What are you wearing today?

[dawej]

Thought it could be interesting to see what type of Zodiac you are wearing at the moment. Maybe one could get some inspiration regarding different bands, etc.

I will start, right now im using a simple black leather band. Very comfortable!

[jon p]

   very nice!! i am also wearing my white dial SW, mine has an aftermarket oyster bracelet, also comfortable! i also have a black dial BUT the white is my favorite. BWG recently restoored both for me so they are looking/running fine. my black dial has the metal bezel, plastic on my later white dial.

[Butch]

Thanks for the reminder! I have a home office so wear my monitor most days, but as I have to go to the real office today I need to remember to put a watch on!

[Sea Wolf]

I can show you what Sea Wolf is wearing today.

[orangecorallimorph]

What happened to Gordo? Is he another victim of downsizing,leaving all the work to the boss? Your wrist models are the best Sea wolf! P.S. Don't get into too much trouble while the wife is out of town again!!

[Sea Wolf]

Gordo is chilling under the Christmas tree right now.  Sea Wolf was brought out from cold storage and is now enjoying
his place in the spotlight.

Gordo will return next year.

[dawej]

New band for my Sea Wolf. Also very comfortable!

[orangecorallimorph]

Two-tone Seawolf w/70's style handmade wide leather band. NOS 72b movement freshly done, love at first sight!!

[Butch]

Finally got around to this! Uhh, Merry Xmas too.

OK, here is what I wore to the office that day. Please call off the villagers with the pitchforks and the torches.

[jon p]

  butch, i guess the guys with the pitch forks will get me also, i got up this am and slipped on my glycine gmt2000, 24hour dial. i know it is quartz but i love it and its kinda a rare one. plus, it is so light/comfortable and wears SO well. as a bonus it still has the original bracelet.

[dbluefish]

Well I read this today and put this on.  Strap is a Bund style by JPH Straps.

paul

[jon p]

  today i am wearing my blue formula, please dont throw any rocks at me, i guess i am weird but i LIKE IT!!!!!!

[Ultra-Vintage]

I happened to be in the "Movado" camp with Butch the day this thread was started, so I guess we will have to fend off the angry "pitchfork and torch bearing" villagers together!

[orangecorallimorph]

One more try to upload images........

[dawej]

This thread could have some good potential!

New pic, nice comfortable nato that really brings out the beautiful orange markers.

[jon p]

i am usually not a fan of the nato straps BUT that one on that watch is fantastic!! really goes well with the dial.

[Sea Wolf]

Butch hooked me up with a link for my SSW band so I can wear this version now.  I have both bands for the SSW but prefer this band to the Genender band that came with my watch.

[longview65]

Wearing this little Gem today on Black Sharkskin band!   

[Butch]

This one. After it came from a service I thought I was going to have to send it back as it was losing 2 seconds a day. 

[orangecorallimorph]

This is one of my new favorites:

[Butch]

THAT is really nice man. I like that silver dial much better than the black dial version.

Here is what I am wearing today.

(Blatant advertising: Will posting it for sale later.)

[jon p]

  shame on me but this am i got up and put on my late 1960s restored bulova snorkel 666  foot diver with original bracelet!!it IS so tough looking ,just a little larger than my sea wolfs, with a cushion style case and black dial. probably will change later to my jet 24hr dial and try to tell what time it is!!!!!!!!!! it drives me crazy but i STILL love it.

[Sea Wolf]

Jon p, it's ok, I put on a Quartz swiss army calvary today.  At the wife's family farm for the weekend and I don't want to mess
up a Zodiac using the chain saw, so quartz it is.   

[jon p]

sea wolf-----amen brother, i keep some beaters around for work and other rough times, all my good watches are for light duty and are worn for bragging material. when i go to any of the local watch shows with a collector friend it takes me a while to decide which watch to wear!! i guess i am as bad as my wife trying to pick shoes to wear. well, i think watches are cooler tha shoes but she doesnt share in this idea.

[longview65]

I guess I'll go with the GMT today! 

STILL looking for a FULL sized model tho.

[jon p]

what size is your gmt, in MM.i really like the looks of it, do you have the original bracelet? does it have all the original links? if you ever find a full size--what does it measure--- and want to sell the mid, keep me in mind, i like the quartz zodiacs. 

[davec73]

shame on me but this am i got up and put on my late 1960s restored bulova snorkel 666  foot diver with original bracelet!!it IS so tough looking ,just a little larger than my sea wolfs, with a cushion style case and black dial. probably will change later to my jet 24hr dial and try to tell what time it is!!!!!!!!!! it drives me crazy but i STILL love it.

