Eberhard & Co. donates a unique Contodat Automatic to the Watches for Tomorrow 2026 charity auction in Bienne, supporting Terre des hommes across 30 countries.
Editorial Take
- Orange numerals across every minute-track index and hour marker define this one-of-a-kind Contodat Automatic — a bolder treatment than the standard model, chosen precisely because that hue links the Contodat’s 1970s archive to Terre des hommes’ official colour.
- The piece goes to auction on 28 November 2026 at the Nouveau Musée Bienne, with proceeds supporting approximately 6 million children and community members across 30 countries, including nations in the Middle East.
- The 39 mm stainless steel case and integrated 2CLICK® bracelet are retained from the production Contodat Automatic; the dial finishing and the gold-engraved caseback motto are unique to this edition.
- Eberhard & Co. was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1887 and has remained independently led by two families across nearly 140 years.
The Story Behind It
Watches for Tomorrow 2026 charity auction” style=”width:100%;height:auto;display:block;border-radius:8px;” />In the second half of the 1970s, Palmiro Monti — then president of Eberhard & Co. — responded to the quartz crisis with a mechanical chronograph distinguished by vibrant orange accents. The gesture was deliberate provocation: mechanical watchmaking expressed in the most visible colour available.
The Contodat collection draws directly from that moment. For Watches for Tomorrow 2026, the connection became structural: orange is simultaneously the Contodat’s archive signature and Terre des hommes’ official colour, chosen by the NGO to represent warmth, creativity, and optimism.
Dial & Caseback Details
The argenté dial carries a soleil finish, while the small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and the peripheral minute track zone both receive an azuré finish, creating measured textural contrast across the surface. On the standard Contodat Automatic, orange appears on the counter, the small seconds hand, and the numeral 60. Here, every hour index and every minute-track numeral shares that hue.
On the caseback, Terre des hommes references accompany the Latin phrase UBI TU IBI EGO — “wherever you will be, there I will be” — rendered in gold. As General Manager Mario Peserico states: “Orange is an integral part of the Contodat’s identity, making its connection with this year’s Watches for Tomorrow theme particularly natural.”
Where It Sits in the Collection
The Contodat Automatic is the time-only variant within the Contodat line, a 39 mm steel case with alternating polished and satin surfaces and the proprietary 2CLICK® safety clasp on its integrated bracelet. Against the Contodat chronographs, it offers a cleaner dial architecture — which, in this edition, allows the orange indexing to carry greater visual weight without competition from additional registers.
For collectors across the Gulf with an interest in charitable watchmaking, the piece represents a traceable moment: a known manufacture, a verifiable cause, and a production context — the third edition of a Bienne auction co-founded by Alexander Grouet and Cédric Schiess — that grounds the piece in a credible philanthropic record.
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| Case size | 39 mm |
| Case material | Stainless steel with alternating polished and satin finishes |
| Dial | Argenté base with soleil finish; argenté small seconds subdial at 9 o'clock with azuré finish; peripheral minute track zone with azuré finish; orange numerals on minute track and hour indexes |
| Strap | Integrated steel bracelet with proprietary 2CLICK® safety clasp |
| Availability | On request from the maison or an authorised retailer in the Middle East |
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Contodat Automatic donated to Watches for Tomorrow 2026 unique?
This one-of-a-kind creation extends the Contodat's signature orange across all minute track numerals and hour indexes, rather than limiting it to the counter, small seconds hand and the number 60 found on the standard model. The caseback also bears a special Terre des hommes engraving and the Latin motto UBI TU IBI EGO in gold.
Where and when is the Watches for Tomorrow 2026 auction taking place?
The third edition of Watches for Tomorrow — Bienne Charity Watch Auction is scheduled for Saturday, 28 November 2026, at the Salle Robert in the Nouveau Musée Bienne, Switzerland.
Which cause does the Watches for Tomorrow auction support?
Proceeds benefit Terre des hommes, Switzerland's leading children's rights NGO, which assists approximately 6 million children and community members annually across 30 countries, including nations in the Middle East and Africa.
What is the case size and bracelet specification of the Eberhard & Co. Contodat Automatic?
The Contodat Automatic houses a 39 mm stainless steel case with alternating polished and satin finishes, paired with an integrated steel bracelet secured by the brand's proprietary 2CLICK® safety clasp.
Why did Eberhard & Co. choose orange as the defining accent for this charity piece?
Orange is the official colour of Terre des hommes and also the Contodat collection's historical signature, tracing back to a mechanical chronograph created by then-president Palmiro Monti in the second half of the 1970s as a defiant response to the quartz crisis.
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