Bruce's World of Watches: 2021

Sunday, November 7, 2021

EBEL

By Bruce Shawkey

If you do a Google search for “EBEL watch,” you are certain to see their "Wave" models come up at the top of the search. Introduced in 1977, it's one of few watches that seems to be named for its bracelet (with its signature wavy pattern) rather than the watch itself.

But that's kind of the way it's always been for EBEL watches since their founding in 1911 in La Chaux de Fonds. Collectors have long associated EBEL as a fashion or jewelry item more than a utilitarian watch. It's not a completely unfair assessment, since most EBEL watches through the decades have been fashion over technical achievement or substance. But to be fair, EBEL has manufactured everything from chronographs to military watches during its 110-year history. Let's take a look.

Ebel was founded in 1911 by husband and wife Eugene Blum and Alice Levy. As most EBEL-ophiles know, the name EBEL is an acronym of the initials of the couples' names, “Eugene Blum Et Levy." The photo at left, showing them later in life, seems to be the only known photo of the couple.

The company was recognized for outstanding examples of Art Deco-inspired women’s watches at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” in Paris in 1925. A couple of examples are shown at

right. Their designs caught the attention of both Cartier and Tiffany, which sold deco-inspired EBEL watches with their names on the dials.

In 1929, son Charles-Eugene Blum joined the firm, and EBEL exhibited at Basel for the first time. During the Great Depression, to stay financially afloat, EBEL sold movements to other larger watch companies.

In 1935, EBEL became the first company to use a Western Electric system for accuracy testing involving the use of highly specialized equipment.

In the late 1930s, EBEL won a contract to supply an Army Time Piece (ATP) for British army that was used up until the end of WWII. The watch (left) differs from most other military watches supplied to the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) in that it has a white dial (left) instead of the more familiar black dial. The EBEL is not one of the so-called "Dirty Dozen" British military watches, but nevertheless is highly sought by military watch collectors.

In the 1950s, EBEL introduced a purse watch that rivaled Movado’s “Hermeto” (right). It was sold through retailer Dunhill as well. EBEL also during this time tried to break into the mainstream market with such quirky models as the "Epsom" (with hidden crown) and the

"Videomatic" (left) with clearview back exposing the automatic movement.

Alice Levy remained the company’s creative director until 1960 when she retired. She served as chairman of the board of directors until 1968, when she was 88 years old. Eugene Blum presumably died during this time, but I can find no mention of his passing on the Internet. The third generation of the family, Pierre-Alain Blum, took over the company in the midst of the “quartz crisis” and was one of the few who resisted the conversion to cheap technology and continued to develop the production of mechanical movements.

In 1977, Ebel released the Sport Classic collection with the famous wavy bracelets, which probably instantly identifies an EBEL watch more than any other design feature. In 1983, EBEL introduced a mechanical perpetual calendar, followed two years later by the famous Beluga. The Beluga design was mainly adapted to ladies’ models, but men’s models can be found in chronograph and multicalendar models. A year later in 1986 came its “1911” collection, named after company’s founding year.

In 1995, Pierre-Alain Blum left the business and sold the company to Investcorp, a corporation that had a rather sad reputation. They bought well-known watch companies (including Breguet) to try and flip them for a quick profit at the expense of technical and creative innovation.

In 1999 Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) acquired EBEL and unfortunately didn't do the brand any favors. It introduced weird color combinations, abundant quartz models, and risky case shapes which only diluted the brand. In December of 2003, LVMH sold EBEL to the Movado Group for CHF6.3 million (about $6.2 million), one of the few times the price for a watch company has been publicly revealed. They have done an admirable job of trying to restore EBEL's "look" and reputation with such lines as the Tekton and Brasilia (see below). But they remain, as before, in that "grey area" between watch and jewelry and thus are overlooked by many watch purists who say they are overpriced. Some of their models are shown below. They maintain a website at www.ebel.com.

L to R: Up and down, steel case. SS case, Lemania Cal 27, copyright finertimes.com, used with permission. Square 14kt gold, manual wind. large square 14kt gold, manual wind. Tekton chronograph, automatic, diamond bezel.

L to R: Voyager world time 21J automatic, steel and 18kt bezel, circa 2000. “Sonny Crocket” (Miami Vice) automatic chronograph, Zenith Caliber 400 automatic movement, Wave bracelet. 1950s bumper automatic, chrome case. Gold plated, SS back, manual wind. "Brasilia,” Steel with 18kt trim.

