I wrote you back on FB in the vintage watches group. Cheers !!!

As I wrote above, unfortunately, no archives have survived that allow access to serial numbers to determine the exact date of manufacture of a particular model. I only own one ref.908, the other 2 are ref.905.
The black dial and moon phase have been refinished. The automatic and calendar fonts were reapplied, as were the numerals in the pointer date, since the original inscriptions were hardly visible anymore. I believe that, all ref.908 should have the calendar inscription, as they are presented in the 1955 and 1961 catalogs, which proves that the models were not subjected to facelifts and visual changes. My model has a high serial number so it was certainly made much later than yours, but when exactly - that's a question I don't know the answer to, unfortunately. Cheers !!!

Quote from: bumo79 on January 05, 2025, 06:37:46 PMHi. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to estimate the exact dates of introduction of these models because much of the archival material was lost with the bankruptcy of the company in 1979. The only things we have are surviving catalogs, press materials and advertisements. Based on what I've been able to find, the 905 model was available as early as 1949, as evidenced by an advertisement in the Zodiac Archive book. It is also presented in the catalog of 1952 (cal.12) and 1955 (catalog name Edward 1736) already together with the automatic model (catalog name Leonard 1732). In the next material from 1961 only the automatic model is presented, which allows us to conclude that ref.905 has ceased to be produced. I have in my possession a full set of ref.905 with a proof of purchase from 1959, which allows me to make the claim that the model was certainly produced in
1949-59.
Ref.908 of the first generation appears in the 1955 catalog and is offered to customers in an unchanged version also in 1961, which gives evidence that the second generation could not have been produced in 1961- 1962.
The Grant (catalog name 1737) because that is the name of the second-generation Ref.743-908 model did not show up until 1964 and in my opinion it was produced until 1975, as it no longer appears in later catalogues. . These are my personal observations and I would be happy to learn more about TDMP if anyone has any additional information. Dawid.

Cheers !!!

Thanks so much for this info!!!  Very helpful!!!!  One last question.... your 908 has the word "CALENDAR" below the moon phase; mine does not.  Do you know if this is because of the manufacturer date?  And if so, which came first?  You have the largest collection of  Triple Date Moonphase watches I have seen in one place.  Would you consider giving us a list of the serial numbers?  I'm trying to date mine.  My serial number is 390067:

This 1st gen Triple Calendar Moon Phase is for sale online (click thumbnails for larger photos):



The serial number has seven digits. I thought Zodiacs of this timeframe only had six digits!!? Can anyone clarify?  Also, the listing shows the year of production as 1960. Based on some recent excellent info posted on this forum, I'm assuming the listing is simply incorrect.

Hi all,

I am helping a man from a local watch group sell a Zodiac found in a drawer when his girlfriend's grandfather passed a few years back. He is not into watches and has no experience buying and selling them, so he asked me to do it for him. The watch appears to be very attractive - perhaps it would be of interest to some of you? Unfortunately it's out of my current price range.

Its a Zodia-Chron (chronograph) Hermetic featuring a Valjoux 72 movement verified by a local watchmaker, its running but unserviced and it sits on what appears to be an original Tissot bracelet.

There is a small chip or crack in the crystal and some metallic bubbles on the case. They probably stem from welding as the grandfather was a mechanic.

The grandfather did not collect but owned a handfull of watches, this by far being the most attractive. Most likely he was the original owner, and if he bought it locally it has come through my father's Danish Zodiac agency. It is believed (as already indicated) that he used it on a daily basis ie for work.

My research so far indicates a price level above 4000 USD, so it's offered at 4500 USD excl shipping. I'm prepared to stand corrected on the evaluation, we are open to negotiation.

I have well reputed watchmaker on standby to help me take a closer look at it if you have questions or need further validation, this however will be at the buyers expense.

Please reach out if this has anyones interest here.

Very nice watch! Zodiac was owned by Zenith from around 1979 to 1990. In later years it appears they shelved the brand. Enter Willy Gad Monnier who bought it off them - he was an ex Heuer executive, in fact responsible for the back-stabbing action that ousted Jack Heuer, the last of the Heuer-dynasty, from the business. Apparently he came with some rights to Heuer designs, at least many have noted the similarities in that period. This was before TAG Heuer achieved the status it has today, as many other brands they barely survived the quartz crisis and were still recovering. The info you can find indicates that Zenith continued to produce the watches for Mr. Monnier. It also appears that they did a good job, these watches are often praised by collectors and watchmakers on social media, in fact my wife wears a Monnier Zodiac to work every day (even if a quartz variant, this was as far as my budget stretched that Christmas). The contemporary catalogues indicate that Zodiacs from this period came in three sizes, small medium and "regular" ie what we would consider a mens watch. This I seem to remember was also a feature when Zenith owned the brand, perhaps even before that (but for this I rely on my personal memory af unpacking crates of Zodiacs when I was perhaps twelve, so consider it anecdotical)

I am looking for a hair spring replacement for a Zodiac SST3600.  The movement diagram shows the part number to be 734.  Is there a suitable replacement since this is a high beat movement?

Thanks for contibuting Dawid!

Hi. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to estimate the exact dates of introduction of these models because much of the archival material was lost with the bankruptcy of the company in 1979. The only things we have are surviving catalogs, press materials and advertisements. Based on what I've been able to find, the 905 model was available as early as 1949, as evidenced by an advertisement in the Zodiac Archive book. It is also presented in the catalog of 1952 (cal.12) and 1955 (catalog name Edward 1736) already together with the automatic model (catalog name Leonard 1732). In the next material from 1961 only the automatic model is presented, which allows us to conclude that ref.905 has ceased to be produced. I have in my possession a full set of ref.905 with a proof of purchase from 1959, which allows me to make the claim that the model was certainly produced in
1949-59.
Ref.908 of the first generation appears in the 1955 catalog and is offered to customers in an unchanged version also in 1961, which gives evidence that the second generation could not have been produced in 1961- 1962.
The Grant (catalog name 1737) because that is the name of the second-generation Ref.743-908 model did not show up until 1964 and in my opinion it was produced until 1975, as it no longer appears in later catalogues. . These are my personal observations and I would be happy to learn more about TDMP if anyone has any additional information. Dawid.

Cheers !!!

I have this same understanding.