I have spent considerable time with independent Swiss maisons over the past few years, and few balance heritage with genuine technical ambition the way Eberhard & Co. does. Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1887, the brand has operated under just two family successions across nearly 140 years, a remarkable continuity in an industry where ownership changes feel almost seasonal. Their latest focus, the Clous de Paris collection, brings one of watchmaking’s oldest guilloché techniques front and centre across four distinct references. Let me walk you through what Eberhard has achieved here, because the details are worth your attention.
The Clous de Paris Dials
The Clous de Paris pattern consists of diamond-cut, pyramid-shaped micro-facets applied across the dial surface, each catching light at a different angle depending on your viewing position. On the 1887 Remontage Manuel, this finish appears in white or blue on a retro-inspired layout featuring a trapezoidal date window at 6 o’clock, a detail Eberhard already adopted on several historical models. The result reads simultaneously dressy and nostalgic.
The Chronographe 1887 Automatique takes things further. Here, the Clous de Paris background in Argenté or blue supports colour-coordinated sub-dials with Azuré decoration, a sunray brushing that adds a secondary layer of texture. The visual rhythm is genuinely compelling; the sub-dials punctuate rather than compete with the guilloché ground.
The most surprising application, however, appears on the Chrono 4 “21-42“. Most people associate Clous de Paris with dress watches, so seeing this finishing pushed into a sporty context feels genuinely fresh. The four horizontally aligned sub-dials emerge from the guilloché background, with polished edges and Azuré surfaces flanking them, and a ceramic bezel adds a contemporary edge that the elegant guilloché ground alone would never suggest.
The Movements
Across the range, the technical choices are as interesting as the dials. The 1887 Remontage Manuel runs Eberhard’s proprietary Calibre EB 140, a 14-ligne hand-wound movement beating at 28,800 vph with 18 jewels and a 40-hour power reserve. Through the transparent caseback, the rhodium-plated bridges carry vagues circulaires finishing at the centre and colimaçon papier at the perimeter, with blued screws and 2N gold engravings. For a hand-wound watch at €3,670, the finishing depth is genuinely impressive.
The Chronographe 1887 Automatique runs the Calibre EB 380, based on the AMT 5100 architecture, measuring 30mm in diameter and 7mm in height, beating at 28,800 vph with 23 jewels. At 60 hours, the power reserve is notably generous for an automatic flyback chronograph with a column-wheel mechanism, and that alone justifies the price step up to €6,080.
The Chrono 4 “21-42”, meanwhile, uses the Calibre EB 251, derived from the ETA 2894-2, with 53 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph. The in-line four-counter layout remains the reference’s defining architectural signature, and 2026 marks its 25th anniversary, a milestone Eberhard celebrates with this new guilloché chapter.
The Steel Cases
All four references sit in stainless steel with domed sapphire crystals carrying anti-reflective treatment on the inside. The 1887 Remontage Manuel measures 41.8mm, the Chronographe 1887 sits at 41.5mm, and the Chrono 4 “21-42” comes in at 42mm practical dimensions that work on most wrists without demanding attention. Water resistance stands at 3 ATM for the Remontage Manuel and 5 ATM across both chronograph lines. The Chrono 4 “21-42” also features a ceramic screw-in crown with a pyramid relief motif, a neat functional detail that ties the exterior directly back to the dial’s own geometric language.
*All prices in EUR. Refs. 21028.02 (€3,670), 31082.06 (€6,080), 31073.02 and 31073.05 (€5,600 each). More at https://www.eberhard-co-watches.ch/.
ENRICO CASTELLANI, “VITALITY OF THE NEGATIVE,” PALAZZO DELLE ESPOSIZIONI, ROME, 1970 
TALITHA GETTY, ARTICLE “IN ROME WITH TALITHA GETTY,” P. 67, VOGUE, JANUARY 1968 
ROMAN POLANSKI AND SHARON TATE IN CORTINA DURING THE FILM SHOOT OF “THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS,” CIRCA 1968/1969 
GILBERT & GEORGE, STUDIO PORTRAIT, ROME, 1973 
CLAUDIA CARDINALE, STUDIO PORTRAIT WEARING A RENATO BALESTRA DRESS, ROME, 1973 
HELMUT BERGER AND MARISA BERENSON AT VILLA BORGHESE, ROME, 1976
Istanti Ritratti: Milan, March 2026
Beyond the watches themselves, Eberhard has something genuinely worth attending. From 19 to 22 March 2026, the maison presents Istanti Ritratti at the MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, held at Superstudio Più, Via Tortona 27, Milan. Curated by Studio Geddes Franchetti in collaboration with the Archivio Elisabetta Catalano, the exhibition pays tribute to the late Roman photographer whose portraits documented the art, cinema, and social worlds of the late 1960s and 1970s . Helmut Berger, Claudia Cardinale, Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, Gilbert & George: Catalano captured them all with the kind of concentrated patience that defines serious portraiture. As art historian Laura Cherubini recalls, Catalano would accumulate hundreds of frames and then quietly ask herself, “Chissà se la foto c’è” — who knows whether the photograph actually worked. That rigorous self-doubt produced images of lasting power.
Eberhard‘s connection to the project rests on a genuinely lucid idea: the watch measures time; the photograph preserves it. If you are in Milan between 19 and 22 March, Via Tortona 27 is worth the visit.
MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas 2026
19.–22. März
Superstudio Più, Via Tortona 27, Mailand