L to R: Classic Wave. Lady’s Beluga, steel with 18kt trim. Men’s Beluga chronograph, plated over steel. Beluga men’s multidate moonphase, 18kt gold. “1911” steel and 18kt gold.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Vulcain

By Bruce Shawkey

Many watch companies are known by a single watch model, even though they produced many types of timepieces through the decades. Zodiac has its Sea Wolf, Doxa has its Sub 300, Universal has its Tri-Compax, to name a few. And for Vulcain, it's the Cricket.

When the Cricket was released in 1947, it was heralded as a grand invention at a time when the post-war economic boom was well underway. Businessmen could keep track of their meetings. Statesmen, scientists, and scholars could be reminded of their appointments. Even the Average Joe could set a reminder to pick up the kids at school. A Vulcain ad from the early '50s proclaimed the Cricket as "one of the greatest achievements in the whole history of watchmaking." You could buy a Cricket in a stainless steel case back then for around $70.00, equivalent to about $800 in today's dollars. Not cheap, but certainly within the realm of affordability.

Most every U.S. president since Truman has been gifted one, leading to Vulcain to name the Cricket “The Presidents’ watch,” a moniker which it uses to this day. But which presidents actually WORE their Cricket is another matter. Eisenhower, Johnson, and Nixon famously wore their Crickets.

President Lyndon Johnson was probably the biggest Vulcain fan of any U.S. President. He reportedly ordered 200 Crickets and gave them away as gifts. His own Cricket would reportedly go off during cabinet meetings, much to the chagrin of the Secret Service, who would sometimes mistake it for a bomb timer going off. Vulcain even has a letter of thanks from Johnson stating that he felt “somewhat less than dressed without it.” Richard Nixon got one while vice president to Eisenhower. He received a Cricket after speaking in front of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. As for which others wore theirs, I'll leave to the presidential trivia buffs to debate.

In point of fact, the idea of an alarm watch was not new. Alarm pocket watches are found going back to the 1800s. Numerous ideas for a wrist alarm were patented as far back as the early 1900s, but were not actually produced. One contraption involved placing the watch into a base unit, where the alarm bells were located. This, of course, precluded the owner from actually wearing the watch when the alarm activated.

More common were tactile contrivances where a claw or revolving button would graze the wearer's wrist. Spy movie fanatics may remember James Coburn's watch (right) that extended a small arm from the watch case that

wiggled the skin on the wrist in 1966's "Our Man Flint." Even though the Cricket was released almost 20 years earlier, Coburn's watch (actually a movie prop) of course did much more in the movie. The problem with an audible alarm (versus tactile) was a matter of physics. A wrist watch did not have enough physical size to produce an alarm of sufficient volume as to wake the average sleeper or even be heard by the wearer if he was in an area with even a minimal amount of ambient noise.

In any event, the Cricket so overshadowed Vulcain's history, that collectors often forget that they produced many other watches as well.

Vulcain's roots go all the way back to 1858 when the Ditisheim family -- Jacques and three sons Maurice, Gaspard and Aron -- founded the company in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The company was originally called "Manufacture Ditisheim." Ditisheim is a well known name found frequently in the world of Swiss watchmaking, resulting in confusion over which Ditisheim goes with what company. The brands Paul Ditisheim, Gallet, and Eberhard and more all have Ditisheims as parts of their histories.

In 1886, Maurice (left) bought the company from the other family members. By that time the company had grown from a small studio to a successful and well-known brand. Maurice won a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris 1889 for a self-winding pocket watch of his design.

In 1894, the company began offering pocket watches with the brand name Vulcain, with the company now under the leadership of Maurice Ditisheim's son, Ernest-Albert Ditisheim. In 1900, the company officially became "Vulcain" named for the Roman god of fire.

Unlike other watch companies, Vulcain was late to the party when it came to wristwatches. It wasn't until the 1940s, in the midst of WWII, that Vulcain turned to wristwatches in response to the increased popularity of wristwatches for the military.

The road to an alarm watch

Vulcain's idea of an alarm watch began in early 1940s when, under the direction of another Ditisheim offspring, Robert, Vulcain experimented with various prototypes, leading to the Caliber 120 unveiled in 1947. When activated, a small hammer (gong) strikes a metal membrane approximately 1,300 times in 20-25 seconds, creating a cricket-like sound, hence the name for the watch. Twin independent mainsprings meant the alarm could run itself down without sapping power from the watch, which ran off the other mainspring. The wearer was encouraged in the owner's manual to wind each mainspring daily, one for the watch (winding the crown counter-clockwise toward the six o'clock) and one for the alarm (winding clockwise toward the 12 o'clock).

The problem with the volume of the audible alarm was solved by French physicist Paul Langevin, who developed a double-case design that allowed the chiming to reverberate, thereby increasing its volume, sometimes to the surprise and even annoyance of persons nearby.

