What's up with this orange bezel??

[davec]

300560586824

Looks legit but what could it possibly have been installed on??
Almost like those NOS burgundy markered enamel bezels that were apparently an evolutionary dead end.

[jon p]

WOW--that is the first one i have seen in orange--looks legit-1970s. i have seen the gray with burgandy markings you described. a while back i remember seeing a yellow/black checkerboard pattern also that is attached to a seawolf. wish i could remember where i saw it, seller swears it is true zodiac. there was also supposed to be a red/black version also. any one know anything about these variations?

[Butch]

I can only tell a story as I have never seen a as I have seen only one other bezel colored like that. Check the Gallery.

MANY years ago I came across a SW where the enamel bezel came out of the metal bezel ring. Just fell out in my hand. Now this is bizarre as they were actually epoxied in at the factory, so it should have never come out. As a matter of fact I have TRIED to duplicate this and cannot. Either in a ultrasonic cleaner, or in chemicals I have tried (including boiling it in the chemicals on the stove!). Even using an Exacto razor all I could get was each side and not the bottom so I could not get it out. OK, back to the insert in my hand.

So now what do I do? I broke it! How am i going to sell this? So I inspected it and found that the way they must have built it was to pour the clear material into a mold that had raised markers. Once popped out of the mold and turned over they would paint the recessed markers inside the clear material. In black mostly, but red too, maybe other colors, then they would paint the blue, gray, or checkered design over top of the black markers. Now comes the tricky part, you have to take this ring and epoxy it into the bezel but NOT mess up the paint job. Here I failed miserably. It took me a long time and many stores to find that weird ass shade of gray they used (wanted it original!) and then any glue I tried ruined the paint job and I had to start all over. Finally found that Elmer's glue would not ruin the paint job, so THEN I glued it into the metal ring, and then I was not able to get it back out.

So, my point here is that, as this has happened to me, I could have painted the underside sky-blue-pink if I wanted to, right?

Just my thoughts.

[jon p]

     butch,very interesting! i often wondered exactly how these bezels are made, and now we all know. yep, if you had the parts and pieces you could make any color/design you wanted. i would like to put in an order for a yellow/black checkerboard for weekend wear and a  orange one for weekdays!! GREAT INFO,THANKS.   jon p

[kgriner]

Was it Enamel OR Acrylic?  They use that stuff to color in school rings.  Basically it's enamel or acrylic paint, looks almost like ceramic but can take a good impact.  pours or drips into place  If it falls to the ground it won't crack...With ceramic, if it hits the ground...it's done!

Tissot Seastar 1000 is a great example of this...

[Ultra-Vintage]

Butch is right, these can be altered, and if he hasn't seen one in all of his factory print materials or know of one with all of his knowledge of Zodiacs, then it probably is not legitimately original. 

I see that it is now at $150 in the bidding, seems like another case of easily convinced buyers with too much money or credit at their disposal.....

[jon p]

      there is one like it in the gallery, one of butches sea wolfs, i like the orange, just my opinion, i am sure it wasnt real popular when new.i cant believe it is at $150.00, will be interesting to see what it sells for!

[kgriner]

I have seen this before also but it may have been here in the gallery, anything is possible though...

[Butch]

Indeed, there is one in the reference section. Note that it is on a later style SW with the shovel hands,as were the checkered ones. These bezels fit that specific case too, if memory serves (and sometimes it does not).

Don't get old guys, and do feel free to use the reference section, that is what it is there, right?

As for the current price of the auction, I would rather have the steak dinner, with a glass of Opus One, and a Monticristo #2 on the deck after dinner than pay that price.

[davec]

the seller does have a good history and has stockpiled some awfully nice Zodiac stuff that they've been selling.

I have one of the yellow checkerboard bezels and was adamant for the longest time that it was non Seawolf item. Live and learn then. 

[Butch]

Just to be clear here...

I know the seller very well and have for a long time, he is not in question at all.

We are discussing the part, not the seller.