Restoring A Vintage Zodiac SeaWolf

[JohnBaker3]

http://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the...lf-caliber-72b

Hey Guys:

Great article over on HODINKEE about the servicing of a Zodiac SeaWolf.

Ever since they ran another thread about this 35.5mm cased watch 18 months ago, I have been somewhat enthralled by this watch. It is slightly "under the radar" and the many versions produced make it very collectable at a reasonable price point. Many examples have Viet Nam history after being purchased in the local PX's for less than $100...

Anyway, my vintage collection now consists of 4 pieces: 2 white dials and 2 black dials; a date version and a non-date version in both colors. Depending on the year of manufacture (late 50's till mid 70's) the bezel came in several variations as well as multiple bracelet styles.

The earliest Rolex GMT's (ref 6542) came with a "bakelite" plastic insert then progresses to the aluminum versions. With the SeaWolfs, the earliest pieces had metallic bezels and the newest versions got the plastics...

I suspect that as they become discussed more on the internet, the rarer peices will be priced higher and higher.....sound familiar? In the meantime, check them out and don't let the small size fool you; they are really cool timekeepers IMHO.

Here's an interesting link if you want a little history and good info:

http://www.vintagezodiacs.com/

[mps354]

Great looking watch, thanks for sharing

[sea-dweller]

Nice!

[yoniman]

Originally Posted by JohnBaker3

http://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the...lf-caliber-72b

Hey Guys:

Great article over on HODINKEE about the servicing of a Zodiac SeaWolf.

Ever since they ran another thread about this 35.5mm cased watch 18 months ago, I have been somewhat enthralled by this watch. It is slightly "under the radar" and the many versions produced make it very collectable at a reasonable price point. Many examples have Viet Nam history after being purchased in the local PX's for less than $100...

Anyway, my vintage collection now consists of 4 pieces: 2 white dials and 2 black dials; a date version and a non-date version in both colors. Depending on the year of manufacture (late 50's till mid 70's) the bezel came in several variations as well as multiple bracelet styles.

The earliest Rolex GMT's (ref 6542) came with a "bakelite" plastic insert then progresses to the aluminum versions. With the SeaWolfs, the earliest pieces had metallic bezels and the newest versions got the plastics...

I suspect that as they become discussed more on the internet, the rarer peices will be priced higher and higher.....sound familiar? In the meantime, check them out and don't let the small size fool you; they are really cool timekeepers IMHO.

Here's an interesting link if you want a little history and good info:

http://www.vintagezodiacs.com/

Wow! Zodiac actually popularize the "diver's watch" long before non-divers started using them.

[JohnBaker3]

Hey Batman:

Thanks for digging out this older thread; I went back and re-read the HODINKEE article; it's still a great piece to review!

I still have my 4 ZODIACs and still wear them on a regular basis.

Life is good; collect good watches !!