The Cricket operates with a rather complicated process of setting time and alarm using a combination of crown and button. Also the hands can only be set in forward direction. Despite these idiosyncrasies (which befuddle users to this day), the Cricket was a huge success. And Vulcain advertised the hell out of the watch, almost to the exclusion of all its other watches. But collectors forget that Vulcain made other watches, too. A few of those are shown at right and at the end of this article. Many of these are certainly not original factory case designs; they can be found enclosing other brnads, including Longines and Universal Geneve.

Clearly, the Cricket took center stage and the next page shows some of the ads that Vulcain ran. The Cricket also served as an adventurers' watch, as the brand partnered with several mountaineering and jungle expeditions. A Vulcain advertisement from 1955 states that the “CRICKET was selected from the finest watches to equip many famous expeditions, the most recent being the Italian alpinists’ victory in the Himalaya—K2 (28250 ft.). The teams of all these expeditions have expressed their satisfaction and admiration of the record performance of their VULCAIN CRICKET, testifying that their running was as faultless and the ringing of the alarm as distinct on the summit of K2 as in the damp jungle of Equatorial Africa.”

Two vintage Vulcain ads from the 1950s

A special "Cricket Nautical" was launched in 1961 (left) with built-in decompression table on the dial accessible with a separate crown. Reportedly the watch alarm was audible underwater. And the Golden Voice, essentially a smaller version of the watch for women, was introduced in 1964.

In 1958, Vulcain added the Caliber 401 (below right). Though it had a seconds sub dial and a date function, it did so at the expense of a separate barrel for the alarm, which reduced the alarm time to just 15 seconds.

Refusing to adopt the new technology coming in from the east, the brand stuck with mechanical movements, contributing to their downfall. Even before the quartz crisis, the companies Revue, Vulcain, Buser and Phénix merged in 1960 to form the "Manufactures d'Horlogerie Suisse Réunis SA" (MSR). During the 1970s-'80s, Vulcain struggled as the market for high-quality luxury mechanical wristwatches collapsed. Vulcain still produced their watches for sister brands within the MSR group, notably the Cricket under the Revue Thommen brand.

That might have been the end for the Cricket, if it hadn’t been for a Finnish jeweler named Keijo Paajanen. He met with Robert Ditisheim’s son, Michael, in the 1980s and suggested restarting gifting a Crciket to American presidents during state visits to Finland. So in 1988, Ronald Reagan became the first U.S. presidents in two decades to receive a Cricket, followed by George Bush Sr. two years later. In 1995, Gerald Ford visited the country for the anniversary of the Helsinki Accords, and finally was awarded his own Cricket 20 years after his presidency.

At the end of the 1990s, MSR went bankrupt. In 2001, the brand was purchased by Production et Marketing Horologer, PMH. The company moved from La Chaux-de-Fonds to Le Locle. PMH reinstated production of the

Side by side views of the (old) Cal. 120,
versus the updated V10 with polished plates and blued screws.

Cricket, the machinery for which, incredibly, still survived. With modifications, the Caliber 120 was reintroduced as the Caliber V10 in 2002 (above).

PMH, in turn, was acquired by Excellence Holding in 2010. Located in the canton of St. Gallen, manufacturing remaining in Le Locle. Headed by Bernard Fleury, a long-time fan of the brand, Vulcain completed its goal of making the Cricket automatic. This resulted in the new Caliber V-21, released in 2010. While the changeover posed few problems in the timekeeping portion, getting the alarm to work took a complete revising. The new movement contains 257 components, 100 more than its predecessor, along with Vulcain’s Exomatic system with its ball-bearing mounted unidirectional rotor ensuring consistent amplitude for better precision.

The alarm was now provided by an arm striking an anvil supported by a balance spring. The entire movement is beautifully finished, in contrast to the rather utilitarian appearance of the original.

There is an interesting twist to the Vulcain story that I confess I don't totally understand and which has not been well explained in available watch media. Around the year 2016, Vulcain was reportedly acquired by Flavio Becca, a wealthy Luxembourg real estate investor with a penchant for luxury watches. Becca, a rather shady character, had been under investigation by Luxembourg officials for corruption, embezzlement, blackmail, operating a Ponzi scheme and money laundering. Finally, in 2021, 10 years after the investigation began, a Luxembourg court sentenced Becca to two years in prison and a €250,000 fine, plus the confiscation of 643 watches including 187 he gave to members of his entourage. The jail sentence was reportedly suspended, so Becca is still wheeling and dealing, much like our own Donald Trump. But by this time, ownership of Vulcain had apparently reverted back to Excellence Holding, which is currently listed as its parent company. If anyone out there can shed more light on this apparent hiccup in Vulcain's history, I'll be glad to do a follow-up story.

