised by elegant dauphine hands, a central chronograph hand, a date window at six and two sub-dials on the watch face, some Extra Fort Vitré timepieces even feature a tachymeter scale on the periphery of the dial. The steel case of the Extra Fort Vitré is sized at 39mm, and features a crown at three, flanked by two distinctive rectangular push buttons. Newer dials of the Extra Fort Vitré are characterised by contrasting textures for the hour track, centre and periphery, and sub-dials, which give the watch a distinct visual depth.

Power Trip: Eberhard & Co. 8 Jours Grande Taille

Eberhard & Co. first released the 8 Jours collection in 1997, long before it was ‘cool’ to have an extended power reserve of eight days. Initially released as a 39mm timepiece, which was revolutionary even at the time, Eberhard & Co. later released a Grande Taille—large size—version sized at 41mm. Inspiration for this 8 Jours collection came from pocket watches with hand-wound movements that were designed to keep running and stay precise for days. Dials of the Eight Jours Grand Taille display this vintage inspiration in the form of a power reserve indicator at nine o’clock. New dials in this collection feature a beautiful guilloche finish and Roman numerals that highlight the history of the watch. A small seconds sub-dial at six o’clock, contrasting finishes for the hour ring and the rest of the dial, and elegant leaf hands are identifiers of this dressy collection of watches with a whopping eight-day power reserve. Interestingly, the Eberhard & Co. logo at 12 o’clock on the dial is arranged in a semi-circular fashion instead of the usual angled logo. Another interesting detail lies on the screwed down caseback where a circular window offers a view of a skeleton bridge with an ‘8’ over it in blue.

Initially released as a 39mm timepiece, which was revolutionary even at the time, Eberhard & Co. later released a Grande Taille (or large size) version sized at 41mm

₹4,62,000

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New dials on the Eberhard & Co. Eight Jours Grande Taille collection feature a beautiful guilloche finish that highlight the history of the watch

₹4,62,000

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Small seconds at six, contrasting finishes for the hour ring and the rest of the dial, and leaf hands are identifiers of this dressy collection with a whopping eight-day power reserve

₹4,62,000

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01

First Dive’s The Deepest: Eberhard & Co. Scafograf 300 

The 1950s were an explorative time when professional divers, diving enthusiasts and watch brands were discovering the depths of the oceans. Among the brands that joined this race were Eberhard & Co., and their dive watch collection, the Scafograf, is among the brand’s better known success stories. Introduced in the 1950s with depth resistance that varied from 100m up to 1,000m, it was specifically the Scafograf 300 with a water resistance rating of 300m that went on to define the collection, mainly because of its size. The 42.5mm Scafograf 300 boasted a sizeable presence at a time when even tool watches were relatively miniscule. In 2016, the brand paid tribute to this first diver with the release of the Scafograf 300, a modern reinterpretation of a 1950s success story. The 43mm steel Scafograf 300 features a unidirectional rotating dive bezel in ceramic, a crown at three, and a helium escape valve at nine o’clock on the case. Rectangular indexes and hands are generously filled with Super-LumiNova, and a contrasting seconds hand with a rectangular lume-filled tip stands out against the black dial. A clean and extremely functional dive watch, the Scafograf 300 is an ideal tool even above the surface. Incidentally, this Scafograf 300 won a GPHG soon after its release in 2016.

In 2016, Eberhard & Co. paid tribute to their first robust 300m diver with the release of the Scafograf 300, a modern reinterpretation of a 1950s success story. The 43mm steel Scafograf 300 features a unidirectional rotating dive bezel in ceramic

A Celebration Of History: Eberhard & Co. Scafograf 300 MCMLIX

After the success—both commercial and critical—of their Scafograf 300, in 2020, the brand released a celebratory collection called the Scafograf 300 MCMLIX (1959 in Roman numerals; no prizes for guessing why). A contemporary take on a successful vintage dive watch, this Scafograf 300 MCMLIX went on to become a sort of modern-day icon for the brand. Its 43mm steel case is paired with a unidirectional rotating dive bezel with a ceramic insert in hues that match the dial. Marked with gradations for the first 15 minutes, the bezel boasts a ‘vintage’ luminescence that evokes the collection’s 1950s inspiration. A closed caseback features the collection’s starfish symbol. Dial hues include black, blue, green and brown, and hour markers are a mix of triangular and circular indexes all filled with the same vintage lume, with a date window at three. An arrow-shaped hour hand, baton minutes hand and lollipop seconds hand are the brand’s throwback to the 1959 dive watch. Complementing the angular brand logo at 12 is the collection’s not-so-cryptic name at six o’clock.

