Eberhard & Co.

^{Left: The bridge of the hand-wound movement in the shape of the Maison emblem.}

Eberhard & Co. can be found at INHORGENTA in Hall A1.210

Eberhard & Co. is one of the few watch manufacturers that can look back on an almost 140-year uninterrupted and independent history – with two families that have shaped and continue to shape it.

The founding Eberhard family was succeeded by Palmiro Monti, who took over the company in 1969. His daughter Barbara has been managing director of Eberhard & Co. since 2005 and is the true heart and soul of the company.

Since the early 1990s, Mario Peserico, as General Manager and Marketing Director, has brought his vision of a high-quality watch brand to the company. And with Ginevra Monti, the third generation of the founding family joined the company at the end of last year.

INHORGENTA Watch Talk with Mario Peserico

Eberhard & Co – Family tradition, watchmaking innovation – on the way to the German watch market:

Friday, February 21, 2025, 5 p.m.

Moderator Gisbert Brunner (co-founder and co-owner of uhrenkosmos.com) speaks with Mario Peserico (International Director of Eberhard & Co.) about the corporate philosophy and the German strategy of the Swiss family business.

„"We maintain strong and trusting partnerships with suppliers and retailers. Our customers can always discuss all their questions, requests, and problems with the same people. And this applies even in difficult times like the beginning of the COVID crisis," explains Mario Peserico, explaining the company's policy. In concrete terms, this meant, for example, that Eberhard & Co. did not sell watches online during lockdowns.

„We could, of course, have started offering our new products online via our own website back then – but we didn’t do that and we still don’t do it today,“ he clarifies, stressing:

„"We are moving with the times and it is obvious that e-commerce is important to us too, but we want retailers to take on this part, not us as a company, so as not to 'compete' with our trusted network.

The portfolio of Eberhard & Co. is broadly diversified – from original creations such as the „Chrono 4“ to the „8 JOURS“, the „Tazio Nuvolari“ collection, the „Extra-fort“, the women’s collection „Gilda“ to new editions of models from past decades such as the „Scafograf“, the „Contograf“, the anti-magnetic model „Scientigraf“ and the „1887“ line.

ENTA: everything about the celebrations

Eberhard & Co. – Collection „1887“

At INHORGENTA, Eberhard & Co. will present, among other pieces, the "Chronographe 1887 Édition Limitée," a hand-wound chronograph limited to 250 pieces, and the "Chronographe 1887 Automatique," a chronograph with an automatic movement. These timepieces expand the "1887" line, launched in 2019 to celebrate the founding year of the Maison.

The collection consists of watches with exclusive calibers that offer a contemporary interpretation of the historical heritage and DNA of Eberhard & Co. Both "Chronographe 1887" models are characterized by a special "contemporary vintage charm" resulting from intensive research into the original chronographs of the 1930s and beyond.

The design of the new timepieces draws on the striking lines of historic chronographs, complemented by retro elements such as the steel crown with coaxial pusher, the case, and the curved lugs. They are powered by customized calibers developed in collaboration with Manufacture AMT: the caliber EB 280 for the "Chronographe 1887 Édition Limitée" and the caliber EB 380 for the "Chronographe 1887 Automatique.".

The development of these meticulously crafted movements included significant structural and aesthetic adjustments, showcased by the sapphire crystal caseback. The foundation of the design was an automatic chronograph movement, which was specifically redesigned to be configured for both manual and automatic winding. A special lever was developed for both calibers, enabling the chronograph's zero-reset function to be positioned coaxially with the crown.

The hand-wound movement, which is more complex, required a particularly high level of technical effort and is therefore limited to 250 pieces. For this movement, a bridge of the gear train was designed in the shape of the Maison's emblem, the shield. This technical component is an integral part of the caliber and, at the same time, a symbolic element that stands for authenticity, reliability, and durability—values that have always distinguished Eberhard & Co.

EBERHARD & CO. – a journey through time

The origins of Eberhard & Co. lie in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the heart of the Swiss watch industry. The company was founded there 138 years ago by Georges-Lucien Eberhard. And in 2018, they returned to their original premises.

The choice of the new, historic headquarters was not just about tradition, but also about optimizing development and production factors.

„"Here, we also have many suppliers in close proximity, allowing us to quickly clarify questions and launch new projects. For example, when we returned to La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2019 to present our hand-wound movement, developed and manufactured by Sellita AMT, we were proud to announce that everything came from within a five-kilometer radius. That's the distance between Sellita and Eberhard & Co.," says Peserico.

When the General Manager talks about the movement specialist, he always means the Manufacture AMT department for customized and high-quality watch movements at Eberhard & Co. This is what powers the brand's high-end models.

Past and Vision

The combination of tradition and innovation has always been part of the watchmaker's DNA. This applies to both its recent history and the present.

Palmiro Monti, who was president of Eberhard & Co. in the 1990s, designed watches that set new standards and anticipated various trends.

„"For example, in 1996 we introduced a timepiece with a diameter of 43 millimeters, completely unusual for that time. And we developed an eight-day power reserve at a time when the industry wasn't particularly interested in it," emphasizes Mario Peserico.

„"That was the beginning of our successful strategy of reinterpreting our historical roots. For example, in 1999 we launched the 'Extra Fort,' a reissue of one of our most important chronographs from the 1940s. To this day, we continue to build bridges to our past with our products."‚