Some watches are named after a raft. Very few of them also carry the emblem of a royal sultanate on the dial. The Eterna KonTiki we have in the vault does both, and it's one of the most unusual pieces we've ever listed. Here's the story behind the name, the brand and that little green khanjar.
1947: Six Men, One Raft and the Pacific
In 1947 the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl set out to prove a bold idea: that people from South America could have reached Polynesia by sea. To test it, he built a balsa-wood raft in Callao, Peru, modelled on pre-Columbian designs, and named it Kon-Tiki after an Inca sun-god.
On 28 April 1947, Heyerdahl and five crewmates pushed off with minimal supplies and a radio. After 101 days and roughly 8,000 kilometres drifting on the Pacific winds and currents, the raft ended its journey on the reef of Raroia atoll in French Polynesia. Everyone survived, and the voyage became one of the great adventure stories of the 20th century.
Eterna has long told the story that the crew wore Eterna watches on the voyage, chosen because the brand had mastered water-resistant cases. Some historians point out that none of those watches has ever been identified, but whatever happened on the raft, the expedition gave Eterna the name for its most famous collection.
Eterna: Quiet Pioneers From Grenchen
Eterna is one of the oldest names in Swiss watchmaking, dating back to 1856 in Grenchen. It's also one of the most influential. In 1932 its movement-making side was spun off into a separate company, ETA, which went on to supply movements to a huge part of the Swiss industry.
In 1948 Eterna introduced the Eterna-Matic, an automatic movement whose winding rotor ran on tiny ball bearings. It cut friction and wear, and the idea was so good that ball-bearing rotors became standard across the industry. Eterna was proud enough of it to turn the five balls of the bearing into the brand's logo, which you'll still see on its dials today.
1958: The KonTiki Is Born
Eterna launched the first KonTiki in 1958: a self-winding sports watch, water resistant to 100 metres, with four bold luminous triangles at the main hours that became the collection's calling card. A ladies' version with a date followed the same year.
The line kept growing. The Super KonTiki diver arrived in the early 1960s with a rotating bezel and 200 metres of water resistance, and in 1970 the Sonic KonTiki brought electronic timekeeping into the range. Through the 1970s and beyond, the KonTiki name stretched across sports, dive and dress watches, including the sharp, angular steel models on integrated bracelets that collectors love today.
The Khanjar Dial: A Rare Middle Eastern Signature
The khanjar is the traditional curved dagger of Oman, and together with two crossed swords it forms the country's national emblem. From the 1970s onwards, watches carrying the khanjar on the dial were made in small numbers as specially commissioned or presentation pieces linked to Oman, rather than as ordinary catalogue models.
Collectors usually think of khanjar dials on Rolex and Omega, and those examples are famously sought after. Finding the emblem on an Eterna is far less common, which is exactly what makes this watch such an interesting conversation piece. It joins two great stories in one: a Pacific adventure on the name, and a royal Middle Eastern emblem on the dial.
Why a Vintage Eterna KonTiki Is Worth Owning
- Real heritage. Eterna's influence on Swiss watchmaking, from ETA to the ball-bearing rotor, is huge, yet its watches are still far less hyped than the big names.
- A great name. Few model names come with a story as good as the Kon-Tiki expedition.
- That 1970s look. An angular steel case on an integrated bracelet is one of the most wanted vintage styles right now.
- Rarity. A khanjar dial turns a classic sports watch into something you're unlikely to see on anyone else's wrist.
The Eterna KonTiki in Our Vault
We currently have a Vintage Eterna Kontiki Khanjar Sultan of Oman LOGO DIAL Stainless Steel Quartz Watch – Silver Dial available for £2,495. It has a beautifully preserved silver dial with applied gold baton hour markers, matching gold-tone hands, a date window at 3 o'clock and the green Omani khanjar emblem sitting proudly above 6. The sharp stainless steel case and integrated bracelet give it that unmistakable 1970s sports-watch feel, and it runs on a quartz movement, so it's easy to live with every day.
It's a pre-owned vintage watch, so please take a good look at the photos and full details on the product page. Like every watch we sell, it has been checked by our in-house specialists.
Want to see what else is in stock? Browse the full In the Safe collection.
Final Thoughts
From a balsa raft on the Pacific to a sultanate's emblem on the dial, this KonTiki carries more history than most watches twice its price. If you've been looking for a vintage piece that nobody else at the table will have, this is it.
Explore more vintage pieces at skylinesjewellery.co.uk, and catch us live on TILT every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 9pm.