In 2020, Eberhard & Co. released a celebratory collection called the Scafograf 300 MCMLIX (1959 in Roman numerals)

₹3,04,000

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A contemporary take on a successful vintage dive watch, this Scafograf 300 MCMLIX went on to become a sort of modern-day icon in itself

₹2,89,000

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Its 43mm steel case is paired with a unidirectional rotating dive bezel with a ceramic insert in hues that match the dial

₹3,73,000

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Marked with gradations for the first 15 minutes, the bezel boasts a ‘vintage’ luminescence that evokes the collection’s 1950s inspiration

₹2,89,000

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Hour markers are a mix of triangular and circular indexes all filled with the same vintage lume, with a date window at three o'clock

₹3,73,000

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01

The Scientist Who Challenged Magnetism: Eberhard & Co. Scientigraf 

After underwater exploration, Eberhard & Co. turned their focus on everyday issues such as the increasing dependence on electrical appliances and how all this metal impacted mechanical timekeeping. The first Scientigraf made an appearance in 1961, its movement shielded in a Faraday cage made from soft iron so as to resist magnetic fields that were suddenly everywhere. In 2021, Eberhard & Co. released the updated Scientigraf that could now resist magnetic fields from everyday objects like cellphones and laptops. Sized at 41mm, the steel case of the Scientigraf is polished and satin-finished, and is water resistant to 100m. The steel caseback features a vintage Eberhard ‘E’ logo and a reference to the anti-magnetic tests the watch has successfully passed. The time-only watches run on the Sellita SW300-1 automatic calibre. Matt black dials feature triangular indexes, an arrow-shaped hours hand, baton minutes hand and lollipop seconds hand, all filled with either vintage or orange lume.

Besides the time-only watch with enhanced magnetic resistance, the Eberhard & Co. Scientigraf also comes in a chronograph version. The Scientigraf Chrono features a central chronograph hand, a 30-minute counter at nine o’clock and the running seconds at three, and is powered by the ETA2894-2 automatic movement.

An Ode To Oversized Elegance: Eberhard & Co. Traversetolo  

Large case sizes have been a staple for Eberhard & Co. since the 1930s. So, in the 90s, when Eberhard & Co. presented their large Traversetolo watches sized at 43mm the collection was an instant hit. Even today, it is among the brand’s more popular collections for its manual winding movement, dressy aesthetic and small seconds display at six o’clock. The large steel case boasts a height of 10.7mm and a steel caseback or an optional exhibition caseback with a window (Vitré) offering a view of the hand wound calibre within. A polished bezel enhances the dressy appeal of the timepiece, and the crown at three bears an ‘E’ within a shield. Until recently, the dial of the Eberhard & Co. Traversetolo featured contrasting matt and sun-brushed finishes, separated by a minute track in a contrasting hue, and a snailed small seconds sub-dial. All these contrasts enhanced the dimensionality of the timepiece.

On the new dials of the Eberhard Traversetolo, Arabic numerals replace the baton indexes, with a small seconds sub-dial seemingly superimposed onto the watch face. Baton shaped timekeeping hands are similarly replaced with leaf hands on the new dial. The manual-winding calibre powering this watch was developed in the 1950s for pocket watches, and has been updated over time.

Home Is Where The Mechanical Heart Is: Eberhard & Co. 1887  

A few years back, Eberhard & Co. moved their headquarters back to the brand’s birthplace La Chaux-de-Fonds, having inaugurated the Eberhard museum in the building where it all began, the brand paid another tribute to their roots. The Eberhard 1887 collection is a series of dress watches introduced to commemorate the year the brand was established. Essentially, the watch was designed around the brand’s new manual winding movement, the EB140, which was designed by and produced exclusively for Eberhard in the brand’s hometown. Sized at 41.8mm and with a thickness of 9.6mm, the polished steel case features satin parts that enhance the watch’s elegance. On the periphery of the blue dial is a railroad minute track, while a clous de Paris motif decorates the rest of the dial. Roman numerals mark even numbers and rhomboidal indexes indicate the odd ones, while a framed date window rests at six on the dial. Dauphine hands display the time. Interestingly, at 12 on the dial is the Eberhard logo, straightened, with the brand’s hometown—Chaux-De-Fonds—labelled just beneath. Offsetting this lettering at six is the collection name, 1887, also an easy reference to the brand’s birth year.

For 137 years, Eberhard & Co. have had an interesting journey, and despite being defined by the crests and troughs that come with keeping time, Eberhard have never stopped in their core objective. These collections are ample proof that timekeeping is a relentless pursuit, especially for a brand as dedicated to it as Eberhard & Co.