The fact that the Zodiac watches have been around for over 130 years adds to their reputation. Though Zodiac has not always been in continuous operation throughout its history, the brand’s worth is reflected in the constant revival of its operations.
In response to the question, Zodiac Watches are not only high-quality timepieces by all standards, but they also have a long history and a prestigious reputation, making them highly sought after by collectors.
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Are Zodiac timepieces reliable?
Are Zodiac Timepieces of High Quality? Zodiac is widely regarded as a high-quality watchmaker. They’re Swiss-made and feature Swiss movements of the highest quality. Swiss Technology Production provides the mechanical movements utilized in Zodiac watches (STP).
What are the Zodiac’s movements?
We drove 1.2 kilometers north of the BaselWorld halls, into residential land, the other afternoon. Where is Fossil’s Basel headquarters, amid the 3 or 4 story buildings? Hundreds of people from all around the world darted back and forth from meetings in this taller-than-average skyscraper for the city. We met with the creative director and brand manager of Zodiac Watches on the seventh floor, in a modest but beautiful corner office.
Here at worn&wound, we adore Zodiac, a brand with a long and illustrious history. Vintage Zodiacs are one of the most cost-effective and diverse objects to acquire. With a wide diversity of aesthetics and mechanics, as well as very unusual and occasionally odd designs. Check out our articles on the epically iconic Sea Wolf and the mechanically superb SST 36000 for two such items that are sure to win you over. Despite the fact that Zodiac is not a household name, they are responsible for numerous “firsts” in the history of wristwatches.
Despite being the first Swiss company to produce an analog quartz watch, Zodiac, like many other manufacturers, did not survive the 1980s. Fossil bought the brand almost 20 years ago, and it is still owned and operated by them today. They’ve continued to make watches for the past decade, but they’ve never come close to recovering their former prominence. While the new watches have always had a distinct DNA that drew on Zodiac’s past, their designs seemed a little out of place. The brand, which was dominated by very large aggressive quartz tool watches, never really caught on with new audiences or enticed collectors of the original watches.
They now want to get Zodiac back on track, restoring it as a brand for both young and veteran watch enthusiasts. Their new Heritage line takes inspiration from their archives, reproducing old styles with minor tweaks for a modern audience. The watches are completely Swiss-made in Fossil’s facilities and employ the STP 1-11, Fossil’s own automatic movement. We had the opportunity to examine and handle current models as well as prototypes for future versions, all of which impressed us.
But, before we get to them, let’s have a look at Fossil and the watches’ movements. Fossil is a brand that has a bad rep. Everyone has heard of them, and many have owned a few (I had and liked a few of the Stark series many moons ago), but the prevalent perception is that they are a low-cost mall brand. We assume that all Fossil watches are created in China, and that they are more fashion watches for the general public than collector watches. While we all know that many fine watches are made in China, and that their production quality is on par with anyone else’s, there is always some skepticism when a company claims to be producing in Switzerland. Doubtless, when the watches are a bit more expensive than their usual wares.
We were informed, however, that Fossil’s Swiss manufacturing facilities are huge and comparable to those of any large Swiss brand. Their movement company, Swiss Technology Production (STP), manufactures and assembles the STP 1-11 movement, which is finely embellished with perlage and Cote de Geneve and visible through the case backs of the Zodiac watches. It’s a 26-jewel automated timepiece with a 44-hour power reserve and a date. I’m not sure about handwinding and hacking, but both seem likely. It resembles an ETA 2824-2 in appearance. Allow that to sink in for a moment: Fossil is a Swiss watchmaker.
The timepieces, above all, looked and felt like the $1,000 watches they were. They have a good weight to them and are nicely polished. The dials appeared to be in perfect condition, even though I didn’t examine them with a loupe. Some of the box sapphire crystals were particularly noteworthy. They faithfully replicated the size of the acrylic crystals on which they are based, while also providing the scratch resistance that sapphire is known for. Making these couldn’t possibly be simple or inexpensive. The advantage of a large brand like Fossil producing watches is that they can keep costs lower than a boutique brand. They have control over their production and can regularly produce enormous volumes. Given that Zodiac was previously a huge brand, it makes logical for them to be revived by a larger brand.
The Astrographic is the first major release, and it is currently available. This is a daring decision as a watch with which to relaunch the brand. The Astrographic, which debuted in 1969, was and continues to be one of the most unusual and stunning mechanical timepieces ever made. What distinguishes it from the rest? The hands are printed on revolving, transparent disks and float over the dial. The end product is reminiscent of the late 1960s’ campy space-age look. Think of the Jetsons, but with a wristband. It’s a risky design that you either love or hate, and it looks just as shocking today as it did in 1969.
