When talking about the movements of vintage wristwatches and especially their accuracy, one movement often rises above the others. The 135 movement designed by Ephrem Jobin for Zenith broke one record after another and, especially between 1950 and 1954, established Zenith's position as a chronometer specialist. Among others, Omega, Rolex and Patek Philippe were far behind. Only about 11,000 pieces of 135 movements were produced between 1949 and 1962, and today you sometimes need a little luck to find them.
It was found abandoned among shabby spare parts and watch projects and without its original crystal and crystal set.
We found the 18k gold cased Zenith 135 Chronometer for sale after buying a large batch of different watch accessories and spare parts. It was found abandoned among shabby spare parts and watch projects and without its original crystal and crystal set. Miraculously, after decades of storage and rolling around at the bottom of the box, despite the lack of a crystal, the dial had remained almost flawless and a closer inspection of the watch showed that it was completely unworn. The gold case and dial indexes had darkened and the caseback was still covered by the original protective varnish. The leather strap had dried and hardened. The movement worked, but the need for maintenance was obvious. One wrong type of crystal and crystal set were found in the box, which had apparently been tried to be forced into the watch and when this had not been successful, the watch had ended up in the scrap box. The absence of the original crystal and crystal set raised questions, but getting an answer to them would require a time machine.
(The watch photographed a moment after it was found. Without a crystal, rolling on the bottom of the box had left a few dot-like marks on the dial.)
(The gold case had darkened badly over the decades. The gold-plated crown was preserved in almost new condition.)
(Traces of the original protective varnish were still visible on the edges of the caseback.)
(The leather strap was dried out, but intact.)
(The gold-plated Zenith star buckle was in good condition.)
The movement was completely untouched and luckily its service did not cause any problems.
The future of the watch made me think. In order for the watch to get the new life it deserves, it would need, in addition to service, a new and suitable crystal and crystal set. It would be possible to find the crystal, but what about the crystal set? Zenith 135 wristwatches with gold cases are very rare and finding replacement case parts is almost impossible. Fortunately, our local watchmaker was not alarmed by the problem, but started to deal with it. Without sparing time and effort, and in cooperation with a local goldsmith, a completely new golden crystal set was made for the watch. The movement was completely untouched and luckily its service did not cause any problems.
(Watch photographed after service, with new crystal and crystal set in place. A few small marks remained on the dial and they remind of the story of this watch.)
(During service, the darkened and protective varnishes of the case were carefully removed. Under them, a small dent was revealed on the left side of the crown. Could it have been caused when the watch was thrown into the bottom of the junk box?)
After decades of being discarded, the watch miraculously ended up in the hands of people who appreciate it.
One man's trash is another man's treasure. After decades of being discarded, the watch miraculously ended up in the hands of people who appreciate it. With the help of professionals and experts in its field, it was revived back into the books of the living and as close as possible to its original condition, as it left the Zenith factory at the time. The long wait is over and this watch is now ready to fulfill its original purpose, to show accurate time and bring joy to its wearer.
(In addition to its accuracy, the 135 movement is also visually very nice and well finished.)
