====== Schild-Comtesse, Rudolf ======
**Rudolf Schild-Comtesse** (known as "Dr. R. F. Schild-Comtesse") was managing director of [[ETA]] from [[1925]] and [[Ebauches SA]] from [[1964]] through [[1967]].

===== Biography =====
Rudolf Schild-Comtesse was born in Zürich on October 12, [[1900]] and studied law there, in Bern, and in Heidelberg. After earning a Doctorate based on a thesis on labor law, Schild-Comtesse became a lawyer in [[Solothurn]].

In [[1925]], Schild-Comtesse joined the family firm, [[Eterna]] (formerly called Schild Fréres), but this organization was in the midst of a crisis. In [[1932]], during the Great Depression, Eterna was forced to join [[ASUAG]] with other Swiss watch manufacturers. Because ASUAG had organized watch movement manufacturing under [[Ebauches SA]], Eterna was split in two. Watchmaking remained under the Eterna name within ASUAG, but construction of watch movements was spun off into [[ETA|ETA SA Fabriques d'Ebauches]].

Schild-Comtesse joined the board of directors at [[Ebauches SA]] in [[1951]], an officer of the company in [[1956]], and managing director in [[1964]]. There, he directed not just Eterna's [[ETA]] movement operations but also those of cousin company [[A. Schild]], [[FHF]], and many others. He presided over the company as it developed advanced [[automatic]] movements, including [[Heinrich Stamm]]'s [[Eterna 1466]] and [[high-beat]] movements from ETA.

Apart from overseeing Ebauches SA, Schild-Comtesse also joined the board of [[General Watch Company]] within [[ASUAG]]. From this position, he oversaw the consolidation of the industry in the 1970s during the [[quartz crisis]].

Schild-Comtesse also participated in many Cantonal and Federal commissions and was a member of the board of the Cantonal Bank of Solothurn. He also co-founded the hospital in [[Grenchen]], home of Eterna.

Rudolf Schild-Comtesse died in [[1978]] at the age of 78. His son [[Schild, Claude|Claude R. Schild]] would become Managing Director of Eterna in [[1988]] after working at the company since [[1976]].


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