Zenith Automatic Cal.2522 9ct 1962

Zenith

Zenith is one of the oldest watch manufacturers, est.1865 and one of only a handful which has always produced its own movements. The company has an almost unparalleled record of technical achievements and notably, in 1929, Zenith won world renown at Kew Observatory (England), when a Zenith wristwatch won first prize for an accuracy of better than 0.6 seconds per day. During the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, Zenith held the lead in producing the most commercially successful and technically advanced, chronograph wristwatches. Later, Zenith became the first in 1969, to develop a high-frequency automatic integrated column-wheel chronograph, powered by the legendary El Primero movement, beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour. This obsession with precision, as well as this constant quest for technical innovation, has been duly rewarded; the Manufacture has been awarded 2,333 chronometry prizes as well as eight medals, making it the most titled brand in the field of precision. The company has also provided a huge number of movements to many other manufacturers for their more technically advanced watches, including even Rolex for their Daytona Chronograph!

Description

The 1960s saw Zenith produce some of the greatest watch movements available from any manufacturer. Zenith watch movements were incredibly advanced and the watch we have here is an excellent example, having a superb Swiss made 9ct yellow gold case and the highly regarded Calibre 2522 automatic movement. This watch is completely original, unrestored and untouched and remains in simply outstanding condition. The wonderful use of mixed hour indices on the subtle gold dial is so simple, yet simply stunning.

The Dial

The classic and beautifully styled subtle gold dial is completely original and unrestored. This wonderful dial carries mixed ‘baton’ hour indices along with standard Arabic numerals at ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’, matched with original 1960s ‘index’ hands. This is an impressive dial and the dial and indices complement the 9ct yellow gold case perfectly.

The dial carries the Zenith signature star and is signed ‘Zenith’ and ‘Automatic’ with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

This dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and shows some wonderful signs of ageing in the spotting and pitting you see across the dial. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition. While the dial is in excellent condition for the year and many collectors prefer original and untouched dials, if a customer prefers we could restore the dial of this watch back to its original condition, at no extra cost.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

This watch carries its original 28 Jewel, Calibre 2522P Automatic movement which is in sparkling condition. This movement has been fully overhauled and serviced, involving full dismantling of the watch and movement, ultrasonic cleaning of all parts and close inspection of all critical surfaces under high magnification, then replacement as required with genuine new original parts, careful reassembly and oiling, using all the correct lubricants to the manufacturer’s specification, before final testing and calibration. This watch is now running perfectly having been calibrated and timed at +9 seconds per day. This timing has been confirmed on our electronic timegrapher and is truly outstanding for any watch of this age.

The watch movement is simply signed ‘Zenith’ and ‘Swiss Made’ and carries the Calibre 2522P along with the movement serial number 5280469 which dates this watch to 1962. This particular movement is in first class condition and with regular servicing, say around every 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many generations to come. We are therefore very confident offering 12 months’ warranty on this watch movement*.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Watch Case