The manufacturing facility in LeLocle currently manufactures or finishes 11 distinct movement calibers/ebauches. In addition to several Cricket movements, there are straight timekeepers, a single-button chronograph, triple-date moonphase, and even a tourbillon (based on the Technotime TT/91.04 ebauche).

Vulcain is currently described as a luxury watch company. It operates in Europe with a strong presence in the U.K., Switzerland, France, Italy and the Arabic countries. In the United States, Vulcain watches are available from several on-line grey-market resellers. I think this is hugely ironic that there are no authorized sellers in the United States, seeing as how the Cricket is labeled the "President's Watch." Anyway, grey-market Crickets start at around $3,400, about four times the price of a Cricket back in the late 1940s-early-’50s (equivalent dollars). There are some Crickets with cloisonne dials and karat gold cases with asking prices of $50,000 and more. So obviously, Vulcain is aiming at quite a different market than in the ‘50s. Vulcain experts warn against purchasing such grey market watches because, while they are new-old stock, they are likely closeouts and overstocks made 5+ years ago and probably in need of servicing.

Meanwhile, vintage Crickets go anywhere from $300 to $700 depending on condition on popular auction sites, and so represent a good value, in my opinion.

L to R Current models top row: Cricket manual wind Cal. V40 with alarm display at 4:00 and constant seconds at 8:00; Automatic Cal. V21, date at 6:00; time only Cal. V56 automatic; single button chronograph, automatic Cal. V57. Second row: Cricket World Time hand wound, Cal. V11, date at 6:00, world time adjusted with lock crown at 4:00; 18kt pink tourbillon Cal. V62; Triple date moonphase, automatic, Cal. V58; Cricket 18kt pink gold case, god of fire cloisonne dial, Cal. V20 automatic movement, center seconds.

L to R: Chronograph, 45-min recorder, steel case, circa 1945. Hinged lugs, 14kt gold, circa 1945. 1-button chronograph, hooded lugs, circa 1935. Rectangle, hinged lugs, gold-filled case, circa 1930.

L to R: manual wind, 14kt case and bracelet. Single button chronograph, chrome/steel back, circa 1940s. Horizontal tonneau, circa 1920s, 18kt yellow gold. Analog digital, circa 1960s, chrome case/SS back.

L to R: Nautical chronograph, SS case, Circa 1972. “Grand Prix” circa 1945, SS case. Automatic, recessed cron, SS case. Rectangle, hooded lugs, 14kt gold, circa 1950s.

Here is another article I wrote on Vulcain:

Ran across this ad in the March/April 1954 issue of Swiss Horological Journal for the Vulcain Cricket. The Cricket was not new, of course. The watch had been introduced in 1947. While not technically the first alarm watch to the market, the Cricket was certainly the loudest by virtue of a chamber that allowed the sound to resonate. Dual mainsprings also allowed the alarm to oscillate for a significantly longer period of time than prior iterations. The alarm made a sound similar to that of cricket when it chirps. That is how the watch got its name. The Cricket was an instant hit, first worn by president Eisenhower, then by Truman. Every president for the next 60-odd years would receive a Cricket for a gift, earning the watch the nickname "The Watch of Presidents."

Another variation of the Cricket would soon appear with two buttons instead of one. The crown had multiple settings. And the crown had to be turned one way to wind the watch, and the other way to wind the mainspring for the alarm. This made the watch confusing for users to manipulate. Many business meetings were no doubt interrupted by the chirping of the alarm because to user couldn't figure out how to work the watch. Then, an automatic Cricket was introduced, eliminating the "chore" of winding the watch, but making the other settings even more complicated. Confusion persists to this day on how to work the various settings on the Cricket. There are even You Tube videos on how to do it.

Vulcain, of course, made other watches besides the Cricket -- chronographs, multi-dates, etc. But the Cricket was, by far, the company's most famous watch. The company was founded in 1858 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by the Ditisheim brothers Maurice, Gaspard and Aron.

Vulcain made other watches, too. Here's an ad for a divers' watch featuring Jacques Costeau:

Some other ads for Vulcain over the decades:

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Timor

By Bruce Shawkey

If you've ever heard of Timor watches, you should win a prize. They had a brief presence in the market in the 1950s-'60s post-war watch boom. But they are best known for a single watch, a general service watch they supplied to the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) during WWII.

