The Grenchen Firm that Became Eterna, in Silver, c.1890s
This open-face pocket watch was made by Schild Frères & Co of Grenchen, Switzerland, sometime in the 1890s. The firm registered the Eterna trade mark in 1905, and this piece carries their IXL trademark (registered 1891) on the case back, along with the PROT cross that Schild struck on its movements.
Urs Schild and the physician Josef Girard founded the business in Grenchen in 1856 as a movement maker, and by 1878 it was making complete watches with its own cases and dials. After Urs Schild died in 1888 the firm passed to his brother Adolf and his sons Max and Theodor as Schild Frères & Co, and the IXL shield on this case was registered in January 1891. Adolf left in 1896 to found A. Schild SA, and Theodor ran the firm from 1899 until 1932.
The case is .800 silver, 48.6mm in diameter, with gold-plated front and back bezels. The back is engraved with flowers and foliage inside a chevron border, on an engine-turned ground around a blank cartouche. Silver marks (0.800 fineness, the Swiss wood-grouse, and the German crescent and crown for the German market) are stamped inside the case back alongside the case serial number, 729634.
The white enamel dial is in immaculate condition, no chips or hairlines, with Roman numerals and a sub-seconds register at 6 o'clock. The hour and minute hands are ornate pierced scrollwork, a decorative style typical of the period. Movement serial number is 732428.
Mechanically, the watch winds, sets, and runs correctly and consistently. The case back opens on a knife-edge hinge to a silver inner dust cover, and both close securely.
Condition-wise, this is a Very Good example. The only wear of note is light discolouration to the gold plating on the bezels, consistent with age and handling. The bow carries a small stamp reading IGFI.
Sourced from a private collection.
