Zenith Cal.126.6 Manual 18ct Oversize 38mm 1954 – Sorry, Now Sold 29 Jan ’17

Description

Zenith is one of the oldest watch manufacturers, est.1865 and one of only a handful which has always produced its own movements. The company has an almost unparalleled record of technical achievements and notably, in 1929, Zenith won world renown at Kew Observatory (England), when a Zenith wristwatch won first prize for an accuracy of better than 0.6 seconds per day. During the late 1940’s and throughout the 1950s Zenith held the lead in producing the most commercially successful and technically advanced, chronograph wristwatches. The company has supplied movements to many other manufacturers for fitting into their watches including Rolex for their Daytona Chronograph! The most obvious and amazing aspect of this watch is its size at 38mm, however the condition of the movement has to be seen to be believed!

The Watch Case

When this watch was new, typical men’s watch sizes were 33mm and 34mm.  35mm and 36mm watch cases were usually classed as ‘Oversize’ and much fewer of these were made. Very occasionally we do see 37mm oversize Zeniths of this period and these are considered very rare. However 38mm as seen here is truly exceptional and in fact we have never seen a Swiss made Zenith watch case of this size previously. It is  important when one finds a watch with an exceptionally large gold case, to ensure it a genuine Swiss made case as often these larger gold cases were made in South America and were of inferior quality… and this significantly reduces the value of a watch compared to a Swiss made equivalent. The genuine article will have the words ‘Swiss Made’ and include the manufacturers trade mark along with of course, Swiss Hallmarks.  This watch case ticks all these boxes. As can be seen, the inside of the case-back is signed Zenith, Swiss Made, with Swiss hallmarks and it carries the external case number  567762. Although the crown remains unsigned, it is quite possible this is how the original was made in 1954, as not many watch crowns on watches in general were signed at that time.

The Movement

The 18,000 bph Cal.126-6, manual wind movement was made in a total of 110,000 pieces between 1950-1955 and was highly successful.  The base caliber 126 came in a handful of varieties, where the 126-6 is equipped with the incabloc shock proofing system which was a significant advance at the time.

The movement has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our watchmaker. This means fully dismantling the watch and movement, ultrasonic cleaning of all the parts, inspection to the critical surfaces under high magnification and replacement as required with genuine new originals parts Then careful reassembly and oiling, using all the correct lubricants to manufacturer’s specification before final testing and calibration. This is watch is therefore now running perfectly having been calibrated and timed at +8 seconds per day! Please note, this timing is outstanding for any watch of this age.  The watch movement is signed Zenith, Swiss Made and carries the Calibre number 126-6. and the Serial No. 4,363,232 dating the watch to 1954.

The Dial

The stunning Antique Silver White dial has been restored previously to a very high standard. The original gilt ’50s ‘Dauphine’ hands are in excellent condition and catch the light wonderfully, as do the alternate baton hour indices and Arabic numerals. As can be seen, typically of the period, this watch has a subsidiary seconds dial at 6. This is a very elegant and impressive dial, which has huge presence, due to its size.

The Strap and Buckle

The strap fitted is a new high quality brown Hirsch Lizard strap with Hirsch gold plated buckle. Please note if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain, padded leather, alligator, crocodile or lizard skin.

The Box and Papers

Although there are are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating the watch to 1954.

Detailed particulars will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months Warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

The watch also comes complete with a presentation box as shown in the photographs.

In Conclusion

This is a very impressive and very rare vintage Zenith, which is ready to wear and very practical for everyday use and if treated with care, this watch will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Zenith have always benefitted from a first class reputation for the superb quality of their watch movements.

A word on our prices… We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before then restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

We are happy to accept payment via Paypal as this is the quickest method of payment. However if you would like to pay by UK cheque or by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you.

*Note – 12 Month warranty only included if the list price is paid.

If you have any questions please call on Landline 0207 727 7095 or Mobile 07515 949250

Or if calling from overseas on Landline +44 207 727 7095 or Mobile +44 7515 949250

Please note we welcome part exchanges.

Please take a look at our other vintage gold watches.

Thank you.