Author Topic: A Sea Wolf is a nice watch BUT.... (Read 15148 times)

Butch · « **on:** September 06, 2009, 09:41:54 AM »

It really looks lousy with a suit or a tuxedo. Do you have a Zodiac dress watch? I have quite a few now. Having gotten over my SW and GMT fetish, I am currently working on collecting 50's and 60's models and they are mostly dress watches.

davec73 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 06, 2009, 11:05:36 AM »

This is the closest I got, I had to have one after I read your description of a gold bezel dress Seawolf way back when. I know JDS has a beatiful one too.

I'd love to get a nice autographic, really elegant pieces especially those beautiful hands.

JDS (Ohio) · « **Reply #2 on:** September 07, 2009, 01:54:28 AM »

Quote from: davec73 on September 06, 2009, 11:05:36 AM

This is the closest I got, I had to have one after I read your description of a gold bezel dress Seawolf way back when. I know JDS has a beatiful one too.

I'd love to get a nice autographic, really elegant pieces especially those beautiful hands.

Hey Dave, what is the bracelet you have on yours? I can't quite seem to find the right strap for mine, and the lizard it came on just don't float my boat. That 2T jubilee looks like a good fit for the lugs, at least from that photo.

davec73 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 07, 2009, 10:58:35 PM »

Hey John,

The bracelet came with the watch, its got a Zodiac gold plate clasp too. IIRC, I read somewhere on the site that the original came with a 9K matching bracelet but I've never seen one in the wild. I bought it on TZ many moons ago for a decent price, that's when the interest in Seawolves was a more cloistered affair. lol.

Butch · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2009, 07:18:05 AM »

Man, this is a tough crowd. ALL of you are off topic. Or am I? Perhaps I have just wandered into ..... The Twilight Zone. <deedle deedle deedle deedle deedle deedle>

Butch · « **Reply #5 on:** September 08, 2009, 07:21:25 AM »

Here Butch, this is one of MY Zodiac Dress Watches. AND is looks good in a Tux or a White Dinner Jacket too!

Cobra Jock · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2009, 08:58:22 PM »

Here's a nice Zodiac dress watch I saw on the net currently for sale:

Butch · « **Reply #7 on:** September 11, 2009, 12:35:03 PM »

Were you going to buy it?

Let me get this straight, all you guys only have the Sea Wolf, the Super Sea Wolf, and/or GMTs in your collections then?

Sea Wolf · « **Reply #8 on:** September 11, 2009, 02:06:52 PM »

Don't forget the Astrographic, some of us have those too.

I do not have any of the "dress" Zodiacs.

Butch · « **Reply #9 on:** September 11, 2009, 03:19:57 PM »

Good point! but technically, the Astro was a dress watch. We were all wearing them in the Discos. Went well with the platform shoes!

Butch · « **Reply #10 on:** September 11, 2009, 03:27:12 PM »

Now this looks good even in your birthday suit. Is it a Dress Watch? Or merely a Complication?

jon p · « **Reply #11 on:** September 11, 2009, 10:34:05 PM »

now this is a dressy watch!! WOW--what a beautiful triple date--i am truly envious!! this will be my next zodiac purchase, IF i can find one in mint condition that i can afford. JON P

JDS (Ohio) · « **Reply #12 on:** September 12, 2009, 05:40:00 AM »

Quote from: Butch on September 11, 2009, 12:35:03 PM

Were you going to buy it?

Let me get this straight, all you guys only have the Sea Wolf, the Super Sea Wolf, and/or GMTs in your collections then?

Well no, but I don't have anything really that you could call "dressy". I do also have a Marine Life diver, a Sea Wolf II chrono, and those 2 Red Point chronographs. Let's put it this way, I don't have any Zodiacs yet that DON'T have a rotating bezel, at least not yet.

