OK, so I am not in love with the dial. Like I said, it isn’t a “bad” dial, but I think this watch deserves a great dial. That’s because the case is really fantastic. In steel at 42mm wide, it certainly feels inspired by Gerald Genta’s best, mixed with Eterna’s heritage. See that bezel design, for example? You’ve probably seen it before – with those five points around the circumference? Well, Eterna didn’t copy that from anyone, others copied it from Eterna.
Those five points refer to Eterna’s five dot logo, a logo that is meant to be made up of five ball bearings. Why? Eterna developed the use of ball bearings in the automatic winding system, and the image of the five ball bearings in the rotor mount became their logo. You can see how the points on the bezel (which are also screws) mimic the logo on the dial.
The finishing on the case is really fantastic for the price. There are polished beveled edges, and the bracelet fits together really nicely. I also really like the crown design and crown guards. Overall, the design looks familiar yet distinctive, the case is of a high quality, and the Eterna Royal KonTiki Manufacture GMT sits very comfortably on the wrist.
Eterna offers the watch both on a rubber strap and steel bracelet, but given how well it goes with the bracelet I don’t know why people would opt for the strap. Especially because the watch is just $300 more for the bracelet. As a sport watch the case is water resistant to 100 meters, and overall in my opinion it has the makings of a modern classic.
So what Eterna needs to do in my opinion is keep refining the dial of the Eterna Royal KonTiki Manufacture GMT, and make sure that they finally put in the effort to market their watches properly. Like I said, if they do the right thing, this watch could easily put Eterna back on a lot of people’s maps. The Eterna Royal Kontiki Manufacture GMT comes in references 7740.40.11.1289, 7740.40.41.1289, 7740.41.41.0280, 7740.43.41.1289, and retails for either $5,600, $5,800, or $5,900, depending on the version. eterna.com
