£2,950
100% Genuine & All Original
Fully Inspected, Serviced and Guaranteed
A Beautifully Well Cared For And Lightly Used Example
All in Absolutely Top Grade & Simply Stunning Condition
Immaculate 18ct Pink Gold Zenith Swiss Fully Signed Case
Good Size 35mm Diameter Case, Excluding the Unsigned Crown
Wonderful 1960s Faceted Original ‘Index’ Hands and Subsidiary Seconds Dial
Pristine Cal.40, 17 Jewel, Incabloc High-Grade Manual Movement
High Quality Hirsch Crocodile Strap & Zenith Gold-Plated Buckle
Original Zenith Presentation Box Included, as Shown
VGWL 12 Months’ Written Warranty Included*
VGWL Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee
Free Worldwide FedEx Delivery
Free UK Special Delivery
£2,950
Available Immediately
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Zenith
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 1940s and throughout the ’50s, Zenith held the lead in producing the most commercially successful and technically advanced, chronograph wristwatches. Later, in 1969, Zenith became the first to develop a high-frequency automatic integrated column-wheel chronograph powered by the legendary El Primero movement beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour. This obsession with precision, as well as this constant quest for technical innovation, has been duly rewarded; the Manufacture has been awarded 2,333 chronometry prizes as well as eight medals, making it the most titled brand in the field of precision. The company has also provided a huge number of movements to many other manufacturers for their more technically advanced watches, including even Rolex for their Daytona Chronograph!
Description
Here we have a beautiful 18ct pink gold gentleman’s Zenith dress watch which although from 1960, has more than a flavour of a classic 1950s style, with the beautiful ‘index’ hands and subsidiary seconds dial.
Notable features of this watch are its excellent size for the period at 35mm, the rare 18ct pink gold case and its pristine movement. The dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and considering the age of the watch, is in remarkably fine condition.
The Dial
The classic and beautifully styled slightly off-white dial carries applied pink gilt ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with original, unrestored gilt 1960s faceted ‘index’ hands. This is an impressive dial, partly due to its size, but also because of the contrast between the off-white of the dial and the pink gold of the case and pink gilt dial furnishings.
The dial carries the Zenith signature and star below the ’12’ at the top of the dial, a subsidiary seconds dial at the bottom above the ‘6’ and is marked ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.
This dial is original to this watch and unrestored and untouched. It also remains in exceptionally good condition considering the age of the watch. Normally a dial of this age will have been subject to damage caused by a combination of sunlight, moisture and pollution, in the form of fading, staining, spotting, freckling, and pitting. The dial can also be scratched by careless removal of the hands and dial during servicing. Here however, this dial has almost none of this, with only one or two of the faintest marks which are hardly visible to the naked eye. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we offer here. However in this instance, we decided that due to its exceptional condition and to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors who prefer this, we would leave it untouched. It also helps to offer a contrast with most of the other watches you see on our website, which have had their dials restored.
Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.
The Movement
The Zenith Calibre 40 movement was a development of, and closely related to, the Zenith Cal.126-6 hand-wound movement. Zenith produced a total of 156,000 Calibre 40 movements between 1955-1960 and these remained in use from stock until the mid-1960s. This calibre was fitted with an Incabloc shock protected balance and was highly successful for Zenith.
The example here is plated in beryllium-bronze and as can be seen, is in wonderful condition. The movement has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our watchmaker which means fully dismantling the watch and movement, ultrasonic cleaning of all parts, inspection to the critical surfaces under high magnification, with replacement as required with genuine new original parts, then careful reassembly and oiling, using all the correct lubricants to manufacturer’s specification before final testing and calibration. This watch is now running perfectly, having been calibrated and timed at +2 seconds per day! This timing is truly amazing for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic timegrapher. We therefore we have no hesitation in offering this watch with our 12 months warranty*.
The movement is signed ‘Zenith’, ‘Swiss Made’ and ‘17 Jewels’ and carries the Calibre number 40 and the movement reference number 5055158, dating the watch to 1960.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.
The Watch Case
The 18ct pink gold, Zenith Swiss-made watch case measures 35mm, excluding the correct Zenith unsigned crown. When new, typical gents watch sizes were 32mm, 33mm and 34mm, so 35mm and 36mm watches were usually classed as ‘Oversize’ and much fewer of these were made. This example is doubly rare because not only is it made in pink gold, it is in incredible condition. The watch case has been professionally cleaned before being carefully inspected and very gently hand-polished, which was all that was required to bring it back to its current tip-top condition with no scratches, dings or other marks visible to the naked eye.
The inside of the case-back is signed ‘Zenith’ and ‘Swiss Made’ with Swiss Geneva 18ct hallmarks. Externally, the case carries the serial number 506038.
Please note, as ever our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap and Buckle
The strap fitted is a new, high quality brown Hirsch crocodile strap with a Zenith gold-plated buckle. 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 no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating the watch to 1960.
Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. 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 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.
The watch also comes complete with the Zenith presentation box shown in the photographs.
Payment and Delivery
If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.
Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.
We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.
For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.
As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.
In Conclusion
This is a very impressive oversized 18ct pink gold vintage Zenith dress watch, which is ready to wear and very practical for everyday use. If treated with care, this watch will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Zenith has always benefitted from a first class reputation for the superb quality of its vintage watch movements and just like Longines, Zenith watches have also been noticeably increasing in value of late.
In addition to being perfectly practical for everyday use, this watch will make an excellent investment and heirloom piece, as well as be something wonderful to use, wear, treasure and enjoy! Even though vintage gold Zenith watch prices continue to climb, we still feel sure that top class examples such as this are underpriced. This is because as time passes and the world market for vintage gold Zenith watches continues to grow, limited supply means prices will inevitably climb ever higher.
A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before 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.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.
We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Thank you.