First of all, I want to emphasize that the current Timor Watch Co. is no way compensating me for this article. My interest is strictly historical and the fact that I personally like the watch the company is set to release in November.

It is fairly well known among watch nerds that a Mr. Bernheim and a Mr. Luthy founded Timor in 1923 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, nestled in the heart of the Swiss Jura mountains. During 1930s, the brand built a modest popularity in Britain, Germany and France. But they really didn't gain notoriety until the second world war when they supplied approximately 13,000 watches to the British Ministry of Defense (Mod) an example of which is

shown at left. Their watch would eventually become one of the so-called "Dirty Dozen" watches supplied to the MoD by 12 different watch companies, today coveted by modern-day military watch collectors. The Timor isn't the rarest of the bunch; that title goes to Grana, with estimates of 1,000 to 5,000 watches supplied. But the Timor field watch is certainly difficult to find.

In any event, Timor is set to release a remake of their famous WWII field watch in November (right). As you can see, it is virtually identical to the original. It will be available in either manual-wind version for purists, or an automatic version for

those too lazy to wind their watch once a day. The manual version will contain the Swiss Sellita SW216 movement with 24 Jewels, providing up to 42 hours of running time. The automatic model will house the Sellita SW260 movement with 31 Jewels and 38 hours of power reserve. Both movements will be modified to remove the date function. Cases will be bead blasted, like the originals, and feature screw-down crowns.

What I like most about these remakes is that Timor resisted the urge to "super-size" these remakes to please the current convention that men's watches must be ungodly big. The diameter of both watches will be 36.5mm, the same width as the original. This is plenty big, as the American-made Ordnance watches of WWII were around the 32-33mm mark. The price for either watch (manual or automatic) is €1,078,95 and comes black nylon strap. For an extra €35,95 you can order a contemporary NATO-style strap of woven nylon in Army Green or Desert Tan. A Heritage Strap of canvas was available at €47,95 but was sold out as of this writing.

The original price of either watch was to be £950, around €1,106 or $1,282, but obviously has been reduced a tad since the kickstarter campaign to fund the building of this watch began back in February of 2020. The watch was supposed to be available November of 2020, but obviously has suffered delays due to the worldwide Covid 19 pandemic. As stated earlier, the revised rollout date is set for November 2021 and hopefully they will be ready at that time. Pre-orders are available at timorwatch.com.

To continue with their history, the brand experienced modest growth through the 1930s with the focus on testing every watch that left the factory. This focus led to Timor's popularity in Britain, Germany and France throughout the 1930s and their slogan, "Trust Timor ...It's Tested."

In 1939, Timor was one of the first watch companies to build a watch for the blind and partially sighted. It featured a hinged opening bezel and brail numerals to track time.

After the war, Timor's attempts to re-enter the civilian market were only marginally successful. Their designs were rather mundane, as evidenced by the one '50s advertisement I was able to find (left). During the 1960s, the company claims to have come out with a line of "stylish dress watches with a minimalist theme, and focusing on precious metals at an affordable price." Translation: mundane designs, and 9 karat gold cases ... considered barely gold by most collectors.

Their failure to find a niche, combined with the quartz crisis, forced the company into dormancy in the 1970s.

In the early 2000s, the Timor brand was acquired by the Bolzli family of Switzerland, which owns Aerowatch. They initially offered Timor-branded pocket watches based on designs from the 1940s and 1950s that proved popular in the far east and helped bring Timor watches back from the brink.

In 2015, Timor stopped manufacturing pocket watches to focus on rebuilding their most iconic watch from the second world war built for the British troops.

In 2018, Timor relocated its headquarters to the Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England to further cement its bond with Britain. Two years later, they embarked upon the project to release the successor of their WWII field watch. They used a fairly new technique of using kickstarter.com to appeal directly to their audience to pre-order watches to generate the funds to manufacture the watch. This technique has proved successful with other micro– and mini-brands, including Pebble, Xerex, and Alpina, among others. Let's see if it works for Timor.

Typical Timor watches from the 1950s and '60s. 9 kt.
gold (two left watches) and chrome (right).

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Zodiac

By Bruce Shawkey

The company was founded in Le Locle, Switzerland in 1882 by Ariste Calame (left) We know little about the man, except that his family roots in Switzerland went back to the 16th century and came from a long line of “mechanically minded“ ancestors. He was born in 1839, and so started his company at a relatively later age (45) than did many of his contemporaries in the watch manufacturing world. Ariste "officially" retired from the company in 1890, but unofficially continued to run the company until his son, Louis-Ariste Calame (1875-1955) took over the company in 1895.

