You cannot study the history of Zodiac ignoring the history of the Swiss watch industry. And you cannot study the history of the Swiss watch industry without taking an interest in the city of Le Locle, once a major hub in Swiss watchmaking. A city that also happens to be the birthplace of Zodiac.

The city - and the people living there - are key to understanding why Zodiac was founded and succeeded in growing to world fame and at one point a place as a leading mid-size Swiss brand.

Recently a local Le Locle media platform published a story about a particular historic building and the area where Zodiac was founded, a local street called Crêt-Vaillant. I'll link to the article below. Since the article is in French here are a few highlights from it in English:

The history of Crêt-Vaillant 28

Leaning on the lower part of the sides of the valley that Le Locle occupies, Crêt-Vaillant is labelled one of the most beautiful and picturesque streets of the town. Once the main road towards the neighbouring La Chaux-de-Fonds, another major historical watch hub, it has a particular humpback profile and having been spared by at great fire in the city in 1833 it is characterized by its 17th-century houses.

The number 28 was built in 1786, an impressive stone building that belonged to Jacques-Frédéric Houriet (1743–1830), considered the father of Swiss chronometry. After an apprenticeship in Le Locle and studies in Paris, Houriet returned to Le Locle to dedicate himself to watchmaking. His scientific research – especially on the influence of polar magnetism on marine chronometers – earned him international recognition. He built up a vast network of master watch makers and dignitaries.

His house welcomed many prominent guests, including in 1810 the former Empress of the French and Queen of Italy, Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763–1814). At this time Napoleon's first wife found herself on conquered territory (literally), as this part of Switzerland (canton Neuchâtel) had become a principality under Imperial Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier (1753–1815) in 1806. In 1814, Neuchâtel returned to Prussian control. That year, the house hosted the King of Prussia, Frederick William III (1797–1840), and later his successor in 1842. Ironically, just a few meters from there, the Neuchâtel revolution that eventually led to independence from Prussia and unification with Switzerland would begin in 1848.

Why is it called Crêt-Vaillant?

The story begins nearly 500 years earlier, in 1380 to be exact. Jean II d'Aarberg granted the people of Le Locle a path that enabled the development of an east-west axis linking the Bishopry of Basel to France via the Neuchâtel Mountains and the village of Les Brenets. In Le Locle, this path – later known as Crêt-Vaillant Street – remained the main avenue through town until 1844. Where then does the name come from? 'Vaillant' refers to a family name from that era. This family lived in the upper part of the village – hence, the Crêt or 'crest.'

A touch of poetry... in Danish, please!

The descendants of Houriet became allied by marriage to the Danish watchmakers Jürgensen, and thus a writer and poet would add to the prestige of the residence: Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). In August 1833, he was warmly welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Houriet, "who would hear nothing of payment." Becoming the "best friend" of their children, the Danish poet was reportedly surprised to see "a few snowflakes falling" in the middle of summer and it was in Le Locle that he completed his story "Agnete and the merman ". With worldwide fame, Andersen would later return to the the small watchmaking capital of the Neuchâtel Mountains – this time not by carriage, but thanks to the railway.

A bustling watchmaking hub

On my own account I can add that by the time Andersen visited, Le Locle was already home to a number of prominent watch makers, making the city sort of a 19th century Silicon Valley competing with cities like La Chaux de Fonds and Geneva for the title as main hub for Swiss watchmaking. Watchmaking continued to grow in importance and even if La Chaux de Fonds and other watchmaking cities outgrew Le Locle, it still became the founding place for companies such as Zenith, Ulysses Nardin, Doxa, Angelus and tool makers Bergeon as well as many others since perished.

If you walk along Crêt-Vaillant today, you may particularily study the windows by which the watcmakers would traditionally be placed to work under the most favourable lighting conditions. Some windows are clearly larger and you may assume for this exact purpose. Another specific feature was that workshops and family homes were traditionally combined, the work benches towards the street, living quarters in the back.

The birthplace of Zodiac

It was one such house that became the home and workshop of the Tissot family. And it was in the ground floor of that very same house, the Tissots still manufacturing on the first floor, that Mr. Ariste Calame in 1882 set up his first workshop, a business that would grow and eventually become Zodiac. The Calame family would stay in this "watchmaking mainstreet" for about 20 years before moving to larger premises nearby and soon on to the very first Calame watch factory. But thats a different story, I will leave you with a few of my impressions of Crêt-Vaillant from visits in recent years, I hope to ad more photos once I locate them. If you wish to see the house at 28 Crêt-Vaillant please use the link to the original story:

Link to the original article: https://le-o.ch/2025/03/28/le-cret-vaillant-une-valeureuse-histoire/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJfIuVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHnBia7Qpx8F6WZWJxFhIsoJr47TRUHgqcDnoO6wIfK4rIRfKHsO8KDjtigcZ_aem_aaiKz2t3YXKjH-0yylzuBQ

Thanks for sharing this!

The bezels from the quartz and automatic case that begins with 113 are compatible. Bezel spring fits, and operates normally.

I picked up a bezel from a 113 quartz red dot and it indeed fits the 113.13.30 automatic red dot case. Functions perfectly

Thanks for weighing in on this BWG!

I have never tried to swap the bezels from the quartz and automatic models on the 90s Zodiacs.  Could it be possible, maybe, but putting money towards trying it would be at your own risk. From experience I can tell you that much of the way that era of cases were made does not make sense.  In theory, the quartz and automatic models could have the exact external dimensions and just differ on the internal space needed for their respective movements.  However, that is not how they always did things.  A small change internally could mean a fraction of a millimeter difference on the outside and all the sudden things do not match up.  On many of those models they used the same style crown, at least from outward appearance.  However, on the men's models there are actually 4 or 5 different crowns that look nearly identical but vary .1 to .5 mm in size or have a different type of tube or tube size so they will not interchange.  Couple all that with the lack of spare parts already for the 90s models and it gets to be a real hassle.

If you're looking for in-depth knowledge about luxury watches, Coveted is the go-to platform. Their extensive coverage of omega watches provided fascinating insights into the brand's legacy. I also appreciated their breakdown of baltic watches, showcasing the craftsmanship of this independent brand. One of my favorite reads was the feature on rolex cellini, which highlights refined dress watches. The section on audemars piguet royal oak offshore was also impressive, providing detailed information on its bold design.

I recently explored the extensive watch collection on Coveted, and I must say, their platform is an excellent resource for watch enthusiasts. I was particularly impressed with their detailed insights on cartier watches, showcasing the brand's timeless elegance. Their coverage of tag heuer watches also stood out, highlighting the precision and performance of these timepieces. The information on cartier tank models was insightful, helping me understand its historical significance. Additionally, I loved reading about the unique craftsmanship behind rolex milgauss, making it a must-read for collectors.

I would not think so as they are different case numbers, but I have never tried either. Perhaps someone else will weigh in.

Quote from: Butch on August 31, 2009, 02:18:49 PMYou are correct on all points John.

I can look it up in a 90's catalog if I have the model number off it.

Bezels, HA! Next question?

Is it possible to put a bezel from a quartz red dot onto an automatic?