Just bought my first Zodiac watch. It's a Hermetic Custom which I paid $110 for... can anyone tell me if that is a fair price, or did I overpay? Also can anyone tell me more about this model?
That is a fair price for a manual wind watch. If it was serviced, it was a good price. If it was not serviced, get it serviced before wearing it.
Movement looks like an AS 1900, 2060, or 2160. Probably the 2060, which was made around 1970ish.
Rick "who has paid about the same" Denney
The movement is a cal 67, when would that date it, and how was that movement ?
Zodiac called it a cal. 67, but Zodiac was an etablisseur--they used ebauches from ebaucheries in their watches. Their calibers 70-72, 86, and 88, for example, were based on the AS1687/1688.
Looking on the Ranfft site (google "Ranfft movements" and you'll find his excellent online watch movement database), this one was clearly an AS from the 1900 series, and given what features it does or does not have, plus the details of its appearance, it appears to be an AS 2060, with a beat of 21,600 bph. The example in the Ranfft database of that movement dated from 1970. But it could also be a 2164, which had a beat of 28,800 bph.
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&AS_2164 (http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&AS_2164) (though the picture is of a 2061, which was the date version of the 2060).
In your picture of the movement, look right under the bottom edge of the balance wheel where it disappears under the balance cock. You can see the "AS" logo, but the number is hidden by the edge of the balance wheel.
Near as I can tell from the various entries in the Ranfft database, the 1900-2100 series hand-wind movements, which all are part of the same family, were made in the early 70's.
A Schild made perfectly decent movements, and were a well-regarded ebaucherie, though what the various makers did with the ebauches counts just as much. During the quartz crisis, they were eventually absorbed into ETA and Swatch.
What is the value? Hard to say. I paid about that for an automatic high-beat Zodiac, and a hair less for a Favre-Leuba hand-wind dress watch of similar vintage and quality. There are those who find these in garage sales, and others pay a premium for specific models that mean something to them.
Rick "agreeing with Butch that this should be serviced before regular usage" Denney
Thank you very much for your thorough and informative reply. I learned a lot about both watches and Internet dealers. Caveat Emptor...as always.
I'll make sure it has been serviced.
Thanks again.
Just received it in the mail today with a new crystal, band, and polished case... it looks brand new. Also checked with dealer who assured me it was just serviced. I'm very happy and satisfied with my first Zodiac. Now, on to the next one!!
Thanks again for your help.
Good deal! And that is how it should work.