I've come across these and love the aesthetics, the size, the history (although now owned by Fossill). Not necessarily cheap for what you're getting despite "Swiss made", and the movement is unproven.
Anybody have any experience/thoughts? Thanks


NOT MY PHOTOS

 

love it

 

Looks nice. For a more in-depth look at the movement see this http://watchguy.co.uk/review-stp-1-11/ Others may of course have different opinions

 

I'm a fan of vintage Zodiacs! I was interested in the reissues but did not want to pay retail as that is a little high for the unproven movement and for a revived brand. I scoured the second hand market and acquired these two in near mint condition for significantly less. Each had only been worn about half a dozen times. I have been happy with them with no major issues to report. I think the fit and finish is a little better on the split lume hand model than the shovel hand model. The price on these two has since dropped significantly. I would rather have the black dial split lume but the deal was too good on the silver dial. Fossil appears to think the black dial model commands a price of 2x the silver model as they have reduced the price of silver only...
The size of the reissues are modern without being oversized. They are bigger than the originals, but they are smaller than the only other current Fossil model I have. Think Flava Flav clock on your wrist. They did a great job capturing the spirit and styling cues of the originals. The shovel hand model has a solid case back where the metal bezel has a clear case back allowing a glimpse at the well finished STP 1-11. The lume on both can't hold a candle to the super Luminova on an Omega. The green lume on the metal bezel glows brighter and longer than the shovel hand model due I believe to the "vintage" tinting. The mustard yellow tint is nice however not the most fitting. Most Zodiac lume stays a green color however one of my vintage shovel hand models did age to a more tan mustard color. The leather strap that comes on the shovel hand is very nice but I prefer the bracelet that has a nice spring loaded stretch link built into the clasp. I wish they had made a copy of the original Oyster style stretch link bracelet or even the Holzer style. They chose a Jubilee style but now offer a completely new style bracelet with the newest blue and green dial variants of the shovel hand models. They have also switched to the green lume for these new releases. The crowns are not signed and I think they missed an opportunity for great branding there. Only time will tell how these Zodiac reissues hold up as I enjoy them. Sorry for the rambling post that started to resemble a review.

I will close with a side by side of a couple of my vintage models that most resemble the reissues I have.

 

Oris diver 65

Same price point technically. Same vintage look with modern execution. Although these Zodiacs can be found 1/2 off retail.

Your also in Longines Legend Diver territory.

My under standing is that the fit and finish of the Oris is decent the Zodiacs are a step down and the Longines is a step up. There are more then a few reviews about all 3 watches.

I want the limited edition Oris without date and slightly different finishing they did as a LE for a shop just south of SF.

 

my seawolf needs a little tlc

 

I like vintage Zodiacs, which was what drew me to the modern versions. They are larger than vintage, but still pretty modest in size, which I like. I basically agree with what @Giff2577 has to say. I have the spade hands version, which i bought used at a big discount from the new price. I'd love a black dial split lume version, but mine with the spade hands and red bezel has grown on me. It's a nice watch to have when I don't want to risk a vintage piece. Technically it's my "beater" although I don't beat it.
Greg.

 

I've had one of the red bezel ones for about a week now. I like wearing it as I don't have to worry about it but it's heavy when compared to a 38mm-39mm vintage chrono. I just like the feel of my vintage watches much better.

 

I quite enjoy my red bezel version. All and all it is pretty nice. All of of the indices line up nicely, the bezel is fairly solid (not the best, but not the worst), the crown feels okay, the diall is legible and fun to look at, the date wheel matches the dial, and mine has been running +7 seconds per day. I wouldn't pay full price, but there are some decent discounts if you keep your eyes open.

 

I have the same watch and it is nice to hear some consistency with the movement. Mine runs at +7 sec/day as well. I am very happy with my purchase, however I did get it at a discount. It overall is a well put together watch that has a decent wrist presence and is lovely to look at. The combination of the black sunburst finish dial, patinated/cream colored lume and Saphire crystal really makes it a striking piece. My only complaint is that it sits a little higher on my wrist than I would prefer. However I have small bony wrists so take that complain with a grain of salt. Here are a few pics of mine.

 

After having worn mine for a few days, I'm not sold. I much prefer the weight and stance of vintage dive and chrono's. I thought it would make a great daily, and it does but just not for me. You'll probably see it up on Chronotrader soon as I've not reached the post threshold here yet!