Results for Zodiac

Zodiac Celebrates 140th Anniversary

Jaquet Droz Introduces the Dragon Automaton

Already a prolific maker of wristwatches with tiny, intricate automatons – with tropical birds and magic lotus being part of its repertoire – Jaquet Droz has turned to the realm of Middle Earth for its latest creation. Featuring an automaton with nine mechanical animations, the Jaquet Droz Dragon Automaton was designed by Canadian illustrator John Howe. When it comes to dragons and fantasy lands, Mr Howe’s credentials are impeccable. Amongst his past roles was one of the two chief designers of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And aside from the Dragon Automaton, another of Mr Howe’s most recent works was designing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the Amazon production that’s the most expensive television series in history. Initial thoughts Dragons are a common theme on watches, but usually of the East Asian kind and typically in the Year of the Dragon of the Chinese Zodiac – a simple reflection of where most demand for luxury watches originates. A dragon of the European fantasy genre is less common; in fact, I cannot recall another watch that depicts themes from the fantasy genre. This makes the Dragon Automaton unique, both figuratively and literally. The motif is usual and esoteric so its appeal will certainly be niche at best. This version has an onyx dial with a hand-engraved dragon sculpture set against a similarly engraved mountain backdrop – the aesthetic is entirely The Lord of the Rings But that is exactly the point, since each Dragon Automa...

Hands-On: What's Better, The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver In Stainless Steel Or In Titanium?

One diver in two different materials. Which is better?

Zodiac Watches: A Comprehensive History and Guide to the Modern Collec

If you’ve only recently discovered Zodiac watches - a strong likelihood, as its most well-known and popular model, the Super Sea Wolf, has only been back on the market since 2015 - you may be surprised to learn that Zodiac traces its watchmaking history all the way back to 1882, and that it launched the first Sea Wolf dive watch back in 1953, placing it in the same historical company as other pioneering dive watches debuting in that seminal year, like the much more heralded Rolex Submariner and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Today the most prestigious and historical watch brand within the huge, Texas-based Fossil Group, Zodiac continues its longstanding tradition of offering distinctively styled Swiss Made watches at accessible prices, with some of the most popular models reviving its milestone designs from the mid-20th Century. THE BEGINNINGS Second-generation watchmaker Ariste Calame founded the workshop that would grow into the Zodiac watch company in 1882 in Le Locle, in Switzerand’s Jura Mountains. The first timepieces Calame made there were originally branded under his own name. In 1895, the founder’s son Louis Ariste Calame, who had also trained as a watchmaker, took over the business at the age of 20 and registered the name “Zodiac” in 1908, applying it to the innovative flat pocket watches, called Zodiac Triumph, which the company began producing in 1924, equipped with the in-house Caliber 1617 (below, via Watchuseek). In the wake of World War I, however, ...

The SJX x Kudoke “Zodiac” Nominated for GPHG 2022

The preeminent – and perhaps only international – awards for watchmaking, Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), has just announced the competing timepieces of 2022. We are please that one of own editions, the Kudoke 2 “Zodiac”, is competing in “Artistic Crafts”. Created last year for the 10th anniversary of SJX Watches, the Kudoke 2 “Zodiac” is a candidate alongside marques like Voutilainen and Hermes in a category that calls for “exceptional mastery of one or several artistic techniques such as enamelling, lacquering, engraving, guilloché (engine-turning), skeleton-working, etc.” The Zodiac is all about engraving – done by hand naturally – with both the front and back decorated in relief and textures. Both the dial and movement are fully engraved by the hands of the skilful artisans at Kudoke. The hand engraving is extensive and complete, with is nothing on the dial or movement that is engraved by machine – even the brand name on the dial is executed by hand. But the Zodiac is more than just artisanal technique. It is also an artistic creation: the hour symbols on the dial were commissioned especially for the watch and drawn by Canadian illustrator Lee Yuen-Rapati, who’s now the in-house designer at Fears. He cleverly combined both a sign of the zodiac and Roman numeral into each hour markers. The marker at ten, for instance, is Aquarius but also contains “X”, the Roman numeral for “10”. To echo the celestial theme on the fr...

The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver Titanium brings the summertime funk

Zodiac has enjoyed something of a resurgence lately, with bold colour choices for their vintage-inspired Super Sea Wolf divers and GMTs. To celebrate their 140th birthday, Zodiac is introducing the new Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver Titanium, a piece that is set to sit at the very top of their offering. Like many Zodiac releases, the … ContinuedThe post The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver Titanium brings the summertime funk appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Vintage Watches: A 1970s Heuer Carrera, A 1970s Patek Philippe 'Backwind' Retailed By Tiffany & Co., And A 1970s Zodiac Orbiter

"I believe in the Golden Rule … the man with the gold rules." - Mr. T

Happy Chinese New Year Of The Tiger 2022 With 8 Auspicious Big Cats Featuring On Wristwatches

It is now a tradition for watchmakers to observe Chinese New Year by creating beautiful, decorative, limited edition timepieces adorned with symbolic depictions of the appropriate sign of the Chinese zodiac – often using rare, artistic techniques paying tribute to the eastern calendar. The Year of the Tiger – which is the third animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle – begins on February 1, 2022. Elizabeth Doerr shares eight auspicious examples here.

