For sale we have a beautiful example of a late 1960s Zenith wristwatch. It is the reference 1209-4. It has a 36mm Spillman manufactured case, with beautiful angles and polished finish. The silver sun-burst dial is excellent with applied hour markers and offset date window. Inside is the calibre 2562C hi-beat manual wind movement, which is functioning very well. It comes in its original Zenith box, with the original Zenith buckle on a new strap. The original strap is worn but will also be included.
The dial is exceptional on this watch. Clean, classic design, with a satin silver sunburst finish. The Zenith star logo is applied, with good Zenith signing. The hour markers are applied silver tone baton markers. They have a raised black painted strip to the centre which adds depth to them. The lume plots to the base are beautifully aged. The hands are nicely designed, matching with the hour marker, with the black stripe to the centre tying in nicely. They also have matching aged lume. The date window is offset between 4 and 5 O’clock, with bevelled edge to the window.
The case is a simple, yet perfectly executed design by Spillman for Zenith. It has a flat, circular, polished bezel, with cut out line in-between providing distinction between the circular centre and more angular, sharp lugs. The lugs appear short, but from the side profile you can see this is due to the angle of the taper to fit the wrist. The sides are flat, with a curved bevel to meet the screwback case. To the right hand side is the original Zenith crown with star logo.
The case is a screw back, with shallow notches, making it prone to picking up scratches from opening attempts. The serial number 209E654 is clearly visible.
Inside, the case back is signed with the reference 1209-4. It is marked ‘SP’, from Spillman, the contracted case maker.
Inside is the quality calibre 2562C manual wind movement. It is manual wind, with sweep second, date function and shock proofing. To top it off, it has a hi-beat frequency of 28,800 BPH. It is in good condition, keeping time to within a 20 second variation a day.
Zenith still operate somewhat under the radar when it comes to vintage and retro models. There are a vast array of quality and neatly designed watches from them.
Full condition report below. Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
Dial:
The dial is original and is in very good condition with no clear signs of ageing or marks. The lume plots have aged to a nice tone. The hour markers have little marking or corrosion marks.
Hands:
The hands are original with original lume in-full. They are in good condition with black painted centre. There are some slight corrosion marks.
Glass:
The crystal is original and is in good condition with only some slight scratches.
Crown:
The Stainless crown is original and is in good condition with light surface scratching. It has the Zenith logo.
Case:
The case is Stainless Steel and is in good overall condition. The polished finish is original and has light surface scratching associated with age. The lugs and lines to the case are sharp, with it remaining un-polished.
Caseback:
The screw back is Stainless Steel and is in average condition for the age. It maintains its original finish and hasn’t been polished. The serial number is visible. It has some light surface scratching and some marks from poor opening attempts.
Strap:
The watch comes on a new leather strap. It has the original Zenith buckle fitted.
Movement:
The movement is a Zenith cal 2562C. It is a manual wind movement, with sweep second and date function. The date function is set by changing from 19:30-24 hours. It has a hi-beat frequency of 28,800 BPH and has Incabloc shock protection.
The service history is unknown, but the movement is in good condition cosmetically and functionally. It’s keeping time to within - 20 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 220 degrees and a beat error of 0.2m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 36mm
Case width with crown: 38mm
Case length: 36mm
Lug to lug: 42mm
Depth: 9.5mm
Lug width: 18mm