Manfred Roessler's Zenith - Opinions, Comments & Issues

Veritas99
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Lex4TDI4Life Lex4TDI4Life
Not a watch, so much, and I am sure our hardcore Zenophiles already have it, but...

While there are certainly some errors and gaps in it, Rossler's book is a must-have for vintage Zenith collectors. This is especially true given how hard it is to find vintage catalogs.
 
LouS
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To paraphrase Homer Simpson about beer, Roessler "is the cause and solution to all life's problems." It's the only Zenith reference available, so that makes it essential, but it has plenty of inaccuracies. Some have already come to light in this very thread, like Roessler's insistence in the face of common sense that the "Z" on the back of gold Captains has nothing at all to do with Zenith. I agree fully with Mike, the bigger problems are the yawning gaps in coverage. I'll also add the superficial treatment of a number of models, and the lack of judgement in selecting models to photograph. Frankens and obvious redials abound. Part of the fun of Zenith collecting is filling in the blanks left by Roessler.

Regarding the specific auction listing, Mondani is selling a large part of its catalog at deep discount, so feel free to make low offers on the listing
 
Stewart H
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Ah. The gospel according to Rossler. As Lou says, great when it has got a picture of your watch's twin, worrying when it hasn't. Hopefully I'll be discussing this more in a couple of weeks.
 
MMMD
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LouS LouS
Part of the fun of Zenith collecting is filling in the blanks left by Roessler.

Full agreement. I for one am grateful for the gaps and imperfections. In fact, I'm often more interested in the pieces that Rössler has overlooked. You don't see John Chris's cal 135 (or mine) in Rössler, but comparisons in Rössler have helped convince me of the legitimacy of pieces like these. It's not a comprehensive catalog, but an aid to connoisseurship, and that's where the fun is.
 
MSNWatch
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The main omega reference - A Journey Through Time which is 2-3x the size of the zenith book while pretty comprehensive in terms of pictures is lacking lots of details. Combined with the online vintage omega database (which by itself has had its details pruned) there remains a lot of details that are lacking that can only be learned with lots of time being invested in looking at pieces - online and in person, interacting in fora like this etc. But as mentioned, that's a large part of the hobby and why it is a satisfying pursuit. And I think it's a good thing that some questions will forever remain unanswered...
 
danomar
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I agree with the comments about Rossler. It is a good start, but this forum contains significant hard-won (hard-bought?) knowledge.

The Rossler book does provide a nice semi-detailed overview of the company's history, from pendulum clocks to specialty lock timers. It is worth getting for the historical perspective if nothing else.
 
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