ETA is perhaps the most important watch movement maker in history, and the company has advertised heavily in the past. We are collecting some of the most important advertisements here.
1800s: Schild Frères
The company that would become ETA produced ebauches in Grenchen as early as the 1850s. It was founded by Dr. Josef Girard and Urs Schild on November 7, 1856 as Dr. Girard and Schild Ebauches before becoming Präzisionsuhren-Fabrik Gebrüder Schild in 1866. Urs Schild’s brother, widow, and sons took over on his death in 1888, with the company renamed Gebr. Schild & Co. or Schild Fréres, with Adolph Schild leaving to form A. Schild SA (ASSA) in 1896.
Schild Frères used the IXL trademark on their movements in the 1890s, and this can be seen as a predecessor to ETA.
It is said that the Eterna name was used as early as 1875 or 1889, but the earliest references we could locate date to 1908. Eterna was used as a brand name for an alarm watch introduced at this time, with the company still known as Schild Frères for decades.
The ETA name was first seen in 1923, replacing Eterna as the brand name for Schild’s ebauches. By 1925, ETA was using the rounded word mark that would be adopted by the successor to Ebauches SA and used through the present day.
ETA specialized in small and shaped movements through the 1920s, announcing in 1927 that they were expanding into larger movements for delivery the following year. In the late 1920s, ETA emerges as a maker of a wide variety of movements, with many larger round movements added. But by the 1930s, ETA is again focusing on shaped movements, especially baguettes.
Eterna and ETA were absorbed into ASUAG in 1932, with the movement operations formally split off as ETA and placed under Ebauches SA along with A. Schild SA, FHF, and AMSA.
P.P.
We take the liberty of informing our honorable customers that we are establishing new calibers in large pieces to satisfy the houses which would require all their pieces, small and large, cylinder and lever, in ETA blanks We are ready to make delivery contracts for the year 1928. Our production guarantees fast and excellent order fulfillment.
Highly recommending us.
Indicateur Davoine, 1927Indicateur Davoine 1927Indicateur Davoine 1928La Fédération Horlogère, 1929Indicateur Davoine 1930Indicateur Davoine, 1931Indicateur Davoine, 1932
This 1975 advertisement in Europa Star shows the key movements in the Ebauches SA family: ETA 2678, AS 5103/5106, ETA 2783, ETA 2824, AS 2063/2066, ETA 2878, FHF 411/412, ETA 2892, AS 5008, and VAL 7750
1998 Two Centuries of Tradition
Europa Star 238, 1998
2004 ETA Family Portrait
This 2004 ETA ad includes the Travel Time Trio but not the perpetual calendars
