Did Thor Hyderdahl really wear an Eterna watch on his expedition? SPECIAL INVESTIGATION

cvalue13 · Feb 27, 2021

amcclell
There was a movie made about these, so the product placement would be consistent with their marketing strategy at the time.

Looks like the museum released at least one of these lobbies online last year in celebration of the 50th - here’s part 1 of 2:

I wonder if there’s a more high-def/large format version available...

cvalue13 · Feb 27, 2021

And a 2013 film by from Weinstein’s ?!

Shabbaz · Feb 27, 2021

Well. A couple of kontiki shots... 2nd and 3rd generation. The mother of kontiki's is beeing restored.

Shabbaz · Feb 27, 2021

I've just bought the book about the kontiki expedition... 📖😁

cvalue13 · Feb 27, 2021

The 1950 Oscar winner for best documentary, Kon-Tiki, with footage of the original 1947 voyage:

surely there’s some wrist-related footage therein

cvalue13 · Feb 28, 2021

I watched the 1950 documentary through. While watches are “visible” on some (but not all) crew members, there are no sustained or near-enough shots to make heads or tails... at least on a casual viewing.

cvalue13 · Feb 28, 2021

Shabbaz
Here they threw all the eterna's in the ocean and one guy tried to save them. Look at both of the arms of all expedition members. No watches at all. 😁

In case confusing for others, I think this is this is a still from the 2012 film (that apparently struck no product placement deals 👎)?

Shabbaz · Feb 28, 2021

cvalue13
I watched the 1950 documentary through. While watches are “visible” on some (but not all) crew members, there are no sustained or near-enough shots to make heads or tails... at least on a casual viewing.

Ah. That's a pitty. I was hoping for a bit more info. I do however think that the theory that all members wore longines, based on the paratrooper in the museum, is not true. The watch on one of the pictures clearly is'nt a paratrooper. What it is, will be unknown.

Shabbaz · Feb 28, 2021

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/six-missing-explorers-watches-whose-fate-wed-love-to-know

timoss · Mar 1, 2021

I am quite certain the entire crew wore Code41 watches.

cvalue13 · Mar 1, 2021

timoss
I am quite certain the entire crew wore Code41 watches.

Canuck · Mar 1, 2021

How about this? The ancients who made these trips didn’t have watches or radios! Yet they appear to have succeeded. So exactly how important would watches have been on these earlier ocean expeditions? And how could Rolex, or Eterna, or any other watch company claim that their product was the reason for the success of the venture. And while we are at it, did Sir Edmund Hillary actually wear a Rolex watch when he climbed Everest? And did Mercedes Gleitz actually wear a Rolex Oyster when she swam the English Channel? Seems like it’s all hype, to me.

cvalue13 · Mar 1, 2021

Canuck
How about this? The ancients who made these trips didn’t have watches or radios!

wouldn't have turned one away

Professor · Mar 1, 2021

Vikings had an ace in the hole. They could take sun sightings on heavily overcast days.
They had discovered a transparent mineral crystal (Iceland Spar) that when polished as a lens filtered sunlight like a polarized lens. Rather than a simple lighter part of the sky they saw a distinct solar disc through the cloud layers.

Peemacgee · Mar 2, 2021

Canuck
How about this? The ancients who made these trips didn’t have watches or radios! Yet they appear to have succeeded. So exactly how important would watches have been on these earlier ocean expeditions? And how could Rolex, or Eterna, or any other watch company claim that their product was the reason for the success of the venture. Seems like it’s all hype, to me.

MRC · Mar 2, 2021

Canuck
How about this? The ancients who made these trips didn’t have watches or radios! Yet they appear to have succeeded.

What we do not know is the proportion that didn't succeed. I would expect it to be extremely high.

Even with modern equipment things can wrong. I had an interest in an offshore yacht for which another partner seriously wanted electronic navigation (Decca for the yotties here, yes it was 40 years ago, no GPS then). On our first trip out to sea with this marvel of "modern" technology he was pushing buttons on the navigator's desk below and I was steering. He called up a course to steer that would have had us straight onto the rocks. Turned out he had switched Lat & Long and was trying to get us just off the coast of Brazil rather than the Dover Strait. There was only one usable passage south for our deep keel and I knew the heading very well, so was able to describe his error in Anglo-Saxon terms.

Shabbaz · Mar 3, 2021

dsio · Mar 3, 2021

I never knew what this actually was until I just read the entire Wikipedia article, and I came away from it thinking this is a really unimpressive / crummy / mediocre thing to be calling an expedition. Some dudes floating on a raft with radios to prove a point just seems a ways off the exploits of actual competent explorers of which there are many.

Like if I decided to prove a point by traveling from Brisbane to Sydney on a tuk-tuk with an iPhone I don’t think that would be worthy of a prize. Even Jeremy Clarkson crossing nations in Africa in a Lancia sounds more impressive, the Kon-Tiki raft is far better made than a Beta coupe and significantly more water resistant.

Shabbaz · Mar 3, 2021

dsio
I never knew what this actually was until I just read the entire Wikipedia article, and I came away from it thinking this is a really unimpressive / crummy / mediocre thing to be calling an expedition.

+1
Trying to reach the polynesian islands from Peru with a raft! I do that every summer! In fact, this summer I'm going from Argentina to Tuvalu in a bathtub. Now that's impressive!

simonsays · Mar 3, 2021

dsio
I never knew what this actually was until I just read the entire Wikipedia article, and I came away from it thinking this is a really unimpressive / crummy / mediocre thing to be calling an expedition. Some dudes floating on a raft with radios to prove a point just seems a ways off the exploits of actual competent explorers of which there are many.

Like if I decided to prove a point by traveling from Brisbane to Sydney on a tuk-tuk with an iPhone I don’t think that would be worthy of a prize. Even Jeremy Clarkson crossing nations in Africa in a Lancia sounds more impressive, the Kon-Tiki raft is far better made than a Beta coupe and significantly more water resistant.

Err what? To continue this line of thinking a trip to the moon in a rocket is a bit of fun and boasting about it afterwards pointless? By the way Jeremy Clarkson has never been impressive unless being a massive twit (is that how its spelt?) is commendable.

From a big Kontiki fan, watch, book and expedition! I recommend having a read, it was a death defying feat, with no chance of rescue if it all went wrong.