With a robust, rectilinear barrel-case and a layered dial that highlights the new floating impression, the current rendition keeps quite loyal to the original. It’s extremely magnetic in person. You’ll become lost in the multilayer dial, fascinated by the gracefully rotating red dot that shows the seconds, whether or whether the design suits your unique aesthetic. Added degrees of detail and finishing, such as the polished markings that dangle over the dial, make the current version more sophisticated, even if the 1969 model is very well depicted.
The casing is 45 x 39mm and is sturdy and powerful. The watch’s softly curved rear huggs the wrist, reducing its size slightly, albeit it’s still a big watch. It has a steel bracelet with a tapering design that looks great. Unfortunately, because the lug width is 30mm, you won’t be able to purchase a leather to replace it. The Astrographic costs $1,195 for the three steel versions and $1,395 for the LE gold PVD version. This isn’t a watch for everyone, but if the design appeals to you, you’ll be pleased with it.
The second model we examined has a far more adaptable design that is both sporty and sophisticated enough for the workplace. This is a gentleman’s sport watch, similar to several iconic timepieces from the 1960s. The Sea Dragon has an exceptionally attractive 39mm barrel case with faceted lugs and exquisite workmanship on the outside. The top surface, which has a small dome to it, is brushed with sunbursts from the center out. With a clear, crisp line, it meets a polished beveled edge and polished lugs. The profile impressed me because the case was maintained quite slim, resulting in a really pleasant watch to wear.
The dial has nailed the classic style once again, but with a more modern feel. It’s a basic but effective design that incorporates color and texture. The sunburst center surface includes attached markers for the hours, each with lume and a splash of color. The outside border has a contrasting chapter ring with a dense minute/second index, giving the normally formal aspects an athletic feel. Hues play an important role in the Sea Dragon design, as each dial variation combines and contrasts several colors, sometimes for harmony, sometimes for contrast. We like the blue, cream, and orange color scheme, which was both elegant and playful.
For $1,195, you can get the Sea Dragon on a steel bracelet, or for $995, you can get it on a leather strap. I’d get the bracelet since it was well-made, with polished center links, a hidden deployant clasp (emblazoned with their great emblem), and end links that were perfectly matched to the case. The polished leather straps were also quite good, although with 20mm lugs, there are a lot of leather straps to choose from.
Finally, we received a sneak peek at what’s coming down the pipeline, which completely blew our minds. The Sea Wolf, Zodiac’s most iconic watch, will be re-released in its entirety next. If you haven’t already done so, read our article on the Zodiac Sea Wolf and then return to obtain some context. Without a doubt, Zodiac is reintroducing a classic watch to the market. While it won’t generate the same amount of publicity as Rolex/tribute Tudor’s to their own vintage divers in the Black Bay, it’s just as cool, if not more so. They didn’t so much modernize a classic design as they did reinterpret it, creating something that had never existed before.
They kept enough of the original to make it recognizable as Sea Wolf, but changed enough to avoid making it a look-alike prop. These will be practical sport watches that have been sized up a little but not too much and are priced like a tool watch should be. They plan to use color to extend the series, similar to how they did with the Sea Dragon, while preserving the classic dial, case, and bezels. Rugged NATOs with steel bezels, as well as dressier variants with gold surrounds and black acrylic bezels, were on display.
There were both vivid and dull colors. Steel models with a faint patina and teals. They were all stunning. The one thing I didn’t see that I’d like to see is a model with no dates. It would have a more symmetrical dial and would be more classic than one with a date.
The problem is that they won’t be out for a long time, so take a big breath and try to ignore that itch I’m sure you’re experiencing. We’ll make sure to keep you informed about their progress.
When did the Zodiac watches first appear?
Ariste Calame founded a workshop in Switzerland in 1882, and this is when Zodiac watches were born. He was obsessed with building the most precise watch in the world since he was born the son of a watchmaker, and he developed his first pocket watch the same year. In 1908, he registered the name Zodiac as a trademark. Zodiac was already making their own calibers and movements for their renowned pocket watches at this point. Zodiac introduced their first pocket watch in 1924, which included the caliber 1617 movement.
Zodiac watches are still made today, and the Olympos, Grandrally, and Grandville were debuted in 2018. In the same year, the Super Sea Wolf received a new case and dial design.
What is the meaning of the Zodiac watch symbol?
The serial killer who plagued Northern California in the late 1960s employed the identical Zodiac watch cross-circle emblem. In a series of taunting letters to the press, the Zodiac killer coined his name by signing them with the Zodiac watch symbol. The iconic Zodiac Sea Wolf model made an appearance in David Fincher’s 2007 thriller Zodiac, which was based on Robert Graysmith’s non-fiction book of the same name. A Zodiac Sea Wolf was worn by murder suspect Arthur Leigh Allen in both the novel and the film.
