Sea Wolf automatic movement questions

[gregoron]

Hi,

What type of automatic movement does vintage Sea Wolf Zodiac's have?  Who makes them?  I'm curious about this model as I like watches with domed crystals.

[jon p]

zodiac made their own movements up to the late 80s.they were very good movements and rivaled the omegas of the same time period.after the company changed hands they started buying from ETA. a clean well adjusted zodiac movement will stay at +/- 5 seconds a day. all zodiac movements are signed. eariler ones were 17j, later there were some 21j. hope this helps, there are a lot of seawolfs etc on ebay to choose from. the forum has a watch maker we all use, he is a zodiac expert and can bring them back from the dead !   JON

[Butch]

They were made by A. Schild, Zodiac would buy the movement from them, bring the movements in house and rework them, and put them in their watches. From the 1950's through the 1970s there were many versions, or calibers, used, to include the 70, 72, 70-72, 72B, etc. There is really no way to look at a case and/or dial and tell which one was in that case. If you have the old movement you will find one of these numbers on the rotor.

[jon p]

  BUTCH--thanks for the great info, i thought zodiac made there own movements. never knew A. SCHILD was part of zodiac. man, i really learn something new here EVERYDAY!!

[gregoron]

Thanks to you both.  Do you know when Zodiac went with ETA movements for the Sea Wolf?  What type of ETA movements did they use?

I like the Sea Wolf face and crystal design.  It looks like a vintage Omega Speedmaster, but without the chrono, which I prefer.

[Butch]

I am going to guess very late 70s or in the 80's was the move to the ETA movements during their Rado phase. I do not remember what calibers they were though, too new for me.

[jon p]

i think most of the ETA movements were the tried and true 2824 25j. i have a 90s blue point SW that has this one. butch, please tell us about the RADO phase.    JON

[Butch]

No! Fugly watches and an embarrassment to the Brand. There was a switch to ETA long before the 1990's models.

[Butch]

Jon, see auction 220565678897 for another example.

[reydelaplaya]

I seem to have noticed a correlation between the numbers stamped on the inside of the case back, and the movement.  Usually the first two numbers in the case back and the movement number are the same.

My Olympos, for example, has a 70 in a rectangle stamped on the movement, and a case back number of 703-918.

I've found this to be a pattern with almost all of my Zodiacs.

Hope this helps.

[Butch]

Rey, that is a very astute observation. I believe you are correct sir. I have checked a few cases I have and never made that connection before. I even saw a much later model on the net, and found that case number to be 1184-718 and the movement in it was a caliber 118. You have really made a valuable contribution to all Zodiac collectors here. Thank you very much sir.

[gregoron]

i think most of the ETA movements were the tried and true 2824 25j. i have a 90s blue point SW that has this one. butch, please tell us about the RADO phase.    JON

Do you know which years did the point classification come out?

[gregoron]

i think most of the ETA movements were the tried and true 2824 25j. i have a 90s blue point SW that has this one. butch, please tell us about the RADO phase.    JON

PS. Here's a Zodiac Astrographic with the venerable ETA 2892 movement with 21 jewels, date, 28,800bph, hacking, and bi-directional winding. 

http://bbwatches.info/zodiacastrogoldleather2.php

I've asked a watchmaker at the WUS forum and he thinks  that this version of the ETA 2892 is the higher Top grade, which is adjusted for 5 positions.  This movement itself costs $186 today.*

Here's more info on the 2892: http://www.chronometrie.com/eta2892/eta2892.html

*PPS. Watches with this movement at eBay costs above $300, vintage or new.

[AlphAlphA]

I'm a new forum member. Hello to all.

I wonder if there are places and events where collectors buy and sell watches. If there are shows in the Toronto area, I'd appreciate knowing about them.

I'm intrigued that some people have a boatload of Zodiacs. I love the logo, the name, the bracelets and the Sea Wolf design. Some of the Zodiacs are really beautiful. The story of the company is very moving too, a victim of the digital era, the 70s, I suppose. It's interesting to me that digital watches came and went. No one wears those LED digitals anymore, but I think they were the beginning of the end of a lot of small established Swiss makers. When people realized they preferred analogue, it was too late. The companies had already gone under.

I want one.

[TJW]

Hi Alph,    Toronto!  What a great city!  I'm new to the Zodiac scene myself, and was surprised at how loyal collectors were to the brand; then I bought my first, a white-dial Aerospace Jet, and was hooked.  I think all of the elements for a cult watch brand come together for me - the history, military connection, design elements, ruggedness, and finally the aspect that the watch was designed, branded and priced to appeal to regular folks.  Welcome and good luck on your Zodiac hunt!    TJW