Hey Jon,

I got two of those snorkels.  Very cool in a funky 70's way.

[Ultra-Vintage]

Speaking of the funky 70's.................. here is what I wore today: Jules Jurgensen Spaceman . 

Near NOS, just restored.  I also have the original asymmetric leather band but the way it is made makes it a little too fragile for everyday use so I changed it to something more wearable.  Some people like it (and obviously some do not), but they are usually curious as to what it is either way lol

[Sea Wolf]

   What is the size of that Space watch?  Looks almost modern.  Interesting watch, auto?

[jon p]

    DAVE---you have excellent taste if i may say so!!  my snorkel is same as yours, with original bracelet. yeah, 70s FUNKY for sure. i am not a big fan of the cushion case but it works in this case. every time i wear it i am asked if it is for sale! a guy at  a big flea mkt followed me around making offers a couple of weeks ago!! this is the only one of this model i have, but i do have quite a few different bulova dive watches, both automatic AND quartz, gotta luv em. i also have a few automatic caravelles, dive models. very interesting as they used seiko movements, as well as bulova movements. below 6 they are marked JAPAN or SWISS.

[jon p]

UV---man, you take the prize for pure FUNKY! fantastic watch, i have NEVER seen one like this, is it quartz or mechanical? wild shape and what a crystal.  no one will top this one, i can just see it at a disco.

[Ultra-Vintage]

  What is the size of that Space watch?  Looks almost modern.  Interesting watch, auto?

It is 37mm X 40mm, not including the crown, and is a manual wind.  More than a few companies made a watch based on this design (inspired by the recent space missions, said to be made to resemble a space helmet), but most of them were no name brands.  The Jules Jurgensen version is supposed to be the hardest to find, not a super valuable watch but very interesting I think.

[Ultra-Vintage]

Hey, did someone say Bulova Snorkel/Oceanographer??   


Sorry, didnt mean to thread interrupt, just interesting to hear that some other people like them as well 

[davec73]

That's an awesome Bulova diver collection UV!  The model with the big black outline around the bezel and squarish case is very rare.  I used to have one that was really well used but the version that I had a compass bezel (!).  Sold it for a C-note on ebay in a moment of madness. 

[jon p]

    what a fantastic bulova diver collection!!!  i see you have both the white and the black old snorkel with the metal bezel, nice. i have a black one with original bracelet and i keep on the lookout for a white dial. every one i have ever seen is missing the lume from the bezel at "12". i would love to know what the lume looked like--must have not been very secure, probably round and sticking up from the surface. this old model says waterproof, so it must be from the late 50s. i understand after a certain date in the early 60s the mfg. could no longer state water--- PROOF, only resistant. anyone know an exact date for the ban? wow--here we are on our zodiac site discussing bulova  !!!!!!!!!! they ARE fine watches.

[Ultra-Vintage]

That's an awesome Bulova diver collection UV!  The model with the big black outline around the bezel and squarish case is very rare.  I used to have one that was really well used but the version that I had a compass bezel (!).  Sold it for a C-note on ebay in a moment of madness.

That may be my favorite one, as there is really nothing else that looks quite like it.  The bezel is really unique.  The only one that I really need to finish my collection is the orange dial with the orange/white acrylic bezel.  I also have a couple of others, including the blue dial snorkel with blue/white acrylic bezel, but those are still in the big box of watches "to be restored".

[Ultra-Vintage]

   what a fantastic bulova diver collection!!!  i see you have both the white and the black old snorkel with the metal bezel, nice. i have a black one with original bracelet and i keep on the lookout for a white dial. every one i have ever seen is missing the lume from the bezel at "12". i would love to know what the lume looked like--must have not been very secure, probably round and sticking up from the surface. this old model says waterproof, so it must be from the late 50s. i understand after a certain date in the early 60s the mfg. could no longer state water--- PROOF, only resistant. anyone know an exact date for the ban? wow--here we are on our zodiac site discussing bulova  !!!!!!!!!! they ARE fine watches.

Those are the very first model of Snorkel, with that "Rolex Explorer" style dial and stainless steel bezel.  I need to re-lume and re-black the bezels on those, I am going to make myself do that this week.  They are fully restored mechanically, but I skipped the bezel step at the end lol.  It is interesting that some of the original dials for that model say Snorkel, and some do not, although the watches are identical in every other way. 

