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MMMD
·Well this is a bit anticlimactic, after this and this (scroll down to the beautiful square golden thing at the bottom), but allow me to present... the shiniest of the three gold Zenith references from the 1950's posted on this forum today.
The 1959 Captain Chronometre, Zenith's answer to the Omega Constellation de Luxe, in highly reflective 18K gold.
And on the back, the mysterious Z-that-looks-like-an-hourglass-inside-a-ship's-wheel-or-balance-wheel-or-something logo... only seen on watches of the Captain model line... Zenith's answer to the igloo under a starry arctic sky or whatever it is on the back of those Connies
. There appears to be some residual black pigment within that Z; perhaps this was originally painted. Come to think of it, that crown looks a bit like the lug nut one might find on a Connie... and, unlike most gold-tone Zenith crowns, I suspect that this one might be solid 18K, as the 'Z' is quite worn but I don't see any steel underneath.
The cal 133.8 movement, a bumper automatic with 20 jewels running at 21,600 bph, one of the first automatic movements with a direct central seconds hand. 77,000 were produced throughout the 1950's; I don't know how many were certified and marked on the rotor as chronometres, but I think it is quite a small percentage. The screws on this one look untouched.
There is one like this in Rössler (p.118), but it is a cal 71. The obvious question: how could anyone cut a date window into such a perfect dial? Barbarous.
Maybe too shiny for daily wear... but perfect for tonight's office holiday party.
The 1959 Captain Chronometre, Zenith's answer to the Omega Constellation de Luxe, in highly reflective 18K gold.
And on the back, the mysterious Z-that-looks-like-an-hourglass-inside-a-ship's-wheel-or-balance-wheel-or-something logo... only seen on watches of the Captain model line... Zenith's answer to the igloo under a starry arctic sky or whatever it is on the back of those Connies
. There appears to be some residual black pigment within that Z; perhaps this was originally painted. Come to think of it, that crown looks a bit like the lug nut one might find on a Connie... and, unlike most gold-tone Zenith crowns, I suspect that this one might be solid 18K, as the 'Z' is quite worn but I don't see any steel underneath.
The cal 133.8 movement, a bumper automatic with 20 jewels running at 21,600 bph, one of the first automatic movements with a direct central seconds hand. 77,000 were produced throughout the 1950's; I don't know how many were certified and marked on the rotor as chronometres, but I think it is quite a small percentage. The screws on this one look untouched.
There is one like this in Rössler (p.118), but it is a cal 71. The obvious question: how could anyone cut a date window into such a perfect dial? Barbarous.
Maybe too shiny for daily wear... but perfect for tonight's office holiday party.
Like those shark tooth markers too.