I do vacillate sometimes over the occasional NOS Astrographic that pops up on ebay, but haven't pulled the trigger yet - I don't have the platform shoes, nor one of those nylon print "body shirts" either (nor the body to wear it, I guess).

Seriously though, there has been a rectangular gold Zodiac "top hat" appearing on ebay occasionally, that might fit his bill. It's not on my list because I want the next gold rectangular I get to be a Gruen (I used to work across the street from their Cincinnati factory/headquarters building). The odd Olympic in gold plate shows up too, but I worry about brassing on older plated watches. One of those 2T blue point Sea Wolves like the NOS one I gave to my wife would be a nice dressy looking watch, but I haven't seen any yet that weren't bigger than 34mm, a little too small for most men.

Cobra Jock · « **Reply #13 on:** September 12, 2009, 06:29:02 AM »

Butch:

"Were you going to buy it?"

Nah, I'm remodeling a kitchen - so no watch purchases in the near future.

"Let me get this straight, all you guys only have the Sea Wolf, the Super Sea Wolf, and/or GMTs in your collections then?"

No, I've also got a Jet 24hr

Butch · « **Reply #14 on:** September 12, 2009, 09:56:17 AM »

Jon, you should have seen that 3DMP when I got it. Paid almost $300 for it delivered and then had it restored. You are looking at the outcome. <wink>

John, you are right about the Olympos. I have 2, one with the quad dial and the other is the mystery (being restored now). The yellow ones can have a lot of wear and the original crowns are like hen's teeth to find.

Cobra, Got a picture of the Jet? I have a black one in restoration now. Paid way more than I should have but have been looking for another one for some time and this one had the best possibilities for restoration.

<whew> Guess I better try and keep up, huh? I think I have about 6 watches in restoration now, 2 are SW's and the rest are dress, except for one Jump Hour from 1921. THAT one had been a trial for restoration if there ever was one! Ahhh, but more on that one when I get it back.

Butch · « **Reply #15 on:** September 12, 2009, 10:10:47 AM »

I need to take a better picture but there is no wear through. If you look closely you can see the distinct 4 quadrants of the dial. And as you can tell, even I had problems finding the correct crown for this yellow one. The Mystery in restoration is SS and has the proper crown though.

Quote from: JDS (Ohio) on September 12, 2009, 05:40:00 AM

The odd Olympic in gold plate shows up too, but I worry about brassing on older plated watches.

reydelaplaya · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2009, 05:05:03 AM »

Butch, before I start, I gotta tell you what a great job you've done with the remodel of the website. The place looks awesome!

I agree, a Sea Wolf IS a nice watch BUT...

I think there are a few classic dress watches from Zodaic that are a bit more 'tux' than a SW...

Like the Glorious you have, Butch - that's a fine example of a Zodiac dress watch. Man, that is THE bracelet for that watch!

Enclosed are photos of a couple of mine...

The first pic is a nameless(?) number 343 379, Zodiac Auto with a gigantic, odd shaped plated case and interesting little 34 movement. It has a 24mm curved-end leather strap, not an original unfortunately. (A while back, I found the original NOS on the bay, contacted the seller 2 or 3 times to confirm the color of the buckle, never heard back from the guy... it exists out there, somewhere.) Maybe one day...

The next is my first Zodiac watch. (This is the one that started the addiction.) It's a plated Olympos mystery dial, complete with original signed and plated bracelet. Last year, Roberto, my service guy in town, slipped off his rolex to try it on - joking about how he wasn't going to give it back after its cleaning - I take that as a compliment. LOL I like it a lot, so I've considered sending it off to have the case and band re-plated, as it has a few scratches and a little bit of brassing at the lug tips and edges of the bracelet - it was proudly worn often over it's years... 'til I got it. I don't own too many dress clothes, so it goes out only once in a while now.

What's the collectors' rule about re-plating? Do it for the sake of a beautiful vintage watch? Or, don't for the sake of originality? I'm about 50/50 on this.

