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Of 17 Jewel EP movements in non-US references...

  1. Reg Mar 3, 2014

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    Hello again; some of you may have seen my introduction to the forum here where I posted pictures of my newly acquired EP.

    Taking Lou's advice, I have sent the watch away for a service and the watchmaker has confirmed that the movement is mechanically pristine with no wear and may, in fact, be NOS after all. The conundrum continues though as the movement is a 17 jewel EP which I believe was only found in US market references.

    What is especially odd is that my reference 20.0210.415 also has a US market counterpart 20.0220.416 so you'd have thought that the 17 jewel movement EPs would've ended up in the US reference and the 31 jewel movements would've ended up in the non-US references. And yet this thread shows that the US reference also comes with a 31 jewel movement.

    My question is whether there are documented instances of Zenith shipping watches destined for non-US markets with the 17 jewel movement instead of the 31 jewel movement? If not, it would seem that I either have the wrong case back on my watch or I have a substituted movement - even though it's a period correct 3019...
     
  2. Reg Mar 3, 2014

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  3. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Mar 3, 2014

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    I don't know of any documented instances (good luck with documentation and Zenith, although they seem to be taking an interest in historical matters recently), but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. Imagine the disarray that must have prevailed at the factory as it was going on the block in the midst of a failing industry. They could have been less than totally systematic about which movements went to what markets, and any surplus 17 jewel movements were going to be cased and sold, regardless of the market. I seriously doubt whether customers asked about jeweling at that time.
     
  4. Reg Mar 4, 2014

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    Thanks Lou, I suspect you're right that any surplus 17 jewel movements could've ended up in any case at that time.

    The service is complete and the new strap is on the watch. I was looking for something a little less severe than the thin black leather strap which the watch came with. I haven't seen any photos of this reference with anything other than the Zenith gold mesh or black leather so I was taking a chance on the colour combination but I'm rather pleased with how it has turned out.

    EP IMG_7577.jpg
     
  5. Hijak Mar 4, 2014

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    That looks fantastic!:thumbsup: