The Tangaroa Lady from Eterna

“I wish I could tell you about the South Pacific. The way it actually was. The endless ocean. The infinite specks of coral we called islands. Coconut palms nodding gracefully toward the ocean. Reefs upon which waves broke into spray, and inner lagoons, lovely beyond description. I wish I could tell you about the sweating jungle, the full moon rising behind the volcanoes, and the waiting. The waiting. The timeless, repetitive waiting.” 
― James A. Michener, Tales of the South Pacific

Courtesy of Eterna

Meet the Tangaroa Lady.  And because this press release was sent by the BEST PR person in the watch business - Manon Vauthier, I'm going to reprint it in its entirety.  

The Tangaroa Chronograph from Eterna - Different by Design

Courtesy of Eterna

So only another day remaining in "extra time" with the Tangaroa.  The time keeping has been quite good - averaging about + 7 - 8 seconds.

But today is about design and the designer of the Tangaroa is, in fact, an architect.  And this attention to  detail shows through - a case that is ergonomic by design, with no flat surfaces.  This translates to SUPREME comfort!  Although it is a large watch at 42 mm, it rests very smoothly on the wrist and is comfortable to wear all day long.

The surface has alternating brushed and polished stainless steel - and this is a great touch, adding depth and texture to the watch.

So we still have the movement to discuss - stay tuned.

The Tangaroa Chronograph - on the Face of Things

So now a full week and some change and I'm ready to give some impressions of the Eterna Tangaroa Moonphase Chronograph.

Today I'm focusing on the dial.  It is always difficult to load a fair number of features into a watch and avoid "overloading".  In the case of the Tangaroa, Eterna came close, but showed enough restraint to stop while they were ahead.

The dial supports the watches functions -
Hours
Minutes
Seconds - in the sub dial at 3 o'clock sharing the space with the one hand 24 hr/second time zone.
Day - inset to the upper sub dial
Date - Indicated by the blue numbers in the outermost chapter ring
Month - inset to the upper sub dial
Moonphase - but not just any moonphase -but more on that later
24 hr/second time indicator - sub dial at 3 o'clock sharing space with the constant second hand
And your usual counters for the Valjoux 7751.

This does create a fair amount of bang for the buck in terms of features.  Now back to the moonphase.  My understanding is that it is providing not just "a" moonphase, but in fact a moonphase for not just the Northern (my) Hemisphere, but for the Southern Hemisphere as well - something my fellow bloggers in South America would surely appreciate.

The 24 hour sub dial takes a little bit of getting used to, but Eterna have added a couple of very well thought out touches to aid in reading the 24 hour gauge.  First they have divided the dial into two separate fields - the lower being for "AM"/daylight hours being indicated by light, yellow alternating indices between the blue numbers from 6 AM to 6 PM, at which point the indices are dark blue/black to indicate the "PM"/night time hours.

 In addition, the continuous second hand is straight, while the hand indicating the hour is slightly squiggly.  I like that - a bit of whimsy in a serious timekeeper is always unexpected, but appreciated (at least by me).

The moonphase indication - allowing for both hemispheres is truly well laid out.  (I fear that I might have "inverted" them so any kind reader out there, please let me know so that I can adjust them).

The main indices of the dial are clean, solid, and extremely well laid out.  But perhaps beyond the subtle touches is perhaps one of the most obvious things on any watch - the hands!  They are beautiful! Blue skeletonized hands with a generous application of lume.

And all of this displayed on a beautiful grey field.  Having studied at the University of Oregon, I have a particular appreciation of a true grey.  Not the "silver" of most watch companies that is neither silver or grey or white - but rather a "non-color".  Almost as if they were afraid to commit to a color at all.  But this is COLOR!  Not unlike the sky of my Northern youth, just before the first snows of November - not quite winter, but not autumn either.  Neither one or the other - unique to itself.

The ability to make grey beautiful is a rare gift, an alchemy of sorts - and isn't that what we all secretly (or not so secretly) want in a watch - the ability to transform?

The Tangaroa - Three Days in

So I am now three days into my fifteen day review with the Eterna Tangaroa and it has been a fantastic 72 hours so far.

The dial is quite a nice departure from the usual black, or "silver/white" that you generally find - it is a true silver color, which contrasts wonderfully with the blue hands and date indices.

The timekeeping has been solid - with the biggest variance being + 9 seconds so far.

But more than anything else, I have been impressed by the comfort of the watch - incredibly comfortable on the wrist, and while it doesn't exactly disappear, it also does not overwhelm.  It is somewhat from the "Goldilocks" school of design, being "just right" on the wrist.

15 days continues - stay tuned!

Eterna's Tangaroa

When we think of Eterna, our thoughts often turn to the KonTiki - and that is understandable.  It is one of the most enduring, most iconic watches out there.  But today my thoughts turned to an Eterna model that I think is one of the best representations of Eterna - and is perhaps (at least in my opinion) one of the nicest watches they make.

Courtesy of Eterna

This is the Tangaroa.  I wrote about it when the press release first came out, but it is one of those watches that keeps calling me back.  Yes, it has sporty elements and at 42 mm you would not mistake it for a "little" piece.  But with all of its rugged, masculine proportions it remains a watch that you would wear to your most important formal event.  This is a timeless watch - the dial is clear and bold without being overwhelming, numbers and indices equally spaced across the face.  You will still want to wear this watch 10 years from now - as will anyone eying it for a possible inheritance!

Here are the specs:

Reference: 

2948.41.53.1261

Case: 

Polished and brushed stainless steel

Dial: 

Grey

Indices: 

Rhodium-plated index

Strap: 

Black leather

Clasp: 

Pin buckle

Movement: 

Self-winding calibre Sellita SW 200-1

Movement Type: 

Self-winding mechanical movement

Displays: 

h, min, s, date

Power Reserve: 

38h

Frequency: 

28,800 A/h

Jewels: 

26

Ball Bearing: 

1

Case Diameter: 

42 mm

Case Height: 

10.8 mm

Water Resistance: 

50m (5bars)

Crystal: 

Scratch-resistant, antireflective sapphire crystal

Case Back: 

Sapphire crystal opening

Crown: 

Non screw-down

www.eterna.ch