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| The Story Behind This Watch |
Before I get to the review I’ll answer the question of why I sold this watch. The answer is: greed.
I found something else, is the bottom line, and I needed the funds. When I weighed what I wanted up against this watch, well, you can see which one by the fact that the Zodiac is now in my Sold pages. Were I presented with the option I could see myself owning this watch again one day, maybe in the orange or yellow face instead.
Why this watch?: I first saw this watch back in March on TZ in a “New Model” post by Jorge Merino (you can view the post here), it was titled “N E W M o d e l – Zodiac Seawolf Automatic Diver” although I can find no reference to the Seawolf name on Zodiac’s website or in the packaging of the watch. Despite some comments that the watch was too “chunky” I instantly liked it, for a couple of reasons. First, after the recent rash of quartz released by Zodiac, it was nice to see them put out a new automatic watch. Secondly, come on! It just looks freakin’ cool! The big hands with the minute hand in red, the Zodiac logo in the marker at 12:00, the cool case design reminiscent of some Seiko divers and the big crown made for an attractive package, as far as I was concerned. But, given that I did like it, the sticker price of $495 was not obtainable at that time, so, like many other watches, it went on my wish list.
The appropriate funds finally found their way into my bank account a couple months later. I did not know what I was going to do at the time, until I saw a post on the UDWF of the watch in yellow and that was when it hit me – this is the one! I did some research and found that the only two places that it appears one can get it is from Zodiac directly for $495 or from Nordstroms.com for $495, both full retail price. I’ve not ever paid full retail for a watch (the thrifty bastard that I am) so I did some searching on eBay that came up empty. So, although I knew the price would probably come down in a few months, I went for it anyway. Zodiac was out of stock when I chose to order it, so I went with Nordstroms.com. I ordered early Thursday and paid for overnight shipping hoping it would arrive Friday (I was just too excited, plus I was hoping to take it on my rafting trip ) but it did not ship until Friday so it arrived on Monday. And it’s been on since!
Packaging and Presentation: Like my Zodiac Calame Chronograph the watch arrived in a big black box (5″x5″x5.25″) with “ZODIAC” and the Zodiac logo on the top. The top of the box slides off to reveal a red box underneath, only this box has no top and one side of it folds down like a drawbridge. On top are the Instruction Manual and the Warranty booklet. Opening the flap reveals another black box, this time made of hard plastic with “ZODIAC” on top, the Zodiac logo on two opposite sides of the box and on the other two an 9×9 grid of embossed squares, one of the squares on each side is cut out to show a red square underneath with a white Zodiac logo. You slide the black box up and off to reveal yet another box, this one red translucent plastic. This is what was revealed through the open squares on the black box. The red box is hinged and opens to a white interior and, finally, the watch. In a nutshell, the packaging is cool. Although you think for a while that you’re never going to actually get to the watch.
First Impressions: When I finally got through the extensive packaging and saw the watch I had to laugh. Damn! It was big, but it was cool. Way nicer in person than in the stock photos. I was really struck by the presence when I put it on my wrist. A keeper for sure!
Case & Crown: The case is nice and big at 45mm (Jorge’s post states 41mm which is clearly incorrect; the Zodiac site has the correct measurement of 45mm) and 15.5mm high and nice and solid, not at all chunky. The thing I like the most is how the whole case is a nice curve, it fits my 6.75″ wrist like a charm. The caseback is marked with “200 METERS / 660 FEET”, the reference number “ZO8000″, “Swiss Made”, “ZODIAC Divers Club” and then “00136″. I am not sure what this number references, it looks like a serial number as normally used in a limited run. Also on the caseback is the way cool embossed anchor with the two seahorses, one on either side. Very cool caseback, without a doubt. There is no doubt the crown screws down, it takes about 10 turns to get it in/out. The crown is nice and big and easy to grab. When screwed in approx. 3mm of the crown extends beyond the case. Unscrewed the crown is approx. 6.5mm long. Not small at all! It is also signed with the Zodiac logo.
Dial, Bezel, Hands & Lume: The bezel rotates with 120 solid clicks, it is a little stiff, but not so much that it is difficult to turn. The serrated areas make it easy to grasp and turn with bare hands. The dial is a nice deep black and does have a fan pattern from 12:00 – 3:00, although it is not as apparent as it is on the orange and yellow models. The markers at 2, 6, and 9 are big and a good contrast to the round markers at 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10 & 11. The coolest, of course, is the 12:00 marker with the Zodiac logo as part of the marker. Very cool! Some thought that the hour and minute hands were too similar in length, however I disagree. I have had no problem telling the proper time; it may help that the minute hand is outlined in red. In discussing lume I typically use the Black Monster as a reference point, since I have yet to own a watch that has lumed as bright and long as the monster. We’ll call the Black Monster reference a 9 (out of 10). The hands of the Zodiac do lume quicker and easier than the markers, giving the impression that either different materials were used or different amounts. In just brief sunlight the hour and minute hands will glow brightly, say at a 7, while the markers will be a bit more dim at 5. With prolonged exposure to light the hands easily jump to an 8 and the markers to 7. I have not yet tested the length of the lume on the watch. Overall, I’d give the lume a 7 out of 10; not up to Monster standards, but still very good.
Bracelet and Clasp: The bracelet feels solid and very well built. The lugs are Panerai size at 24mm. Links are held in with pins and it has solid end links. I removed 4 links to size it to my wrist. The clasp has a divers extension and three holes for fine bracelet adjustment. The clasp itself is quite tight on this one, I sometimes have difficulty opening it to put on and take off the watch.
Movement & Performance: The movement of the watch was a debated topic for some time. Based on a post on Time Zone most people thought it had the ETA caliber 2824-2 movement (myself included). After reading about the debate and seeing that there were some who doubted this, I decided to check for myself. You can see for yourself right here. So, what does this mean? Well, that Zodiac went with another movement rather than what was originally announced. Of course, that does not answer how the movement has performed.
The whole movement discussion arose because there were a few (not the majority, I believe, but just a few) who had problems with the movement in their Oceanaires. There is a video of some of the issues on YouTube, you can check it out for youself. Mine, I can happily say, does not have the issues as one can see in this video. It has, however, on occasion, had one of the other symptoms: after setting the time when the crown is pushed back in, the seconds hand jumps ahead 3 or 4 seconds, holds there, and then begins running again. It is not a constant thing with my watch, however. I have observed it a couple of times. Each time it appears to catch up in the right time against the watch I set it to. As to how the watch performs time wise, mine does run fast, to the tune of about 20 seconds a day. Maybe a bit fast for some, but that’s not too bad in my book.
Conclusion: I am pleased to see Zodiac introduce a new automatic watch, especially such a beefy, tough looking one. The watch is comfortable, its size is not at all overwhelming for my 6.75″ wrist, easy to read and, as I said before, it’s cool!