Zenith Chronometer

£ 3,950
This is a beautiful Zenith chronometer from 1954, it's powered by the legendary Zenith calibre 135 movement which is widely considered to be the most elegant manual wind movement ever made. The watch is a classic in understated elegance - the stainless steel case is well proportioned and a good size at 37mm. The silvered dial is pristine with bold faceted markers and a wonderfully clear overall appearance. The watch has the original signed Zenith crown.

The Zenith 135 movement was designed to compete in the Neuchâtel Observatory competitions for precision time keepers, the rules stipulated a maximum movement diameter of 30mm and height of 5mm. To maximise the performance within these constraints, Ephrem Jobin the designer sought to incorporate the largest possible balance wheel (all other things being equal a larger balance will perform more accurately). The large balance is clear in the images of the movement - it occupies nearly half the width of the movement.

The movement was a triumph for Zenith, it won an unprecedented five consecutive Neuchâtel Observatory chronometry prizes from 1950 to 1954. In all, the movement garnered about 200 honors, two-thirds of which were first prizes. There is an excellent article on the development of the cal 135 here

The movement has been fully serviced and regulated, the performance, even after 50 years is superb. The case has been ultrasonically cleaned, but like all our vintage watches we have left it unpolished. It is supplied with a new Hirsch leather strap. This is a very fine watch and will bring many years of happiness and pride to the owner.

Case diameter (excluding winding crown): 37mm
Case material: Stainless steel
strap width: 18mm
time keeping: grade A+

We aim to dispatch all watch orders within 2-3 working days, where this isn't possible, we will try to inform you via email.

When your order is dispatched your tracking details will be updated.

Please allow extra processing time for watches with a customised engraving or strap, during busy sales periods this can sometimes take an extra 5-10 working days.

If you are in a hurry for your watch, please email us.

Shipping guide for watches:

UK: FREE DPD shipping, 1-2 working days
United States & Canada: FREE Fedex shipping, 1-3 working days
The EU: FREE DHL Express shipping, 1-3 working days

Click here to see the full shipping guide for watches

Shipping guide for straps (unless purchased with a watch): 

Free Royal Mail 1st Class / International tracked shipping, 2-14 working days depending on location. You can see a more accurate timescale when you input your address at the checkout.

Shipping guide for t-shirts

All t-shirts on our website are now printed and shipped by an external supplier inside the UK. This means that if you place an order for both a watch and a t-shirt, they will be shipped separately.

Our supplier uses a Royal Mail tracked service for all shipments and this usually takes a little longer than our watches. You can see an estimated timescale when you input your address at the checkout.

 

Please note, during busy sale periods dispatch may take a little longer (this is quite rare). These delivery times are a guide based on the carriers terms of service, products may, in some unusual cases take longer to arrive. If this happens, please get in touch. 

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