Zodiac Talk => I saw this Zodiac on the Internet... => Topic started by: Cobber on April 06, 2020, 04:58:33 PM

Title: Zodiac/Zenith Port Royal?
Post by: Cobber on April 06, 2020, 04:58:33 PM
143572620109

Looks legit.  I've seen the Zeniths in both auto and quartz but can't find manufacture dates at the moment.  Saddam Hussein could probably tell us..., oh wait, no he can't but he sure liked him some Zodiacs.

Just came across a Movado as well;
164145025096
Title: Re: Zodiac/Zenith Port Royal?
Post by: Butch on April 06, 2020, 07:30:59 PM
I can't see it for some reason. I am not an expert on Zenith but I seem to remember that they were owned by DIXI in the 80's. A separate brand from Zodiacs, but both brands owned by the same company. I do not think Movado was owned by DIXI though.
Title: Re: Zodiac/Zenith Port Royal?
Post by: Butch on April 06, 2020, 07:37:47 PM
Think I found it: 143572622389

Anyway, I THINK this is one of those deals where they ran out of parts and used other parts. The dial looks good, just the wrong case back. Just a guess. Back in the 60's this would happen with Zodiac and Clebar. I one had a Zodiac 3DMP with a Clebar marked movement.
Title: Re: Zodiac/Zenith Port Royal?
Post by: Cobber on April 07, 2020, 02:34:58 PM
Was just doing some internet searches out of boredom, Mondia-Zenith-Movado all joined together in '69.  Movado was eventually sold to a cuban expat. in the U.S. (apparently this man's son or grandson is the current CEO of Movado).
Available online sources say this split happened in '83.  So, likely there's a little overlap there concerning Zodiac/Zenith/Movado just in ownership under the Dixie Machine company era.  I think the sale of Zodiac to Dixie was around '82 but who knows what type of collaboration may have been going on before then with Zenith.
If one does a search on "Saddam Hussein Zodiac watch", the model above appears several times.  Zodiac signed dial and Zenith crowns seem to be the norm.
Also, appears to me that the quartz "New Kingline" from the '80s Zodiac catalog may have been another co-branded version of the Port Royal.  In this particular case it looks to be Zodiac's design co-opted by Zenith.

Side note; Saddam must have employed a full time watch purchaser.  The number of Iraqi watches out there from several different brands is mind-boggling.