Ariste used the name Zodiac on several of his models, but it was not until 1908 that son Louis registered the brand name. But the company name remained Ariste Calame (and later Calame and Cie.) into the 1950s.) During this time (1882-1908) Calame subsisted largely on manufacturing movements and movement parts for other companies, notably Favre-Perret and Seiko of Japan, believe it or not. Many Seiko collectors believe the company is a fairly recent phenomenon, but in fact was founded in 1881. In those early years Seiko bought from several Swiss companies for watches, parts, and machinery. Zodiac also manufactured its own calibers for the production of pocket watches.

Between 1908 and 1914 the company at its height employed about 50 people. These watches were obviously pocket watches, as I can no evidence of wristwatch production. Certainly Zodiac pocket watches recased at a later date by a jeweler or other third party exist in the marketplace. World War I and the years that followed, up until the 1930s, appear to have lean times for Zodiac. I can find no evidence that a wristwatch ever left the factory during the 1920s, even though wristwatches were becoming an accepted fashion item, certainly in Europe and, to a lesser degree, in the United States.

In November 1923, one of Louis's sons, Rene A. Calame, joined the firm and is generally credited with saving the company from extinction. We do not know when the first wristwatch left the factory in its completed form. Probably the first factory-cased wristwatches did not come out of Zodiac until the mid-1930s. The company patented a unique shockproofing system that utilized a Z-shape spring clip over the balance. The entire watch is

shown at right, along with the movement being shown in detail. (The word below Zodiac on the wristwatch - INCASSABLE - translates to “unbreakable.”) In 1937, Zodiac created another innovation - an eight-day wrist watch movement (below, left). It was 10.5 lignes in size, featured a damaskeened finish, and was inscribed with the number 1551. I have never seen an actual watch containing this movement.

The company also claims during this time to have manufactured one of Switzerland's first automatic wristwatch movements. I have never seen an example of it, nor is does there seem to be any corroborating evidence as to its existence. History has a way of getting twisted, and I personally believe that what some historians (including owner Fossil) are referring to is the Autographic with the Caliber 1424 movement, introduced in 1949, which was one of Switzerland’s first automatic movements with a power reserve indicator. But the 1424 was not manufactured in-house. It was made by A. Schild, who used the same Caliber number.

While all of these movements (the Shock proof, eight-day, automatic) were supposedly made completely in house, none are acknowledged in any of the “standard“ movement guides (Bestfit, Marshall). Only later movements, after Zodiac switched to ebauches from other suppliers, are noted. So if anyone has an early Zodiac materials manual, I will be happy to include more details about these early movements in a followup article.

Owing to Zodiac’s failure to make any significant inroads into the American market (which was essential to any watch manufacturer's financial success) the company in the 1940s switched to ebauches from such suppliers as ETA, A. Schild and others. This allowed Zodiac to significantly reduce costs and become a “player” on the worldwide watch stage. But that would have to wait until nearly a decade later. Their ads at the time featured watches that, while quality pieces, were unremarkable in design and features. The full report on Zodiac (available at the end of this abbreviated article) shows six different Zodiac ads from this period (1940s-'50s) including the rather quirky "pharaon" model.

This would change in 1949. At the Basel Fair that year, Zodiac (still under the ownership of the Calame family) exhibited two innovative watches. One was the Autographic, the self-winding watch mentioned earlier that showed hours of power (zero to 36) remaining on the mainspring. The other innovation was the Datagraphic, a

Autographic (left) and Datograph

12-ligne calendar movement with moonphase feature. It is their Caliber 12, based on the ETA Caliber 1100. An automatic feature was eventually added, resulting in the Caliber 1402 (same caliber number as the A. Schild movement it is based on).

The Autographic, in particular, was quite innovative in that there was only one other wristwatch at the time - made by LeCoultre - that had a power reserve indicator (though other manufacturers would soon follow).

Both models proved very popular and can be found with relative ease to this day. The Datograph and Autographic caught on in the U.S. market and finally established Zodiac as a player in the world of wristwatches. (Up until this time, they were known mostly in Europe and Asia.)

Sea Wolf with metal bezel ring and ceramic

But that was just a taste of the success to come. In 1953, Zodiac unveiled the Sea Wolf which was one of the first “serious” diver's watches manufactured and marketed to the masses, that is, folks who were not necessarily professional or amateur skin divers but nevertheless wanted a rugged sports watch that would stand up to the elements.

