Rudolf Schild-Comtesse

Dr. Rudolf F. Schild-Comtesse (1900-1978) was a leading figure in watchmaking in the 20th century, leading Eterna (founded by his grandfather Urs Schild), ETA, ASUAG, and Ebauches SA.

Early Life

Franz-Rudolf Schild was born on October 12, 1900 to Max Schild and Jeanne van den Brink. He was an only child but part of a large family, and his grandfather, Urs Schild-Rust, was well known as founder of the most successful watch factory in Grenchen. Although his family and career are closely associated with that city, Rudolf was born in Zurich following his father's ouster from the family firm two years earlier.

After attending secondary school, Rudolf studied law in Zurich, Bern, and Heidelberg. He received his Juris Doctor from Professor Fleiner with a dissertation on labor law, the very issue that lead to his father's exit from the family business. Rudolf passed the bar in Solothurn and took an internship at a prominent London law firm.

Eterna and ETA

In 1925, Rudolf's uncle Théodor Schild called on him to return to Grenchen and to the family watchmaking factory there. Rudolf's uncle César Schild soon initiated the creation of a holding company of ebauche factories, including his own firm A. Schild as well as FHF and A. Michel, and Théodor was resistant to the idea. Théodor Schild refused to allow Eterna to join this movement, but young Rudolf Schild saw the necessity of consolidation.

Following the creation of the "Super-Holding" company ASUAG in 1931, Théodor Schild relented: Eterna would be split into a watchmaking company, which would join ASUAG, and an ebauche factory, ETA, which would join Ebauches SA. Management of both firms was handed down to his nephew, Rudolf Schild, in 1932, with Théodor becoming president and board member, respectively.

Seeing the necessity of automated mass production, Rudolf Schild called on Dr. H. c. F. Scholl to automate production of ebauches at ETA as much as possible. He directed all departments, from planning and design to manufacturing and sales, to focus primarily on automated production. Rudolf Schild also established the ETA training workshop, which was one of the first technical training schools of its kind when it opened in 1941.

Rudolf Schild also managed Eterna through World War II, focusing on wristwatches, introducing automatic winding, and building the company into one of the most-respected in the world.

An Industry Leader

After World War II, Dr. Rudolf F. Schild-Comtesse was called on to lead much of the watchmaking industry in Switzerland. He was elected administrator of Ebauches SA in 1951 and joined the board of directors in 1956. He lead the organization from 1964 through 1967 as chairman. Schild-Comtesse also joined the board of directors of Cosmos AG in Biel in 1945 (a bicycle factory founded by his uncle Théodor), and was chairman of the board for Roulements Miniatures in Biel from 1946.

His involvement in Ebauches SA lead him to join the board of ASUAG from 1963 to 1972, the board of General Watch Co from 1971 to 1973, and the board of Fabriques d'Assortiments Réunies from 1965 to 1971.

Outside the watch industry Dr. Schild-Comtesse served on the Federal Factory Commission, the Federal Advisory Commission for the Watch Industry, the Commission for the Promotion of Scientific Research, the Bank Council of the Solothurn Cantonal Bank, the Board of German-Swiss Watch Manufacturers, the Solothurn Chamber of Commerce, and the Solothurn Watchmaking School. In Grenchen, Dr. Schild-Comtesse was a local councilor from 1929 to 1937, president of the Electricity Works Commission from 1933 to 1965, served on the board of the Grenchen Industrial Association from 1938 to 1975, and initiated and co-founded the Grenchen Hospital, leading it from opening in 1953 until his death.

Dr. Rudolf Schild-Comtesse resigned from the boards of ETA and Ebauches SA in May 1975, pursuing art, golf, and economic history. But he died soon after, on December 12, 1978, following a serious traffic accident a few weeks earlier.

His son Claude R. Schild joined Eterna in 1976 and returned in the late 1980s to help manage a recovery of the company.