What unholy marketing meeting might have yielded this? The dial is clearly repainted, but how do we explain the bridge in this legit cal 146HP? http://www.ebay.com/itm/70s-ZENITH-...215?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4b1a673fPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network For our foreign readers, Montgomery Ward was a popular mail order and department store business, like Sears. No history with watches, much less with Zenith, AFAIK
This reminded me of a couple of watches so I just dug the LeGant out to take a better look at it. I sold a ladies Patek Philippe years ago that was sold through Montgomery Wards in the 40's and even included in their catalog. I also have a LeGant chronograph that was marketed and sold through Montgomery Wards. Supposedly the LeGant line was their answer to "Elegant" watches.
My dear Lou, Actually Montgomery Ward had quite a history with watches. Sears and Roebuck actually started out as a watch business. They sold private label watches from the late 1800s through their entire history. At the beginning Sears watches were pocket watches mostly made by the Illinois Watch Company of Springfield, Illinois. Later Sears even sold Heuer made wrist watches. Here is a link to a Sears watch made in 1911. http://interstatetime.com/PrivateLabels/Interstate_Big.htm Montgomery Ward also had a long tradition of selling private label watches. Here is another link to some very early examples. http://interstatetime.com/WatchOTM/WatchOTM-7-02.htm I think it is perfectly reasonable to think that Zenith made private label watches for Monkey Ward. JohnCote
I wondered exactly the same questions being posed in this thread when I saw this on the web last night: That exactly same chrono being auctioned on Ebay- sold for about 1000 USD. http://m.ebay.com/itm/70s-Zenith-fo...ograph-Watch-/301835295864?nav=WATCHING_ENDEDPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
Actually, I think it would be the other way around. I would not be surprised if there were specific Zenith/Movado models (or color combinations) made only for Montgomery Ward. gatorcpa
I would have completely fallen for the dial too. The bridge did look like it somehow had to be legit, but the engraving on the inside case back looks incredibly crude.
My Dad subcontracted for Montgomery Wards in his second career after aerospace started cutting back in the '60s. Amazing to see the giants that have fallen. Perhaps some day your kids will say,"I remember giant Amazon that existed when I was a kid"
Montgomery Ward is a hero to anyone who enjoys the glory that is the Chicago shoreline. Were it not for him and a few other visionaries, there would be no beaches and parks.