The Swiss watchmaking company Eterna will soon expand its line of chronograph wrist watches with a new fake Eterna Heritage Chronograph 1938 Limited Edition (ref. 1938.41.45.1250)model. Presented in a massive, rectangular stainless steel body that somehow reminds me of similar timekeepers manufactured by JLC, the new vintage-styled chronograph leaves a lasting impression. Originally a co-founder of ETA The Great and Terrible, the watchmaker unarguably has a legacy of its own, so this attempt at creating a more “classic” watch doesn’t look unfounded to yours truly.
Eterna Heritage Chronograph 1938 watch
It is a pleasure to note that even the tiny chronograph push-pieces that stay on their usual places at 2 and 4 o’clock, too, have their faces brushed and the edges finely polished.
I am not sure whether the introduction of this model is a sign of an imminent overhaul of the complete Heritage collection or is it just a “design study,” an attempt to find a new, more refined design language for the struggling independent brand.
As you can see on the pictures, the Eterna Heritage Chronograph copy watch features a nicely executed stainless steel case that elegantly combines alternatingly polished and brushed surfaces.
Powered by the time-proven and reliable ETA 2894-2 automatic ebauche, which is not terribly large with its diameter of some 26 millimeters, the watch is still presented in an oversized body 45 millimeters long and 36 millimeters wide.
The good news is that the new Eterna Heritage Chronograph 1938 also features a very thin bezel, which helps to dramatically increase the dial real estate and thus increase its legibility.
Eterna Heritage Chronograph 1938 watch
Thanks to a pair of long gold-toned hours and minutes hands and a high-contrast layout of the dial, the watch allows for an easy, almost instant read-off of all the presented date, including small date window at 6 o’clock and the bi-compax chronograph with its single 30-minute totalizer at 9 hours (the other counter is for running seconds.)
The case of the watch is also quite thick measuring around 13 mm from top to bottom. Perhaps, a part of the blame goes to the sapphire crystal that adds at least a couple of millimeters to the overall thickness of the timepiece.
Well, if you are not intimidated by the size of that thing and are looking for a vintage-styled Eterna watch replica with a modern movement (and can’t afford a similarly styled timekeeper from a real Manufacture like, say, Girard-Perregaux) this still may be a nice choice.