Willy Gad Monnier, a former Tag Heuer employee, bought the Zodiac trademark in 1990, but his firm, Montres Zodiac SA, filed for bankruptcy in November 1997.
Genender International, Inc. bought the Zodiac inventory, including trademarks, registrations, and other assets, in September 1998.
All of the “Point” series models, the Swiss Formulas, the Sea Wolf, and most automatic watches, as well as all of the Zodiac automatic chronographs, were discontinued by Genender. The Super Sea Wolf and the Marine Life were the only two models from the 1990s that were maintained, and both were modified with new metal bands.
Zodiac watches have been around for nearly 120 years, but on October 1, 2001, the brand underwent a major transformation when it was purchased for $4.7 million by The Fossil Group, one of the world’s largest watch manufacturers. However, this was a positive step because Fossil has helped modernize and adapt the brand to meet the needs of today’s customers. Fossil Inc. released the in February 2010.
When did the Zodiac Killer cease murdering people?
The Zodiac Killer was the moniker of an unidentified serial killer who terrorized Northern California in the late 1960s. The case has been dubbed “America’s most famous unsolved murder case,” having become a part of popular culture and prompting amateur investigators to try to solve it.
Between December 1968 and October 1969, the Zodiac murdered five people in the San Francisco Bay Area, in rural, urban, and suburban settings. His known attacks took place in Benicia, Vallejo, unincorporated Napa County, and the city of San Francisco proper, where he targeted young couples and a lone male cab driver. Two of his intended victims made it out alive. The Zodiac claimed responsibility for the murders of 37 people, and he’s been linked to a number of additional cold cases, some in Southern California and others beyond the state.
The Zodiac came up with the term in a series of taunting letters and cards he sent to local media, threatening murder sprees and bombs if they didn’t print them. Cryptograms, or ciphers, were included in some of the letters, in which the killer claimed to be gathering his victims as slaves for the hereafter. Two of his four ciphers have yet to be cracked, and one took 51 years to crack. While various speculations have been proposed as to the identity of the killer, Arthur Leigh Allen, a former elementary school teacher and convicted sex offender who died in 1992, was the only suspect ever publicly recognized by authorities.
Despite the fact that the Zodiac stopped communicating in writing around 1974, the peculiar character of the case piqued international interest, which has persisted throughout the years. The case was deemed “inactive” by the San Francisco Police Department in April 2004, although it was reopened before March 2007. The investigation is still ongoing in Vallejo, as well as Napa and Solano counties. Since 1969, the California Department of Justice has had an open case file on the Zodiac murders.
What makes some timepieces so pricey?
Some timepieces are pricey because they are labor-intensive to make. The cost of materials and manufacturing techniques is what this boils down to. A watch is made up of several different components, each with its own quality/reliability criteria. It will surely be pricey if a watch firm utilizes a precious metal (gold/platinum/etc) watch case with alligator leather strap, but it will be justifiable to sell this for more than a standard watch. Expensive? Yes. Overpriced? Certainly not. Is it really necessary? Given the strength and reliability of stainless steel, I would say that purchasing a precious metal watch is never essential. Precious metal is in more demand.
However, rather from being truly expensive, it is usual to encounter timepieces that are both pricey and overpriced in today’s market. The majority of these timepieces are considered quick fashion. They use low-cost materials to make unstable watches, and they employ excellent marketing skills to sell a costly watch. I’d compare them to a marketing business with a product rather than a watch company doing marketing. The tale is what they sell you, at the expense of the product. I’m sure you’d prefer to buy your timepieces from the latter than the former.
What was the Zodiac’s crime?
The Zodiac murderer is an unidentified American serial killer suspected of killing at least five persons in northern California between 1968 and 1969. The Zodiac killer is also allegedly blamed for the stabbing death of an 18-year-old college student in Riverside, California in 1966.
What was the origin of the Zodiac killer’s moniker?
The press began to refer to him as the ‘Zodiac Killer,’ but it is unclear why the killer chose that moniker.
In addition, he would sign his letters with a circle and a cross over it, which resembled a target or a coordinate symbol.
The signature symbols, according to authorities, were designed to symbolize coordinates that could indicate future killing locations.
What was the name of the Zodiac killer?
According to the Case Breakers, a group of more than 40 former police investigators, journalists, and military intelligence personnel, Gary Francis Poste is the Zodiac Killer. The investigation was based on forensic evidence, images discovered in Poste’s darkroom, and part of the serial killer’s coded notes, according to the investigators.