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Mainline: We Actually Don’t Hate These!

Whenever Zodiac releases new Super Sea Wolf models, we just assume they're going to be little out there and not very appealing. This time we were wrong.

Introducing the Kudoke 2 “Zodiac” - SJX Edition Two

Like the recent Habring² Erwin “Star”, the Kudoke 2 “Zodiac” was conceived to encapsulate the brand’s work while being different enough to stand apart from its other watches. Limited to 21 pieces (and one prototype), the Zodiac is the first watch in the brand’s Handwerk collection that is fully engraved on the front and back – entirely hand engraved in fact, with the only machine engraving on the watch being the markings on the rim of the case back. Origins This started with the simple fact that I was impressed with the Kudoke 2 when I first saw it in 2019. The watch also won the Petite Aiguille prize at the year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). Equally important was the fact that I appreciate the specialised, artisanal nature of the Dresden-based brand, which is essentially a husband-and-wife enterprise led by by Stefan and Ev Kudoke. That said, I did wish the dial of the Kudoke 2 had more detail. And at the same time, Kudoke historically specialised in hand-engraved movements, which made it was obvious the solution was to enhance the Kudoke 2 with engraved decoration. “Kudoke” is hand engraved on the applied plaque whereas on the standard model it is machine engraved The starting point of the Zodiac was the day-and-night indicator on the standard Kudoke 2 – it is my favourite element and had to be retained. And its celestial-Art Deco would influence the rest of the Zodiac’s design. The day and night scale with a tiny crescent at 12 ...

Introducing the New Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Collection

Zodiac adds two new models to their Skin collection, and another two new models to the Compression collection. Both collections are inspired by the legendary 1953 Zodiac diver’s watches and offered in a compact size with upgraded movement.

Konstantin Chaykin Introduces the Wristmon Minotaur

Four years after the debut of the Joker – and its myriad subsequent iterations – Russian independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin still manages to surprise and impress. The latest version of Chaykin’s googly-eyed wristwatch is the Wristmon Minotaur. The third instalment in the watchmaker’s annual Chinese zodiac edition, the Minotaur has a case and dial that mimics the head of a bull, since 2021 is the Year of the Ox. Although its hour and minute display are identical to the early versions of the Joker, the Minotaur has been upgraded in several ways, including with a dual-letter day display and a Vaucher base movement. Initial thoughts The Minotaur is another excellent design by Mr Chaykin, and one of his more amusing creations since the original Joker. Not only does the dial form a face, but the case has been reworked to resemble a bull’s head with asymmetric lugs where the upper pair resemble a pair of horns. More importantly, the Minotaur is not merely a tweak of colour or design. Its functionality has been revamped, namely with the nostril display that shows the first two letters of the day. In fact, the novel day display is another example of Mr Chaykin’s ingenious realisation of function following form, but done well enough that it feels just right. And the price of the Minotaur is in line with recent watches in the Wristmon collection, which is around US$22,000. While significantly pricier than the original Joker that cost around about US$7,500, the new ...

Interview: Worn & Wound’s Chief Creative Officer Shares The Inspiration Behind A New ’90s-Inspired Collab With Zodiac

Zach Weiss opens his Trapper Keeper of inspiration.

Vintage Watches: A 1960s Zodiac Sea Wolf With Tropical Dial, A 1950s Breitling Dress Watch, And A 1960s Heuer Autavia 'Dato'

Datos and power reserves and Explorers, oh my!

KEF Elements Debuts with an Affordable Aventurine-Glass Dial

A Singaporean retailer that specialises in affordable, unconventional watches such as SevenFriday and Gorilla, Red Army Watches (RAW) now debuts its own label, KEF Elements. The brand’s maiden model is the Time & Space, a time-only wristwatch with an aventurine-glass dial bearing a glow-in-the-dark zodiac constellation. Initial thoughts Having known RAW founder Sugi Kusumadi for several years, I’ve come to admire Sugi’s passion for unusual timepieces. That’s been evident in past collaborations RAW has embarked on with a number of brands, most notably with Gorilla and Stowa. Its own brand feels like a natural next step for RAW. While the brand is brand new, KEF Elements is very much like many of the brands RAW carries, offering an intriguing aesthetic for relatively little money. Inspired by “the mystique and vastness of space”, the aventurine-glass dial lives up to the Time & Space moniker. Its sparkling surface and luminous constellation successfully evoke the cosmos. Aside from the aventurine dial, another striking aspect of the watch are the dozen dials on offer, each bearing one of the 12 zodiac constellations. An individual zodiac constellation at this price is an unusual proposition, so kudos to RAW. Celestial themes on aventurine glass have been done before, but they are usually accompanied by a hefty price tag, thus making the price of KEF Elements watch notable. With a current pre-order price of S$789, or a little bit under US$600, KEF Elements’ d...

