Vintage ZENITH movements

Cal 51.0

2009-10-31T11:48:00.009+01:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH Quartz cal 51.0 (ESA 9181), ca 1973-1974. Features quickset day (in German) and date. The ESA 9181 was ETA:s first quartz movement. Quartz @ 32.768 Hz controlling a stepper motor. Seven jewels. It does not have sweep seconds as stated on other sites.

This Zenith XL-Tronic has refererence number 01.0010.515, square steel case and a somewhat scratched mineral crystal. At 41 mm wide (excl. crown) and 12,6 mm thick it is a massive chunk of stainless steel on the wrist.

Cal 18 1/2 N.V.

2009-10-01T22:21:00.015+02:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 18 1/2 N.V. has been produced in September 1922. 18 1/2 is movements size measured in lignes. It is a 16 jewels caliber, vibrating 18,000 times per hour. Entire series of 18 1/2 movements was made in 925.270 pieces in period between 1905-1955.

This watch was made especially for Unions of Swiss banks 50 th anniversary. Nicely decorated in Niello technique engraving both on bezel and back. On the back of the case there is picture of Helvetias head, female personification of Switzerland. Very unique pocketwatch. Number of made examples is unknown. This is German version, and there is a French version as well.

Cal 177P

2009-09-13T21:49:00.005+02:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 177p, year 1941.
This watch has been produced in December 1941, and is fitted with a calibre 177p, an old mechanical movement made for pocket watches. Size of the movement is 17”’ and it beats with 18.000 A/h. This is an open face pocket watch made in Art-Deco style. Case is made of stainless steel. Dial has some age spots and patina, but have in mind that this is a 68 years old watch.

Life is in the movement

2009-05-30T11:33:00.000+02:00

Zenith - Life is in the movement (2001) from Mars Mountain on Vimeo.

Swiss watchmakers since 1865: The luxury watchmaker from generation to generation. This is a video I got as a gift from the manufacturing company Zenith in 2001. Ripped from VHS. Copyright belongs to Zenith. LIFE IS IN THE MOVEMENT

Cal 106 P-6

2009-05-22T15:55:00.001+02:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH 17 jewels hand wind movement cal. 106 P-6. Production date around 1945. This caliber differs from the base cal 106 in two ways: It has bevelled edges so it could be fitted in slimmer cases, and it has incabloc shock proofing.

This watch has a stainless steel case with a screw-on back. On the case back it reads antimagnetic, waterproof and the Swedish word stötsäker, meaning shock proof. It has an inner dust cover providing a magnetic shield and keeping the movement in place. The dial has aged well, it has it's spots but the lume is intact.

Cal 18-28-3-P

2009-04-01T22:14:00.000+02:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 18-28-3-P (also called 18 1/2 N.V.III.) was manufactured in July 1938. It is an old mechanical movement, made especially for pocket watches in 13 900 units. Movement measures 18½”’, has sub second at 6, Breguet adjustment without automatic stem.

This open face pocket watch has pristine dial with Arabic numbers in black and 24h scale also in black. Golden and decorated hands are very common for Zenith’s pocket watches. There is a five pointed star on top of the crown. It measures 49mm, runs and keeps very good time. Case is made of 0,800 sterling silver and edge around dial and back is copper colored, which gives very nice touch to the watch. Inner case is nicely decorated with 2 gold and 4 silver medals.

Cal 50.0

2009-03-30T23:04:00.001+02:00

(c):Vultures78

ZENITH XL-TRONIC has movement cal. 50.0, an electronically controlled tuning fork movement based on ESA 9162. It has sweep second hand, date quick set and electrical hack feature. It is a 13''' movement with 12 jewels beating at 300 Hz.

This model has been produced in 1.000 pieces between 1975 and 1976.

This tuning fork watch has 20 µm gold plated case and stainless steel back case. Gold colored dial and hands. Date is placed between 4 and 5. It “humms” very nicely and keeps very good time. Tuning fork watches were sort of transition between mechanical and quartz watches and are not produced anymore. They are rare findings and very hard to service, as spare parts are not made anymore. This particular watch was given to someone for 15 years of loyal work at Unger factory in Norway.

Cal 19 N.V.S.

2009-03-28T19:34:00.000+01:00

(c):Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 19 N.V.S. manufactured in July 1918. Number 19 represents movements size measured in lignes. This movement is an old mechanical Zenith movement.

This open face pocket watch has pristine dial with Arabic numbers in black and 24h scale in red. Golden and decorated hands are very common for Zenith’s pocket watches. Sub-second is at 6. There is a five pointed star on top of the crown and letter N on the neck. It measures 50mm and runs and keeps very good time. Case is made of 0,800 sterling silver and edge around dial and back is copper colored, which gives very nice touch to the watch.

