For Sale: Zodiac Orbiter Automatic

[reydelaplaya]

Butch, first off, thank you very much for providing a space for us to sell our Zodiacs within our family of aficionados! It's greatly appreciated!

Up for sale is my Mens Zodiac Orbiter Automatic - and if I understand correctly, it's the predecessor to the Astrographic.  It is completely original, and is the best condition Zodiac in my collection. It was purchased by me a couple years ago from the son of the original owner.

Its brushed gold plated case and bracelet are really nice. It seems to have only been worn occasionally during it's 40+ years, resulting in reasonably minimal wear. Only light surface scratches and hairlines around the bezel, and a couple minor dings at both 11:00 and 10:30. The brushed gold case is otherwise clean and bright, and hasn't been polished down, so its starburst pattern still plays beautifully with light as intended. There are a couple of typical wear spots on the sharp edges of the underside - indicated in one of the photos - but they are not at all visible when wrist mounted.

The original brushed champagne dial is perfect, with all lettering, 'Zodiac Orbiter Automatic Swiss', perfectly crisp, unfaded and without patina. The 'hands/seconds' disks are also perfect and crisp, without haze or patina, and are completely clear, with glowing lume as well.

The glass crystal has a a slight pin-prick at the edge of 11:00 and a few parallel scratches across that aren't very visible in the photos, but do exist, and show when viewed at just the right angle. They have been circled in red in one of the photos for accuracy. My guess would be that they probably all happened at the same time, and shortly thereafter the original owner put the watch in storage for fear of wearing/scratching it more. They are not very deep, and I'd bet with a little jewelers rouge in the hands of a professional, would probably polish out quite nicely. The painted underside of the crystal is crisp and otherwise perfect, with glowing lume at the hours.

The crown is the original, signed with Zodiac symbol, plated, and shows minimal wear.

The original JB/Zodiac bracelet also shows minimal wear, as does the signed clasp. All brushed gold plate, very attractive and shiny. One little scratch on the bracelet near the clasp, but otherwise just faint hairlines, and is about as good as they come, with no wear through on the edges. The stainless mesh underside of the bracelet is also nice and clean.

The screw down stainless case back is clean, shiny, and the lettering is crisp. It shows only a few light case-wrench scratches that would also probably polish out in the right hands. It has the numbers 723 953 B printed inside, along with the usual Zodiac Ltd. LeLocle Swiss Fond Acier Inoxydable. Additionally, it has it's latest service inscription '4-09 PWR' which was BWG.

The movement is a Zodiac Automatic 72 D, with push-set date at 3:00. It has no rust or patina, with all lettering on the rotor crisp and gold inlayed.  I would consider it 'perfect' as well, as it was completely serviced/cleaned by BWG in April of 2009. It's fully running and keeping great vintage time.

Overall, in my humble opinion, and comparing it to the rest of my collection of vintage Zodiacs, I'd give this watch about an 8 out of 10, with potential for better if those scratches were polished off the crystal.

It was originally intended to be a gift for my brother, but I just couldn't justify sacrificing such a fine Zodiac specimen to the perils of his wrist. LOL He still got a nice vintage watch, BTW, just one that's a bit less unique. I think this watch belongs better in the hands of another Zodiac collector, who will take care of it properly. So it has been sitting in my display box since its service, worn only once by me, yet wound and set periodically.

I realize that the Orbiter is not a Sea Wolf, so it is not the most popular Zodiac out there. LOL It is, however, from judging by Butch's site, a relative rarity in its own right, as the Orbiter doesn't seem to have been produced very long before the Astrographic came along.

As far as the price, I'm not really sure where to begin. I haven't seen too many of these, so it's a bit difficult to judge an asking price; so I'll put it up at a ballpark $300 and be open to offers. I will include USPS Priority Mail shipping, insurance, and tracking at my expense anywhere in the postal USA. I will also ship internationally if desired, but shipping will have to be charged at exact cost. If you are at an international location and interested, please (PM) contact me through this site for an accurate shipping quote.

Though I still appear here as a 'newbie', I have been a member of this site for quite a while, and most of you probably recognize me as such (hopefully, at least! LOL). I have also been a member on eB*y under the same username as here (reydelaplaya) for the last few years, and have 100% positive feedback for both purchases and sales. I'm a Zodiac collector, just like you, and will always deal in a friendly and professional manner. PayPal is the only method of payment I can accept at the moment.

The photo of it in an Olympos box is just a snapshot from my phone. I will upload the rest of the photos tomorrow when I'm at my computer. *the box is for display only and is not included in this sale*

Thanks for taking the time to check out my 'for sale'. And thanks again, Butch, for making it possible. :) Any questions, please ask.

- rey



*** oops, looks like I can't attach a photo from my phone, which is where I wrote all this text (sorry it's a book, just want to make sure it's well described so it's well received) I'll upload all the pics tomorrow.

[reydelaplaya]

Well, rats! Wireless internet isn't working, so looks like I'll have to do this the hard way! LOL

These have been transferred back to my phone, and uploaded through photobucket, so I don't know how much resolution quality was lost in the process. If you want me to email the photos to you let me know.

***The price listed is completely negotiable, and was posted only to be following house rules.***

If you're interested, please don't hesitate to make an offer, anything reasonable will certainly considered. :)

PS. The intersection of the red arrows point to the little scratch on the bracelet mentioned in the previous post.

[reydelaplaya]

Sorry guys, my mistake... I've reread my description and realize I didn't describe the clasp in good enough detail. It does have light hairline scratches on it that aren't visible in the photo, but are still there. Nothing bad or ugly.

Just wanted to clarify this, for accuracy's sake.

- rey

[CharlesJr]

Hey , do you still have the watch? If so e-mail me please.

[Pete Bell]

Is this still for sale?

Very interested!


Cheers

Pete