The paperwork that accompanied the Sea Wolf proclaimed that it was “… the world's finest underwater watch. Designed for skin-diving and other water sports, the Sea Wolf is so impressively handsome, it is pridefully worn by the adventurous male day-in and day-out … in or out of the water!“

The first models featured a base metal bezel ring which, thankfully, was later upgraded to an enamel covered bezel ring. To this day, I cannot figure out why Zodiac went to the expense of putting the Sea Wolf inside a stainless steel case and then pinched pennies on a base metal bezel ring (plated with chrome). The bezel ring takes the brunt of the wear and always wore down to a brass color in a matter of months, much to the dismay of vintage collectors today.

A date feature was soon added, and eventually day AND date. Its ruggedness, combined with the fact that it was an automatic watch (the user didn't have to wind it) made it a tremendous success. In fact, to borrow a phrase from Hollywood, this was Zodiac's “breakout” watch. It was so successful, that eventually in the late 1950s, even the U.S. military took notice. As early as World War II, they had begun training specialized underwater demolition teams (UDTs). The Navy, in particular, took this training to new heights, and in 1962 established the SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) program. They needed a watch that could hold up to water pressure and temperature extremes. The Sea Wolf was perfectly suited, rated to 20 atmospheres (ATMs), equivalent to 660 feet underwater, and guaranteed to perform in temperatures ranging from zero to 40 degrees Celsius (32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit).

The only problem was that the Department of Defense was supposed to buy only American-made watches. But the only diver watches made in America at that time were clunky, hard-to-use models (case-within-a-case design) that had to be special ordered through the glacially slow military contracting process. And, they were manual winding! So if a UDT or SEAL member made the unfortunate mistake of not winding his watch (an easy error in high-stress situations), he could miss a critical task or rendezvous.

As the late Marvin Whitney states in his book, “Military Timepieces,” most military units, fortunately, had certain “discretionary funds” at their disposal. And even those soldiers and sailors who didn't have a Sea Wolf purchased for them would go to their local base exchange and buy one out of their own pocket! And so the Sea Wolf soon found itself on the wrists of many military men - divers and non-divers alike. The success of the Sea Wolf eventually led to the development of the Super Sea Wolf. A patented stem/crown system and an improved case back design increased its water pressure rating to 75 ATMs, or 2,442 feet.

Chronographs (two- and three-register models) also began to appear with relative frequency during the 1950s and ‘60s, as well as a novelty watch called the Pharaon which played on Zodiac’s name showing the 12 signs of the zodiac around the bezel.

To backtrack a bit, and bring us current with corporate history, Rene Calame's father, Louis-Ariste, died in 1955 at the age of 80 and is said to have remained on Zodiac's board of directors up until his death. Rene's son, Pierre, born in 1934, also joined the firm somewhere around this time. This is also the time that Zodiac adopted the trademark logo that many of us are familiar with - the cross inside the circle.

The 1960s were boom times for Zodiac. They continued to exploit their niche in rugged sport watches by coming out with new models. The Sea Wolf was further refined with an extra 24-hour GMT hand, and called the Aerospace. A further refinement led to the Aerospace Jet, which featured true 24-hour hands (the hands traversed the dial once in 24 hours). Chronographs also continued strong.

In 1969, the company introduced what would become another signature watch, the AstrographicSST. It
combined the water-resistant features of a sport watch with “mystery” hands that appeared to float on the dial of the watch (actually they were painted or decaled onto clear plastic discs which, in turn, were mounted on the watch's center post). The “SST” stood for “split second timing,” a fancy name for a high-beat movement running at 10 pulses per second versus the usual five beats. It sold back in its day for around $150 in stainless steel. It is often confused with the Autographic, due to the similarities of the names. But there is no mistaking the two when you see them side by side! The Autographic is a wind indicator watch, while the Astrographic has a mystery dial.

The cushion shape Astrographic was the first design that came out, and remains the most desired by collectors today. But another case design emerged, the round, which is also referred to as the oval due to the squashed saucer-like shape of the bezel. A rare variation emerged with jump hour and digital seconds.

The 1970s and beyond

Olympos (left), and Corsair

The 1970s ushered in what would be the final hour for Zodiac as a family-run business. But the decade began with a few “highs,“ notably the introduction of another “trademark” watch of Zodiac's, the Olympos (image next page). It took the idea of the Astrographic (mystery dial) and slimmed it down to a more dressy watch. It is unmistakable with any other watch due to its asymmetrical shape, mystery hands, and crown at the 2:00 position. It is also automatic. It can be found to this day with relative ease.

Another watch, the “Corsair,” featured a hexagon-shaped case and automatic movement with date. Corsair means pirate, or pirate ship, and Zodiac most likely chose the name because it has a pleasing sound.

