The first thing you will notice is that this is a small chronograph. And by small, I mean really small- 30mm. To many, this would be considered a ladies watch, but actually, there is a super-niche market, where collectors seek these ‘baby’ chronographs. Eterna was one of the brands that made these baby chronographs, with different dial variants and cases, it seems they carved out a nice segment for themselves specialising in these.
There is a lot of complexity to making a small chronograph. Think of it on a basic physical level, the size in itself makes it more difficult to construct, whereas large 45mm watches with huge movements can be assembled much easier. The movement in this Eterna baby chronograph is a very rare one, a Valjoux 69, which in fact is the smallest chronograph movement ever made!
Featuring a silver dial with a snail scale and syringe hands filled with luminous material, this is unmistakably vintage in its look and characteristic of the design cues of the 40’s. Though many will turn away due to its small size, matched on a genuine alligator skin strap, this is a very svelte and elegant watch that is perfect under the cuff of a shirt. A bit different and more refined to the tastes of today where the fleeting mindset of ‘the bigger the better’ is the flavour of the day.
