Zenith Cal.2542 9ct 1958

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 1940’s 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 1950s saw Zenith produce some of the finest watch movements available from any manufacturer and technically, the company was very advanced. The watch we have here is an excellent example, having a semi hi-beat movement and also a very high grade, single piece 9ct gold watch case, which prevents moisture and dust from either entering the case from the rear, as the case-back is solid and not removable, or via the bezel, since it doesn’t have one! This watch also features outstanding breguet style standard Arabic numerals which gives this watch an incredibly bold look upon the wrist.

The Dial

The wonderful ‘art-deco’ silver dial, with bold black breguet 1 – 12 Standard Arabic numerals and matching original black ‘stick’ hands, is in the classic 1950s, slightly high-tech style. This is an impressive dial due to the contrast between the silver of the dial and the yellow gold of the case and the very bold but beautiful dial furnishings.

The dial carries the Zenith signature star and is simply signed ‘Zenith’ just below 12.

However, perhaps the most notable feature of this dial is its complete originality. The dial has not been restored or retouched in any way. Even more remarkably it is in top condition and shows no signs of ageing visible to the naked eye. Only very close up, under high magnification can some of the slightest signs of scratching and some spots be found. This is remarkable for a watch over 50 years old and indicates the watch has seen little real use.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. 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.

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

The Zenith Calibre 2542 movement specification is also quite special, beating at 21,600 beats per hour rather than the more usual 18,000 or 19.800. When one listens to this movement ticking, one can definitely hear this is a semi hi-beat movement. Generally speaking the higher the beats per hour, the higher the accuracy of the movement, all other factors remaining the same. This movement is also known as the ‘6 beat’ because it beats at 6 beats per second. It was a very successful movement used in Zenith’s top of the range hand wounds, remaining in production between 1965 and 1969.

The movement has just been thoroughly overhauled and serviced by our watchmaker. This means fully dismantling the watch and movement, ultrasonic cleaning of all parts, inspection to the critical surfaces under high magnification and replacement as required with genuine new original parts, then careful reassembly and oiling, using all the correct lubricants to manufacturer’s specification before final testing and calibration. This watch is therefore now running perfectly having been calibrated and timed at +12 seconds per day! Please note, this timing is outstanding for any watch of this age. The power reserve is still high for a semi hi-beat movement at 50 hours when fully wound. The watch movement is signed Zenith, Swiss Made, 17 Jewels and carries the Calibre number 2542.

The Watch Case