Hello everyone,
I am new to vintage watches. I wanted to get advice on a new purchase of a Zodiac SeaWolf to see if this is correct. The bezel looks worn and I can not tell if the case has been polished. I would appreciate any input from more experienced members. Thank you!

 

it's correct and looks just like most of them from that era. the bezels get a bit worn but that's part of the appeal with those old seawolfs. they were very popular with USA servicemen and loads of them are still found near the old military bases in the Philippines. your dial looks to be in exceptional shape as well. enjoy!

 

Dial and hands look correct, and though it's a bit hard to see in that picture, it looks like the crown is original and signed. Judging by the softness around the lugs and the inscription on the back, polished at some point almost certainly. That bezel is quite worn, though as J&F indicated, they often are on these models. Also, can't judge the state of the movement without a pic, and it would likely need to be serviced unless you can be sure that its last is recent. As to whether it's a "good buy," it depends on the price--if you are patient, and lucky, you can likely get one in very good condition for around $700. FYI the Military Watch Forum is another great resource for more info. about these types of watches. And if you like this style, you might want to look at a Glycine Airman (a bit pricier, but a very interesting and nice-looking watch, imho).

 

Legit middle-of-the-road example in my opinion. Nice dial, moldy hands, polished lugs, worn bezel, the most common color and reference. All depends on price.

 

The price was $375. Thank you for your advice. I couldn’t tell from the photos the seller provided that the case was polished until I received it. I was debating on asking for a refund or not and wanted to get some input first.

 

The price doesn't seem outrageous to me for what it is. If you want a really top-notch example you may have to pay almost twice that amount these days.

 

In that condition, with some minor characters, the watch looks acceptable to me, as long as it is working, and which justified the price too. just like to share my seawolf in original condition, and see if you have any observation v-a-v yours.

 

Yes, that seems like a good ballpark price for the piece. FWIW, my personal philosophy is that it's always worth paying the premium for a watch in VG condition, both b/c it's nicer to look at and, should you decide to sell it on at some point, as long as you settled on a fair price for the initial purchase, you stand a good chance of making your money back. But everyone's taste (and budget) operates within different constraints, and different watches age differently. As an earlier poster pointed out, particularly with this model, a certain degree of wear, especially on the bezel, is both expected and part of the appeal!

 

Thank you. I will keep my eye out for one in the future. I would like a white one. I just need to train myself better on what to look for and where to find it. Happy New Year and thanks for all of your help.

 

Very honest example with a fair price.

 

As you probably know, Zodiac made many fewer Seawolfs with white dials, so you will have to be extra patient to find a good one.

 

One of my New Years resolutions is to sort out the mess that is my watch corner. Actually it’s one of my wife’s New Years resolutions to nag me about it, but let’s pretend it was my idea

Anyway, I’m in there now and just dug out my two Sea Wolf projects. Let’s see if I can get them sorted in 2020.

 

A skilled watchmaker can clean up the dial and hands, even the moldy lume. My white one was pretty dusky on the lume and a small section on the hour hand was missing, but a proper clean-up got most of the funk off the dial and lume plots and the compromised hand was filled and stabilized.



Parts for these are compatible with a few other movements so do your homework on the parts compatibility. I had a bad winding pinion and some research and eBay hunting found a cheap GP movement that had the parts I needed in perfect shape.

 

that's one clean looker you got there Jw. the white dial is not so common and yours really pops. the bracelet makes for a great look as well.

 

Appears you just need a bracelet or strap for the ‘Wolf

one of my first acquisitions

 

Your bezel is among the best I have seen!
This is a prime candidate for the question of relume the hands or leave them alone- totally a matter of preference IMO.

 

And thank you! It is the factory stretch rivet bracelet (like Rolex did at the time c64). It was a link too small for me when I got it but thanks the a generous forum member here- I got 2 replacement links (the baby ones at the bottom) and now it is 100% complete.

 

I know the trend is to leave the “patina” in vintage watches, but I am of the mind that if cleaning the funk on a dial will reveal the beauty that lies beneath without damaging or compromising the original finishes, then it’s worth doing. But it does require great skill (which I do not poses) and a delicate touch. Same for stabilizing or reluming hands that have lost their lume.

 

If you decide you don’t want to take on those projects- shoot me a PM. Love these Seawolfs

 

I wanted to follow up on my post from before. My find came sooner than expected. Taking your advice on bezel condition while being conscious of a polished case...I was taken by the charm of this watch. Although the dial has aged with a lot of patina I like the unique look. I appreciate all of your advice please. ($280)