I found this Zodiac tank watch in a local thrift store.  It features an AS 970 movement, and ID case and a Kreisler band.

I had never heard of ID watch cases but a quick search showed that the ID Watch Case Company was located in New York.  The Kreisler band is also a USA product.

The watch does not run.  I bumped the escape wheel and it ran for about 30 seconds and then quit.  I think that it is in otherwise good running condition but needs cleaning.  I will not run it again until it is cleaned.

Questions:

A number of watch brands used the AS 970 movement.  Herr Dr. Ranfft's site says that this movement was manufactured between 1935 and 1967.  Judging by the style I guess this is a 1950s watch, maybe late 1940s.  Can anybody verify?

Is this watch a man's watch or a lady's watch?

The Kreisler band, is it original to the watch?

Thanks for your input.


Dennis Lockwood

Yes, man's, yes.

Now that I am not on my phone, let me expound on this. Between the 30's and maybe the 50's, I forget exactly, there was a high tariff/tax on Swiss watches imported into the US. So many companies brought in the movements, with dial and hands, then cased them in the US with US watch cases.