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
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| 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.)
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| 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.
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
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| 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.
Other articles I've written on Zodiac:
Ran across this ad for the Zodiac "Glorious" model in the March/April 1954 issue of Swiss Horological Journal. It was a conservatively designed model of stainless steel with an automatic movement and cleverly designed magnification lens built into the crystal which makes the date indicator easier to read. Zodiac, as most collectors know, was founded way back in 1882 by Ariste Calame in Le Locle, Switzerland. It went through many changes of ownership over the decades, eventually winding up in the hands of Fossil. The "Glorious" model isn't even made any more. Much has been written about Zodiac, notably their most famous watch, the Seawolf. The most definitive online resource devoted to Zodiac is Butch Dunn's website. He has devoted considerable resources to Zodiac over the years, buying up watches, original factory catalogs, and materials manuals which he has posted to his website. Butch has been a good friend to me over the years, and I heartily recommend his site as a reference resource. Here is the ad from the '54 publication:
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Butch Dunn, of Montchanin, Del., a Zodiac collector and enthusiast of many years. He runs a wonderful website, www.vintagezodiacs.com, that turned out to be the inspiration for my original Zodiace article back in 2003. Butch is still active in the Zodiac world, and I recommend you visit the site. It has many additional facts about Zodiacs, and more images. Also, thanks to Zaf Basha of the Vintage Watch Price Guide project (www.vintagewatchpriceguide.com) for his kind permission to reproduce images from his website.
Here are additional articles I've written about Zodiac:
I've gathered a TON of Zodiac material through the years. Of course, the Major Domo of Zodiac is Butch Dunn, who has amassed more Zodiac catalogs than anyone, and in fact had to fight for the right to even publish his own very informative website. But here's just a sample of what I have.
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| 1953 |
Here are other articles I've written about Zodiac:
There's nothing like saying something is "the world's most" to get people's attention. I ran across this ad in the March/April 1954 issue of Swiss Horological Journal. The ad is for a Zodiac "Glorious" model. Collectors forget that Zodiac also made made watches in addition to their most famous model, the Sea Wolf. The "Glorius" was a time-only automatic watch, available in men's or women's versions. The watches had a beautiful dial with raised markers. Watches featured sweep seconds, and a leather band. Case choices were stainless steel, gold-filled, or 14kt gold.
I've written about Zodiac watches many times through the years, but this ad caught my attention. It was advertised as a "fascinating creation" by Zodiac, though it's simply a plain round case. This ad appeared in the first decade after World War II, when there was a big pent-up demand for watches, as a result of the war. Watch companies were practically tripping over themselves to get a piece of that pie. Zodiac wanted dealers to know they had something "new" to keep the orders rolling in.
Zodiac was founded in 1882 by Ariste Calame in LeLocle Switzerland. The original name of the company was Ariste Calame, and would later become Zodiac. The name Zodiac was registered in 1908.
If you are a Zodiac watch collector, here's my advice: Hop on over to Butch Dunn's website devoted to vintage Zodiac watches. The address is https://www.vintagezodiacs.com/. This is probably the most extensive resource on vintage Zodiac watches. I've referred to his website time and again over the years, and it has proven invaluable.
Ran across this interesting article in the May-June 1957 edition of Swiss Horological Journal about the birth of the Zodiac brand featuring brothers Rene and Maurice Calame, grandsons of Ariste Calame who founded the company in Bienne, Switzerland in 1882.
The company marked its 75th anniversary by rolling out three new models, shown below:
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| Round, manual wind Corsair Model 346B Automatic w/power reserve indicator |
The one in the middle is quite interesting, and I don't believe I've ever seen it before. It is not identified by name in the article. It has center-mounted lugs, and as near as I can tell, is a manual wind. The watch on the left appears to be another manual wind, while the watch on the right is an automatic with power-wind indicator.
The article goes on to explain how brothers Rene and Maurice basically relaunched the company with fresh new designs. The iconic Sea Wolf has not mentioned in this article. This model was introduced in 1953.
Here are some pictures of Rene and Maurice in their interview with the Swiss Horological Journal reporter:
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| Brothers Rene (left) and Maurice Calame |
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| The brothers again, being interviewed by a SHJ reporter |
Here are other articles I've published on Zodiac:
I've gathered a TON of Zodiac material through the years. Of course, the Major Domo of Zodiac is Butch Dunn, who has amassed more Zodiac catalogs than anyone, and in fact had to fight for the right to even publish his own very informative website. But here's just a sample of what I have.
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| 1953 |
