Please post your vintage zenith

Wibbles · Jun 18, 2017

1935 Zenith centre seconds "Extra Special". Family heirloom piece.

river rat · Jun 18, 2017

Wibbles

1935 Zenith centre seconds "Extra Special". Family heirloom piece.

Nice watch I like yours better than mine. A little info for the forum there were three models of these one with second bit and one with sweep hand and one with just hours and no type of second hand. The two rarest are the sweep hand and no second hand due to less of them out there. I was wondering can you tell us some of the family history of your watch. Wished I known the history of mine am waiting for Zenith to send a archive letter for mine so mite find out some thing.

Tony C. · Jun 18, 2017

Wibbles · Jun 19, 2017

river rat
I was wondering can you tell us some of the family history of your watch.

My dad knew a chap who was a Luftwaffe pilot in WW2(Stukas and later on fighters) and he got it from him. He never really wore it, as in the days before huge watches are better 😀 the fashion was for smaller "dress watches" for men. I remember wearing it myself when I was younger and it would attract stares. It still does actually. One of the few watches I have that gets noticed by people not infected by watchitis. 😀 Scarily accurate too. Unlike many of the other brands with this design Zenith used a full sized movement with the bigger balance for accuracy(and one reason for the large size in the first place). Many of the Helvetias have a small movement held in by a spacer. I've had a few of this design over the years bought before the hobby exploded and so did prices. Helvetia, Omega(sold that. Doh!🤦) and a couple of Zeniths including a spare centre seconds and a no second, even a "boy's/women's size" example that was identical in layout, but 34mm. All gone now save for the above one. I'd never sell that.

The design of these watches has always fascinated me. So many manufacturers produced this design; Zenith, Longines, Heuer, Breitling, Omega, Mimo/GP and a host of smaller marques. For such a widely produced and consistent design for pilots watches there seems to be little information regarding where the design originated. It seems to have been popular in central Europe. It never caught on in the English speaking world. Pilot's watches were generally much smaller in those markets.

Oh and a certain Mr Bruce Springsteen has one.

Almost certainly a Zenith and the centre seconds one.

river rat · Jun 19, 2017

Also read that the Treaty of Versailles after WW1 prevented the Germans Air Force from marking equipment like watches and Zenith Special were used by the Luftwaffe in the 1930's so unmarked no issue marks. So with what you said that story could be true.