Here we have a circa 1918 Zenith Silver Dennison cased trench watch. The case is well proportioned measuring just under 36mm wide. It is formed of silver and has the coin edge screw front and rear, with the wire lugs. The crown tube and crown are chunky, as was the water resistant design from Dennison at the time. The dial is the bright white enamel with the bold Arabic numerals, with standout red 12 and the aged luminous in-fill. The Zenith name is set below 12 o’clock, with the sub-second register at 6 o’clock with the classic railroad track. The hands are of luminous cathedral style and the aged luminous tone.

Inside the case has the Dennison signing with the hallmarking from Birmingham assay office for silver, dating to 1918. The movement is the Zenith calibre NVS1 which is a 15 jewel manual wind calibre, which has been recently serviced and is keeping accurate time.

We love this classic trench style watch due to the symmetry of the Dennison case with the coin edge screw front and case back. It is also a legible and impactful watch with a case width of just under 36mm, without crown. Add to this the quality of the Zenith movement calibre and you have a killer trench style piece.

The dial is the same as the Zenith Signal Corps watch we recently listed, just lacking the signing and the 24-hour scale. It is the bright white enamel tone with the dash minute markers to the exterior, with the thicker dashes for the 5-minute graduations. It has the bold Arabic numerals with the black outline, which are in-filled with the aged pumpkin tone luminous paint. 12 o’clock is differentiated and stands out with the red outline. Below 12 is the ‘Zenith’ signing and at 6 o’clock is the well sized sub-second register. It is inset into the dial and has the classic railroad track. The sub-second hand is original and has the thin design with lollipop counterbalance. The hands are of cathedral style with the thermally blued tone and the aged luminous in-fill.

The case is well proportioned for the age, measuring 35.5mm wide x 35.75mm in length. With crown, the total width is 40mm and the wire lugs take the total length to 41.7mm, making this an impactful case size.

The case is formed of silver and was manufactured by Dennison. It is their water-resistant case design of the era with the coin edge screw front and case back. It also has the chunky crown tube and onion crown capping the right-hand side. The lugs have the fixed silver bars which are strong, securing the strap. The case back unscrews and is marked to the inside with the Dennison name and hallmarking from Birmingham assay office. It carries the lion mark for Sterling Silver with the date letter ‘t’ for 1919. There are numerous service etchings from watchmakers, indicating this watch has been well maintained throughout its life.

The movement is the Zenith calibre NVS1 which is manual wind, with a jewel count of 15. It has the swan neck ratchet micro-regulator and the classic gilt finish. It has the serial number ‘2353536’ which dates it to 1918/19. It has been recently serviced and is keeping accurate time to within +60 seconds variation per day, with an amplitude of 257 degrees.

The watch is modelled on a 7” wrist circumference.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
A further condition report is below.

Dial:
The dial is enamel and is original. It has a hairline fracture front the centre, across to 4 o’clock, with another hairline between 10 and 11 o’clock. The signing is clear to the dial. The luminous to the hour markers is original and has aged to the rich pumpkin tone.

Hands:
The hands are of cathedral style and have the luminous in-fill. The luminous is original and has aged to the same rich tone as the hour markers.

Glass:
The mineral crystal is a replacement which is in very good condition.

Crown:
The crown is the original onion design and is in good condition, functioning well.

Case:
The coin edge finish to the bezel is well defined. The coin edge to the screw back has worn with age and is less defined. The case is good with no denting and nothing more than light scratching. The front and rear screw on tightly with good threads.

Strap:
The watch is on a leather strap with fold over metal tabs for fixed lugs.

Movement:
The movement is the Zenith calibre NVS1 which is manual wind, with a jewel count of 15. It has the swan neck ratchet micro-regulator and the classic gilt finish.

It has been recently serviced and is keeping accurate time to within +60 seconds variation per day, with an amplitude of 257 degrees.

Case dimensions
Case width: 35.5mm
Case width with crown: 40mm
Case length: 35.75mm
Case length lug to lug: 41.7mm
Case depth: 11.6mm
Lug width: 13mm