But beginning in the mid 1970s, the company produced watches that were dropped almost as quickly as they were introduced - obscure mechanical monstrosities with bulbous cases better suited to a weight-lifting room than a wrist! Also, electric and quartz models that were clunky and badly designed. These were last gasps to try and make something -- anything -- to compete against the onslaught of Timex and cheap Swiss imports.

In 1978, Pierre Calame, presiding over his final annual meeting, gave a somber speech about the “natural selection” process that was taking place within the Swiss watch industry. That year, the Dixi Group of Le Locle, bought a controlling interest in Zodiac, and took Zodiac over completely in 1979. Dixi Group, then headed by Paul Castella, is a large consortium of Swiss companies specializing in machine parts, micromechanisms and medical equipment, among other things. The company, with roots going back to the late 1800s, was no stranger to watches. In fact, they had been founded by the watch manufacturer Le Phare for the production of machine tools.

So while Dixi saved the brand name, it was the end of Zodiac as a family-run business. Ironically, Rene Calame, the man who had turned Zodiac from a relatively unknown company into a brand leader, passed away that same year at age 76. Pierre, meanwhile, apparently disappeared into relative obscurity.

The history of Zodiac for the next 11 years remains somewhat of a mystery. It seems clear that what began in 1979 was an experiment in "managing" the brand by marketing specialists rather than watchmakers. Dixi just didn't know how to position the brand.

Finally in 1990, Willy Gad Monnier (right), a former Tag Heuer executive, bought the Zodiac brand. But we don't know know if Monnier bought it from Dixi, or whether there was another owner of the Zodiac brand between 1979 and 1990.

Zodiac watches under Monnier took on a “Tag Heuer” look. Not surprising, given Monnier’s background. Most of the Zodiacs from the Monnier years are forgotten with the possible exception of the "Point" series where an extra dot appears on the dials along with numerals and markers. With the Point series, Monnier sought to create a tiered system of technical watches, with a specific focus on divers and chronographs. The Point series is shown in the full report, available at the end of this full report.

No one seems to know the whereabouts of Mr. Monnier. At last mention in 2018, he was reported in bad health and has presumably died. He failed to find a niche, and the company went bankrupt in 1997. The brand was next bought in 1998 by Genender International (a U.S. company based in Wheeling, Ill.). Genender currently supplies a number of "fashion brands" of watches.

To the disappointment of many, Genender discontinued the Sea Wolf model, and most automatic watches as well as all automatic chronographs. Then, in October 2000, Genender introduced the Sea Wolf II, an aggressive

evolution of the long-standing Sea Wolf diver’s watch. But it was only available in a quartz model, and the rotating time ring was located under the crystal and turned by use of an extra crown. They also introduced the Astrographic 2000, a sleek updated version of one of the most known and

favorite models ever in the Zodiac line. This watch, like its predecessor, was a mystery dial model. The Astrographic 2000 with its ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, was well received by the watch industry and was written up in several publications.

It appeared Genender had a good thing going. But in August of 2001, they sold the brand to Fossil Inc., along with remaining inventory and parts, for $4.7 million. (One of the few times the price for a watch company has been publicly revealed.) Fossil saved the brand, but the purists out there were aghast at the prospect of Zodiac becoming a plastic watch. Thankfully, Fossil didn’t go that far. But when I last wrote about Zodiac back in 2003, their website was cheesy and contained a collection of middle- and upper-middle-priced men's sport watches. Absent were the models that made Zodiac famous ... the Sea Wolf, Astrographic, Olympos, etc.

That has changed. The Sea Wolf is back, albeit renamed the Super Sea Wolf, with automatic mechanical movement and water resistant to 20 ATMs. The Olympos is also back, with automatic movement with a date (the original did not have a date). The watch retains its original pentagon shape (though super-sized at 37mm), and they even placed the crown at 2:00 like the original. They even have a few 50th anniversary Super Sea Wolfs left from their 2018 rollout. One is named for Andy Mann, an award-winning underwater photographer who was a brand ambassador for Zodiac watches for a time. A watch dial features a 12:00 marker in the shape of a shark fin. The watch is pictured in the full report on Zodiac, availalble at the end of this article.

The "Grandrally" is their chronograph line and all in the collection feature quartz movements. A "Grandville" collection is Zodiac's time-only collection -- a sort of "no frills" hybrid between dress and sport watches with quartz (Ronda) movements. Fossil has currently suspended production of this model line, but you can find them on various overstock and closeout websites for around the $300 mark.

Most Zodiac purists want nothing to do with the new Fossil Zodiac watches. But for the average consumer who likes the vintage look without all the hassles of owning an actual vintage watch (restoration, servicing, etc.) the new Zodiacs are a good choice.