In 1953, Swiss watchmaker Zodiac introduced the Sea-Wolf, a relatively small timepiece with a rotating bezel.
This rather diminutive tool watch was more important than might initially be inferred, however: Along with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and the Rolex Submariner, it was among the first crop of commercially available, serially produced watches dedicated for use by the burgeoning SCUBA diving community. From here, Zodiac would go on to design all manner of travel watches, chronographs, and other useful tool watches — all of which were priced relatively affordably and mixed good looks, solid Swiss-made movements, and desirable complications.
Today, Zodiac is owned by Fossil Group and makes numerous reissues of its vintage wares. Delightfully, these watches wear like slightly upsized, up-specc'd versions of their vintage counterparts, allowing an entire new generation of watch lovers to get in on the action. However, Analog:Shift is a business founded on the love of vintage watches, and given that vintage Zodiac is one of our favorite horological commodities, we thought we'd highlight some of our favorite references for you here.
From the venerable Sea-Wolf to the traveler's Aerospace GMT, these are the very best in midcentury Zodiac watches.
Zodiac Aerospace GMT
Zodiac Aerospace GMT - IN THE SHOP
Introduced around 1962, the Aerospace GMT utilized an automatic Swiss-made Cal. 75 or 75B movement with a 24-hour hand in combination with a 24-hour, bi-color plastic bezel insert in order to indicate the time in a second time zone. Measuring 35mm in diameter and coming in either a black or silver dial with one of several bezel colorways, the Aerospace GMT is well sized and legible, with applied indices, luminous hour plots and hands, and a date window at 3 o’clock. Finding one on its correct steel multi-link bracelet is always a treat.
Zodiac World Time
Zodiac World Time
Functionally an upgraded version of the third-generation Aerospace GMT, the World Time maintains the case and proportions of the brand’s GMT watch but adds a world time bezel insert with white printing over a black or maroon plastic insert. The dial adds a 24-hour ring to the periphery, making it a cinch to track the time in each of the world’s time zones simultaneously. The attractive grey dial of these handy tool watches is particularly attractive and patinas well over time.
Zodiac Zodia-Chron
Zodiac Zodia-Chron
This ~37mm chronograph is one of the handsomest, best-proportioned midcentury tool watches of the mid-20th century. Measuring roughly 37mm and featuring a matte black fixed tachymeter bezel insert with “dot over 90,” it boasts a silvered dial with a triple-register chronograph layout, an outer 1/5th-seconds track, a luminous ‘baton’ handset, and applied indices. Powered by the venerable Valjoux 72 and available on a matching bracelet, it’s proof that the 1960s really was one of the best decades in the history of watchmaking.
Zodiac Sea-Chron
Zodiac Sea-Chron
In keeping with the Zodiac’s diving heritage, the Sea-Chron took the Zodia-Chron’s stainless steel case with pump pushers and replaced the static tachymeter bezel with a rotating dive bezel. Boasting a black “reverse panda” dial with silvered chronograph registers, an outer tachymeter scale, and large, luminous hour plots, its 39mm sizing, excellent looks, hand-wound Valjoux 72 movement, and highly legible design make it a standout 1960s tool watch. Fairly rare today, they’re highly collectible vestiges of the early days of recreational SCUBA.
Zodiac SeaWolf
Zodiac SeaWolf
Born in 1953 — the same year the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms were first rolling off production lines — the Zodiac SeaWolf is one of the original crop of serially-produced recreational dive watches. Measuring 35mm in stainless steel and featuring a plastic bezel insert, it’s rather diminutive by today’s standards. But its charming triangular hour markers with inset ‘Arabic’ indices, bifurcated handset, and black or white dial lend it plenty of character. Powered by an automatic movement, this watch helped usher in an era of underwater exploration during the post-War SCUBA boom.
Zodiac Aerospace Jet
Zodiac Aerospace Jet
The Aerospace Jet — called simply “Hermetic” in its first series and “Jet Aeronaut” in its second series — is a true 24-hour watch in which the hands make their way around the dial just once in a 24-hour period. Available in different dial sizes (References 757 and 758) and in black or silver colorways, each featured an outer 5-minute track, a 24-hour track, luminous hour plots, a luminous ‘sword’ handset, and a hand-wound movement. Small at 34mm, these pieces lack the utility of some of their larger brethren, but are distinctly charming nonetheless.
Zodiac ‘Panda’/‘Reverse Panda’ Chronographs
Zodiac 'Panda'/'Reverse Panda' Chronographs
Wonder why these watches look so similar to Heuer Carrera references from the same period? It’s because many brands used the same suppliers for dials and componentry, assembling watches that looked nearly identical. Available in ‘panda’ or ‘reverse panda’ configurations, they feature 36mm cases with pump pushers, black or silver dials with chronograph totalizers in an opposing color, and hand-wound 77XX calibres from Valjoux. Available in two- or three-register configurations, they’re becoming nearly as collectible as their Heuer counterparts
Zodiac Triple Calendar Chronograph
Zodiac Triple Calendar Chronograph
Similarly to the chronographs seen above, this Triple Calendar Chronograph is functionally a Heuer Carrera 12 Dato with a different name on the dial — and boy, is she a beauty! Housed in a stainless steel case with pump pushers and dual case correctors on the left flank, it features a gorgeous black dial with an outer 1/5th-seconds and date scale; applied indices; contrasting silvered chronograph totalizers; day and month apertures; and a luminous ‘sword’ handset. Powered by the hand-wound Valjoux 72C, it’s a rare bird with pursuing.