Sitting in the box with it, is a matching ladies, little-tiny, plated Olympos cocktail wind-up I discovered in a lot-buy. Got a hunch it's even the original bracelet. Keeps great time, but winding and setting is like twisting a pinhead. LOL

Personally, I think the Hermetic Senator Auto would be a nice tux-watch, too. The stainless oval case with silver-dial and chromey raised markers. Shiny, exotic black strap... That watch is tux all the way. Guess I'll have to get one.

reydelaplaya · « **Reply #17 on:** September 13, 2009, 05:10:37 AM »

So how do you attach pictures?

reydelaplaya · « **Reply #18 on:** September 13, 2009, 05:57:36 AM »

Who knows? Maybe you could tux this Sea Wolf...

White-Dial with matching white vintage Swiss Tropic Diver's Strap - curved ends, too. Original steel band is taking the summer off of this one to spend time with the black dial SW.

davec73 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 13, 2009, 11:10:07 AM »

Really like the white tropic in conjunction with the white dial Seawolf. Welcome aboard btw.

Sea Wolf · « **Reply #20 on:** September 13, 2009, 03:25:35 PM »

Quote from: Butch on September 08, 2009, 07:21:25 AM

Here Butch, this is one of MY Zodiac Dress Watches. AND is looks good in a Tux or a White Dinner Jacket too!

Butch, is that band original to the watch? Very good looking tux and or dress watch!!!

Butch · « **Reply #21 on:** September 13, 2009, 05:24:21 PM »

As far as I know, yes. I bought this from the family of the original owner, it is from the 50's and they used the Kreisler bands then, which this band is. The watch is is such incredible shape which simply lends to that belief. I have some WORN Kreislers in my box that I have taken off others from this period as well.

And thanks Rey! My son teases me when I wear it, but then I just tell him he all his taste is in his mouth as all he wears is KORTZ. He's not into OLD stuff like the OLD man is.

jon p · « **Reply #22 on:** September 14, 2009, 02:30:55 PM »

COBRA---i also have a mint jet 24HR with black dial. i added a NOS champion zodiac mesh stainless band-LOOKS GREAT! the JET is either a love it or hate it watch, i have a collector friend that hates the 24 HR dial--ex army but said its too hard to tell time with it. it does take a little getting used to if you dont wear it every day. it gets lots of attention when i wear it. is yours black or white dial?? JON P

Butch · « **Reply #23 on:** September 14, 2009, 02:40:47 PM »

You hit the nail on the head Jon. When you wear the Jet, you need to wear it for a week. The first day you spend more time trying to reread the time that doing anything else that day. But after 2 days it is easy to read. Definitely not a 1 day wear watch!

How does the mesh band work for you? I find they rip the hair off my wrist and I cannot wait to get them off!

jon p · « **Reply #24 on:** September 14, 2009, 05:21:54 PM »

BUTCH, i am glad i am not the only one that has to adjust to the 24 hour dial! no problems with the mesh band, it seems to be tightly "woven" and not a hair puller like the old flex bands such as the spidel fix o flex. i will NEVER wear one of those again. i got the champion zodiac NOS band for 50.00 about a year ago on the bay-a little pricey i thought BUT right now there is one just like it at an asking price of 250.00! a little out of line! the mesh goes good with the JET because it is small and light and thin.took a little work to fit it but i finally won. JON

Cobra Jock · « **Reply #25 on:** September 15, 2009, 12:54:38 PM »

:) --- JON P: I've always liked the 24hr dial display. I flew helicopters at a time when aircraft instruments were analog so I'm still accustomed to looking at various types of displays. Mine is a black dial version as is yours and it originally came with one of those pesky Speidel wrist barbers. I quickly replaced it with a black carbon fiber band. I keep cruising the bay in search of an affordable white dial Jet - maybe someday...

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Author Topic: A Sea Wolf is a nice watch BUT.... (Read 15148 times)