I'm having some serious difficulty finding a reasonable cost to manufacture prototypes short of buying my own laser. I have however found a pretty cheap way to mass produce them once the prototype is verified as a "perfect" replacement. I can't verify accuracy or function with the printed resin because it isn't rigid enough.

This is extremely interesting information, you found, thank you so much for sharing it.

Am I correct in assuming that the news clip is dated to 1960?

Hi guys,
I got few weeks ago a very special version of a Zodiac olympos mystery dial with a Peseux 300 caliber, manual, with two radium hands, a "real" arrow for hours and extra flat shape.

Using Lens application I got the same, gold plated version, which was on Ebay years ago, nothing else...

I got the watch from the first owner ( seems to be a honest guy !) and he told me, there was no transformations on....

With the help of Butch and the serial number, the date of production was estimated between and of 50s , very beginning of 60s....

I recently found the answer, it is the "New Look" Model.
And I found just one information on the internet from time2tell website "the asymmetrical New-Look model was launched, with a partially transparent hour hand. This model was renamed Olympos in 1960"

Do you have any information on this very short production model ?
Now I am trying to find the bracelet !

Best regards
Jean-Sebastien

How did it turn out for you?

The original jumper spring is laid on top of the printed prototype to see how close the design is to the original. It looks like it might work.

I was in the process of servicing a watch for someone that was given to him by his father. During disassembly I found a broken date jumper spring part 2633 for the cal 70-72. I have done a decent amount of searching for a replacement which led me to attempt to try and make one. From photographs a CAD file was made and then a prototype was printed. Under the microscope they look fairly close. I believe that this part can be laser cut from .25 mm carbon steel and then post processed to harden it. This is where I am in. The process so far.

Butch, there certainly was a period like that (to some extent with independent watchmakers there still is) - when original parts are not available, you would use what was at hand. If the movements and parts are identical, there should be no problem in replacing with parts labelled with another brand. What we dont know for sure is if this is what happened - if it was even perhaps taking place at Trauner, who imported both brands, when servicing older watches - and WHEN this happened. I dont think Zodiac in Denmark (that I am very familiar with as you know) would have frowned to long upon what was essentially an accepted practice by watchmakers for generations, especially after Zodiac was sold in 1979 and ceased production at the Zodiac factory. I do not think however that Zodiac used Clebar parts in their production as this would undermine the brand completely with watchmakers, a relation Zodiac valued highly and to a large extend relied on. The answers to my questions would explain many "Frankenwatch" examples. But does it enlighten us as to who produced what for whom? The intercompatability of parts and the examples of Zodiac/Clebar-Frankens is at least an indication that particularly converges on the US where Clebars were marketed and thus on Trauner, the US distributor of both brands. The question is often raised when discussing "Poor Mans Heuer" watches, that some believe were Heuers labelled Zodiac (or Clebar). As you have before stated we have no proof that this was what happened, instead sharing suppliers and trying to imitate the succes of competitors may have lead to some of these models being created. The strongest tie Clebar/Zodiac would be that of the text on Clebar boxes directly stating that the watch was manufactured by Zodiac. I dont think Zodiac - knowing the brand and its owners the way I think I do - would have approved of that, had it not been correct. Clebars were even in Trauners Zodiac catalogues. My conclusion is that it is fair to assume that at least SOME Clebars were Zodiac-manufactured.

FWIW, I have seend several Zodiacs and Clebars with the other's movements in it. I specificly remember buying a Zodiac 3DMP from a dealer in Philly and was disappointed when I got hone and opened it to found it had a Clebar movement in it. I have always said that when Zodiac ran out of parts they kept assembling with what they had on hand.

It is very unclear at least. However there are Clebar watch boxes out there apparently saying something like "manufactured by Zodiac". Also, the Clebar brand name was registered to Zodiac at one (late, in terms of Clebars timeline) point - but to Trauner as well. I am not sure what to make of these fragmented facts - since its Zodiacs history that has my interest I have not dug deeply into it. What I seem to have found though is that Clebar was Trauners "private label" brand from quite early on (possibly pre WW2). The watches may have been produced by various manufacturers for Trauner, possibly Zodiac played an increasing role in this after perhaps 1960. This would explain why Heuer was affected by Trauners bankruptcy in the mid 70ies as reported by Jack Heuer in his autobiography - Trauner was NOT Heuers agent in the US. They may in stead have manufactured some of the many chronographs that seemed to be part of the Clebar collection as catalogues on this site indicate. Trauner became Zodiacs agent in the US some time after WW2, this might explain how Zodiac became one of the Clebar manufacturers. If that was at all the case. Unclear, in other words. But nice watches, some apparently almost identical to Zodiacs. And to Heuers (so-called Poor Mans Heuer models)

Personal details about the Calames that I out of respect have refrained from sharing were actually public at the time.