The Port Royal collection has been part of Zenith's catalog for decades, but it was largely overlooked and only began to gain popularity in the late 1990s. The Port Royal collection has always focused on style and design, and there are watches with many unique case shapes and dial designs. Although the Port Royal collection has always dared to try something new, the materials, movements and finishing used in the watches have always been familiar Zenith, i.e. top-class.
This late 1950s Port Royal has 18-karat gold cases and a cal 135 movement, which many consider to be one of the best movements in the watch world ever. Unbelievable, but true, the watch is also unused. The watch was not sold at the time, after which it spent decades stored in the watch shop's warehouse. The back still has the original protective varnish in place, the leather strap and buckle are original, as are the price tags and the box that came with it.
This model was only produced for a short time and was available with steel and gold cases. Although at a quick glance the cases of this watch look very ordinary and simple, a closer look shows that this is not the case. The design of the lugs in particular is wonderful and they create their own recess into which the bracelet itself is attached. The cases in question are also large for their time, as the width without the crown is a whopping 36 mm. The cases are also really heavy and no expense has been spared in the amount of gold.
Although the watch's movement and cases are beautiful, the most striking thing about it is its dial. The dial combines different finishes, with the outer rim being brushed, the inner part being matte, and the oval-shaped strip connecting them, as well as the post indexes and spade hands, being polished. The whole thing plays wonderfully with the light and is really difficult to capture in pictures.
Decades ago, the Port Royal collection was not very popular with the public. This was certainly due to the watches' often somewhat futuristic design and the higher price tag that came with their higher quality. Due to their low popularity, only small batches of the watches were produced, which makes them good collectors' items today, especially unused ones. The watch model, which became a cult in Zenith's eyes decades ago, is now an absolute hit for vintage enthusiasts.