Cal 2541

2009-03-16T23:39:00.000+01:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 2541, mid 1970's. Gent's 11 1/2''' caliber squeezed into a ladies watch. 17 jewels, 21600 bph sub second movement. This was the last Zenith manufactured caliber (1966-1975) featuring sub second dial until the Elite caliber came along in 1994.

Cal 20/19-278 A

2009-03-16T21:40:00.000+01:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH lepine, 20''' movement cal. 20/19-278 A. Zenith has dated this caliber as manufactured in August 1902 - March 1903. 1903 was also the year when Zenith for the first time won the famous chronometer competitions at Neuchatel Observatory. Since then over 1500 awards has been won, which is an outstanding figure compared to other manufactures.

This caliber belonged to the Zenith range of pocket watches. Later, in 1911 George Favre-Jacot's watch manufacture company also adopted the name Zenith as the company name.

Cal 126-6

2009-01-27T10:15:00.000+01:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 126-6, made in 109 000 pieces 1950-1955. A common sub-second 18 000 bph movement often found in 1950's Zenith watches. The base caliber 126 came in a handful of varieties, where the 126-6 is equipped with the incabloc shock proofing system.

This watch is profiled as a durable model with the caseback marked "stötsäker" (Swedish for shock proof), "waterproof" and "antimagnetic". It's a 33 mm screw back case with an inner metal shield, which was common for the more robust wristwatches of the 50's. The crystal needs to be replaced but the rest of the watch is in good shape. Zenith has informed me that this watch was manufactured in August 1951.

Cal 12-4-P

2009-01-18T22:15:00.000+01:00

(c): Vultures78
ZENITH movement cal. 12-4-P was only made in 9200 pieces between 1945 and 1947. The number 12 represents the size of the movement measured in lignes. It has gold plated movement with 16 jewels and small seconds at 6. Despite the fact of production years between 1945 and 1947 this particular watch was dated by Zenith to September 25th 1942. After almost seven decades of life it still beats with 18.000 bph and keeps good time. The original two-tone dial and hands shows severe signs of aging.

Cal 88

2009-01-13T22:39:00.001+01:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 88 from 1939. This is the base for the ladie's size cal 88 series. Compare it with the modernized cal 88-5-T and you'll have a typical example of the evolution of movements from the 1940's to the 1960's. Movable stud holders and shock proof balance are some of the features missing on this earlier caliber, but the plate design is the same.

This watch has a since long worn through gold plating and the back is engraved with the date 24/12 1941. Zenith has informed me that this watch was manufactured at the outbreak of WWII, in September 1939. The watch runs but will probably never be used again.

Cal 2552C

2009-01-11T23:41:00.000+01:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 2552 C dates to the second half of the 1960's. Movement is manually wound, has 17 jewels, beats with 21.600 bhp and it has an excenter regulator.

This particular watch was dated to 1968. Dial is original but partially damaged and watch is missing the second's hand. Date function is not working and needs repair. Case and case back are made of stainless steel.

Cal 2562

2008-12-26T15:09:00.000+01:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 2562 dates to the first half of the 1970's. Movement is manually wound, has 17 jewels and beats with 28.800 bhp. It has a 50 h power reserve and excenter regulator. This particular watch was dated to 1973. Dial and hands are well preserved and original. Case is 20µm gold filled and back case is stainless steel.

Cal 12-4-P-6

2008-12-21T20:49:00.000+01:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal 12-4-P-6 was only made in 3600 pieces between 1945 and 1947. Number 12 represents the size of the movement measured in lignes. This particular watch was manufactured on September 16th 1946. Despite more the 60 years of age it still beats with 18.000 bph and is very precise. The original dial and blue hands show almost no signs of aging. It has shock proofing and double casing for anti-magnetic shielding.

Cal 18 1/2 N.V.S.I

2008-12-17T12:03:00.000+01:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 18 1/2 N.V.S.I, produced on April 22 1929. The cal. numbers represent the width of the movement measured in lignes. Patented regulation device. It is a 15 jewels caliber, vibrating 18,000 times per hour. At the time, this was one of the most common calibers in Zenith pocket watches.

This watch is 49 mm (excl. crown), and it has a silver case partly rose gold plated. The dial has a slight amber tone. The watch runs and keeps time well, and it is nice to look at. There is a tiny five pointed star on top of the crown.

Cal 8 3/4 F

2008-12-14T13:58:00.000+01:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 8 3/4 F, year 1940.
This tank shaped Zenith is a very elegant vintage watch from the period of the outbreak of WWII. The cal. numbers represent the width of the movement measured in lignes and "F" I believe means shaped movement (formwerk). The watch beats with 18.000 bph, has 15 jewels, original dial and new glass. It has been dated to March 6^th 1940.

