Eterna Kontiki Super

The Eterna Kontiki Super dive watch is a Swiss-made timepiece that was originally designed for professional divers in the 1970s. It was a popular choice among military units and was issued to members of various special forces, including Shayetet 13, the naval commando unit of the Israeli Defense Forces.

The Eterna Kontiki Super is a rugged and reliable dive watch that is capable of withstanding extreme underwater environments. It features a stainless steel case with a unidirectional rotating bezel, which allows divers to track elapsed time underwater. The watch also has a screw-down crown and caseback to ensure that it is water-resistant to depths of up to 200 meters.

One of the unique features of the Eterna Kontiki Super is its movement. The watch is powered by the Eterna 12824 automatic movement, which is known for its accuracy and durability. This movement is also shock-resistant, which makes it well-suited for use in military and other high-stress environments.

Overall, the Eterna Kontiki Super is a highly-regarded dive watch that has earned a reputation for its reliability and toughness. Its association with military units like Shayetet 13 only adds to its allure and collectability among watch enthusiasts.



This is an Eterna Kontiki Super dive watch issued to members of Shayetet 13, the Israel Defense Force(IDF)'s elite Naval Commando unit. Like any other special forces units, S'13 members must under go a rigorous training phase that lasts nearly a year and eight months. 
Many drop out during the initial training phase and only those who have successfully completed the entire training program are issued with the watch along with much coveted crest of the unit. 
The members then go on to perform much of IDF Navy's Special Warfare missions. The particular watch presented here is believed to be dated to late 1960s during which S'13 engaged in covert ops such as the Green Island Raid.



Watch has IDF issue markings on the caseback and came with Kontiki signed metal bracelet. It's a perfectly sized dive watch, not too big and not too small. The much colorful dial is rarer seen on civilian model of Kontiki Super of the same era. Perhaps IDF had special ordered the particular design. The inner circle within the dial is colored flourecent orange. The second hand is colored slightly darker orange and contrasts well with the overall appearance of the dial. The tritium markers have nicely faded to give that distinct patina of age. I really like the bezel on this Eterna. It slides smoothly in both direction with just the right amount of pressure.

As you can see, some of the codes are in Hebrew. The top part says '1 253761 Z'. The 'Z'-like letter is short for 'Zahal' which means IDF. The bottom marking says '1000 8943 UP OD'. The 'UP'-like letters are shortage for 'catalogue', while the 'OD'-like letters are shortage for 'number'