RED
ALICANTE
MARBLE
ISSUE
•
N°
44
•
2025
[ The WATCH ]
Time at your Fingertips
168
Mechanical instruments for measuring short periods of time, better known as chronographs, are a speciality of Eberhard & Co., a Swiss brand that has now reinterpreted the Contodat Chronographe with shapes and colours harking back to its origins in the 1970s by Diego Tamone - ph. courtesy by Eberhard & Co
C
hronographs, at the time strictly mechanical and hand-wound, were the
Above, the Contodat Automatic
watches that led him to fall in love with a brand that since the late 19th
with green dial in the three
century had embodied the rigour and precision of Swiss watchmaking.
hands version. Opposite page,
The sector radiated quality, but, on the other hand, demanded consideration mixed
the Contodat Chronographe
with respect. And there were many such models included in the gilded catalogue of
with silver dial. These models,
Eberhard & Co products in the 1960s, featuring two or three counters. When in 1969
the result of a recent re-edition
Palmiro Monti achieved his dream of becoming the owner of the brand, this type of
by Eberhard & Co., feature
watch became much more than a priority for him. He believed the best way to ensure
tasteful evocations of lines and
the continued success was to follow in the footsteps of tradition and continue the
colours typical of the 1970s
brand’s commitment to measuring short periods of time. This consistent approach
169
[ The WATCH ]
Two more animations, chronograph (left) and time only (below) from the Contodat collection, reinterpreted this year by the Swiss brand. All the dials have a sunray finish with subtle colour details. Above, the case back of the Contodat Chronographe. Water resistant to 10 atm, it is powered by a self-winding movement
was leavened by a dash of pride. In a decade still recognised for the disruption caused by the sudden arrival of new materials and above all aesthetic solutions, Monti looked to the future with courage, but without rejecting the past out of hand. As well as producing wristwatches with more classic, even ordinary lines typical of the 1960s, Eberhard & Co marked the arrival of a new decade with the introduction of models with more geometric shapes, featuring integrated bracelets and rather unconventional touches of colour on the dial. One of these was the Contodat, and now, fifty years on from its launch, it once again becomes part of the brand’s portfolio, the only model offered with an integrated bracelet. Its vintage appeal is created by its shape and essence, eye-catching dashes of colour and the geometry of the trapezoidal date window as well as the restrained case measurements of just 39 mm. Its mechanical heart, though, is thoroughly contemporary – a Swiss-made calibre with bi-compax configuration manufactured by Sellita, as well as a bracelet with 2CLICK® security system. eberhard-co-watches.ch
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