Zodiac Introduces the Super Sea Wolf Aquamarine Dream

Zodiac has in recent years revived most of its best-known sports watches, namely the Sea Wolf divers produced from the 1950s to the 1970s. Appealing because they are reassuringly retro and eminently affordable, the Sea Wolf remakes are mostly offered in the same colours as the vintage originals were. But now Zodiac has just debuted the Super Sea Wolf Aquamarine Dream, a special edition conceived in collaboration with Ariel Adams, the founder of American watch magazine aBlogtoWatch. Inspired by the marine colours of Nassau during a 2019 trip to the Bahamas, Ariel’s creation is rendered in several shades of green-blue, right down to the hue of Super-Luminova and the “tropic” style rubber strap. Initial thoughts Ariel founded aBlogtoWatch (ABTW) in 2007, making him a watch-blog pioneer. I’ve known Ariel for about a decade or so and respect him for his frank, accessible approaching to covering watches. Granted, I don’t always agree with his opinion, but certainly appreciate the unpretentious style of ABTW, especially Ariel’s editorials and podcasts. Priced at just under US$1,500, the Aquamarine Dream combines cheerful and vintage-inspired looks along with an accessible price tag – an honest product I would expect from Ariel. It reminds me of another recent remake that I like, the Longines BigEye in titanium, which also preserves the design of the vintage original but adds a healthy dose of modern colour and texture. Notably, it is not a limited edition, and al...

Zodiac to Partner with Candy Companies for Limited Edition Bezel Colorways

“By this time next year, we’ll expand even further into the junk food franchises… get ready for the Pink Starburst Seawolf.  The Astropop. The Count Chocula GMT… Ecto Cooler… The Hamburglar… Cool Ranch Doritos… iconic names for iconic color sets.

Happy Chinese New Year Of The Ox 2021 With 8 Auspicious Ox-Themed Wristwatches

It is now a tradition for watch brands to commemorate Chinese New Year by creating beautiful, decorative, limited editions artistically depicting the appropriate sign of the Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Ox – which is the second animal in the Chinese 12-year zodiac cycle – begins on February 12, 2021. Elizabeth Doerr shares 8 of this year's colorful offerings here.

Introducing The Zodiac Sherbet Orange and Cream GMT - The Super Sea Wolf You Voted For

Zodiac releases a new colorway of the Super Sea Wolf GMT that looks good enough to eat. The 24 hour bezel is a 50/50 split of sherbet orange and cream resembling an iconic frozen treat.

Introducing: The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT Limited Edition

Hot watch summer, baby.

Bring a Loupe: An Impossibly Clean Zodiac, A Radical Mido, And A Dressy Calatrava

Variety is the theme in this week's round-up of vintage watches from around the web.

Just Because: The Signs Of the Zodiac And The Watches That Go With Them

It's Taurus szn, y'all!

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 68 Saturation

Zodiac has just announced its latest iteration of the Super Sea Wolf 68 Saturation. Following the release of the Andy Mann limited edition, the brand likely got a lot of feedback asking for a non-limited Sea Wolf 68 on a traditional link bracelet. And they’ve has delivered on just that.

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Compression Automatic Black

Zodiac has announced a new addition to its growing Super Sea Wolf collection with a bit of a twist - here’s a quick look at the brand new Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Compression Automatic Black.

Introducing: The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 68 Saturation x Andy Mann Limited Edition

An ocean explorer sinks his teeth into dive watch design.

Zodiac Andy Mann Super Sea Wolf 68

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Bring a Loupe: An Omega Speedmaster Ref. 145.022, A Patek Philippe Ref. 404, A Zodiac Sea Wolf Rally, And A Breitling Unitime Ref. 1-260

We're back with a round up of tempting vintage watches from around the web to carry you into the weekend.

INTRODUCING: The Limited Edition Zodiac X Liberty Super Sea Wolf

Hot off the heels of their last limited-run homage piece, the Astrographic, Zodiac has teamed up with the London-based luxury retailer Liberty to give us this – the Zodiac X Liberty Super Sea Wolf. Like Zodiac, Liberty has been around for more than a century, and has a brilliant history of providing Londoners, as well … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Limited Edition Zodiac X Liberty Super Sea Wolf appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Value Proposition: The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Compression 'Blue Lagoon' Watches

Summer's not over yet!

A watch for C-3PO - the Zodiac Astrographic Limited Edition

The recent anniversary of the moon landing saw my Instagram feed explode with Speedmaster wrist shots, and an overwhelming number of watch brands releasing special edition watches to commemorate the event. But when the new Zodiac Astrographic Limited Edition somehow beat the algorithm and made its way onto the top of my explore feed, I … ContinuedThe post A watch for C-3PO – the Zodiac Astrographic Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.