Cal 133.8

2008-11-28T21:02:00.000+01:00

(c):Vultures78

Here is a ZENITH cal. 133.8 which is one of first Zenith automatic movements (together with cal. 133), and the first movement to have direct central second hand. It is a bumper automatic with 20 jewels, beating at 21.600 bph with a power reserve of 35 h. There were 77.000 watches produced with this caliber between 1951 and 1958. The watch is confirmed original by Zenith and dated to 06.07.1956. It has original dial and crown.

Cal 2522C

2008-11-19T22:59:00.000+01:00

(c): Vultures78

ZENITH movement cal. 2522C dates to the first half of the 1960’s. Movement has 17 jewels, manual wound movement with sweep second and date window at 3 o’clock., kif-duofix combined settings for escapement wheel. This watch was dated to 17.06.1960. Dial has been refinished and case polished.

Cal 2531

2008-09-17T22:17:00.000+02:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 2531 from somwhere around 1964, 19 jewels manual subsecond movement. Based on cal. 2511, but equipped with a micrometric regulation system and a higher beat rate (21 600 vs 18 000). The power reserve holds a good 50 hours. This watch, model 220 S, is very accurate losing approx. a second per day.

Cal 2552PC

2008-07-02T13:40:00.000+02:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 2552PC, This caliber was produced around 1969 (15 000 pieces made). 23 jewels, automatic movement @ 21600 A/h. It features a date wheel and center positioned sweeping second hand. A later version (2572PC) also features quickset for adjusting the date, as well as a higher beat rate (28800 A/h).

This particular one, made in 1970, runs fine except when it is time to switch date. It definitely needs cleaning and new oil. The rotor seems to have been touching the case as well. I like this watch a lot, I find most models of the Respirator series quite attractive. There are a lot of cool designs from the 70's!

Cal 120

2008-06-10T16:10:00.002+02:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 120. Fairly common with 100 000 made between 1953 and 1962. This particular watch is made in 1961. Central sweeping second hand, 18 jewels manual wind. A special feature is the hack mechanism; the watch stops when the crown is pulled to time setting mode. This allows better precision when setting the time. Gold plated movement with incabloc shock proofing.

The dial has seen better days and the stem is broken. The minute and seconds hand touch preventing the watch from running very long. The plastic crystal has tiny cracks. Beautiful movement, but this one goes into the drawer for now.

Cal 88-5-T

2008-04-02T17:26:00.000+02:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH movement cal. 88-5-T. Manual ladies' size caliber made in 12 000 pieces in 1964. The base caliber 88 was made in quite a few different flavours, with a total count of almost 400 000 pieces. This makes the 88 a very common movement in Zenith's ladies' watches from the golden age of swiss watchmaking.

Ladies' watches doesn't hold much value today compared to similar gent's watches. These microscopic movements are more difficult to repair which makes them go into the dustbin when they break or dry up. So, if you are interested in collecting some extreme pieces of micro mechanics you should go for ladies' watches.

I got this one for my wife (almost for free but don't tell her that!), and I'm very happy to see that she wears it regularly. I like the classic clean looks of the steel case and brushed steel dial.

Cal 106

2008-04-02T10:02:00.000+02:00

(c): Mars Mountain

ZENITH hand wound movement cal. 106. According to Zenith's listing on this page, caliber 106 was made in a few technically different versions between 1944 and 1957. Evidently there are lots of watches on the market fitted with cal. 106 claiming to be made in the 30's. This one is produced 6.08.1938 according to Zenith. This caliber is the "plain" 106 (49 000 made), ie. without shock proofing and with sub seconds.

It's a rather small case, 28 millimeters, but the size was normal for gent's watches in the 1930's. The dial pattern is similar to the pocket watches of that time. This watch was claimed by the seller to be NOS, and I believe it is unused. There are some very small marks indicating that someone has fiddled with the balance bridge but there are no other visible signs of wear and tear. The paper tag attached to the soft leather band has the case number written on it with a very faded handwriting.

This 106 runs when wound, but it runs very fast. The oils are probably all dried up. Zenith has confirmed date of manufacture and caliber number.

Cal 120T

2008-03-29T17:35:00.001+01:00

(c) Mars Mountain

ZENITH manual movement cal. 120T. Basically the same as cal. 120, but it is fitted with a mobile stud holder, which helps centering the transmission stone. Cal. 120T is also nickel plated instead of gold. A special feature is the hack mechanism; the watch stops when the crown is pulled to time setting mode. This allows better precision when setting the time. 18 000 movements with this caliber was made in 1961-1963, this watch was finished in 1962 according to Zenith.

I love the simplicity of the black dial on this watch. I believe the dial might have been redone at some point. The watch runs and holds time well, and I got a new crystal fitted to really make it shine.