Since you mention how waterproof they are, I have talked to some of the older guys that sold Bulovas out of their stores at that time.  They said those early Snorkel dive watches were pretty water proof when they were new.  However, since they did not use screw down crowns and the crystals were only tension-type frictioned in, that level of waterproof would only last a few years.  That is when they started seeing them come back in with saltwater damage and such, which you already know murders watches.  They thought that is why you only see a few of certain styles around, because originally Bulova churned out alot of them.  However, once the saltwater has gotten to the movement and dial of an originally inexpensive watch, it generally goes into the trash.

[jon p]

UV---great info ! mine doesnt say snorkel on the dial, under bulova mine has selfwinding, above "6" mine has waterproof, 666 feet. my lume has turned to a dark olive color. thanks for all your great info, now i feel like i know a little more about my watch. if you ever see a nice white dial for sale think of me!!   JON P

[davec73]

I find it interesting that they also seemed to have economy versions within the same line.  Check out this Snorkel without all the fancy wording.  Also every of this type of Snorkel has a crack in the lume triangle at 12.

[Ultra-Vintage]

I find it interesting that they also seemed to have economy versions within the same line.  Check out this Snorkel without all the fancy wording.  Also every of this type of Snorkel has a crack in the lume triangle at 12.

I have seen what you are talking about.  They seemed to have lots of variations on dial printing for some of these models, and I am not sure if there is a rhyme or reason. 
You could have same style dials where one had Bulova in applied letters, and the other had Bulova printed.  One would be marked Snorkel, and the other wouldnt.  Others would be marked both Snorkel and Oceanographer on the same dial, whereas it seemed like usually they reserved the title "Snorkel" for 666ft watches and "Oceanographer" for 333ft watches.  I guess they just made it up as they went along! 

[pinback87]

my one and only 1966 zodiac titan

[Ultra-Vintage]

I wore this for the first time today.  Vintage Solid gold and Stainless GMT, original band.  I like it alot, and got some nice comments on it 

[jon p]

   man, that is SWEET--i never have seen a GMT with the gold bezel!

[Ultra-Vintage]

  man, that is SWEET--i never have seen a GMT with the gold bezel!

Thanks.  This was the first one that I had seen, and surprisingly, it found me instead of the other way around.  A random dealer that I knew but had never bought stuff from (that didnt know I collected Zodiac watches, but knew I liked vintage ones) walked up and asked me if that watch was something I might be interested in.  I calmly said yes, and walked away with it for a pretty low price to boot.

Unfortunately, those types of situations dont happen often enough!

[Ultra-Vintage]

Just recently restored, I wore this for the first time today: all original Gold & Stainless "Shovel-hand" Seawolf on black crocodile band.

[LMcI]

Thought I'd re-start this thread, since I just got my watch back from rehab (service...)
They dressed it up with a Banda band, swapping out the black leather strap. 
I switch between this and a 1970 Oyster Date..., both are great!

[jon p]

   NICE gmt! i really like that bracelet, it looks a lot like the original zodiac streatch type without the problems. where did you find it with endcaps to fit a zodiac!? my skin acid eats up a leather band so i have to stick with stainless, same with the watch case, i can eat up a base metal one in no time.

[LMcI]

  NICE gmt! i really like that bracelet, it looks a lot like the original zodiac streatch type without the problems. where did you find it with endcaps to fit a zodiac!? my skin acid eats up a leather band so i have to stick with stainless, same with the watch case, i can eat up a base metal one in no time.

Jon, I got the band Butch's Watch Guy (he has the contact info), it was between two bands, the other was like the Jubilee, as opposed to the Oyster.  They have a Banda catelog on their website - hundreds to choose from.  Very good quality, although not solid links (like a Rolex). 

As to fit, it didn't; BWG ground it down to the correct width (I think the lug width is 18.5 or something).  You can see the difference between the attachment piece and the first link if you look closely.  Only issue I  had was the band rubbing across the lugs (very tight fit) and not laying flat.  A little back & forth pulling stretched that watch-to-band link and it's perfect now.

Good luck,
Larry

[jon p]

         thanks larry, i use BWG for all my watch restoration, especially my zodiacs! no one else services my watches, i had some bad experiences with local people who werent sure of what they were doing BUT they charged like they did! i will look into the bracelets, just cant afford what the original zodiac stuff is selling for! the size of the lug space is 17.5mm on the SW,GMT and i believe also on the jet 24hr. not an  easy to locate size!

[longview65]

I thought today would be a perfect day to strap this one on!  Havent worn it for awhile!