# Review of the Zenith Class 4 Square



## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

This is my first review over at WUS. After being a silent reader for so long, I thought it's about time that I gave back to the community by posting my first review.

It has been about 5 years, since I first started noticing about Zenith watches. I have been interested in watches all my life, but I knew nothing about movements or manufactures, until my first glance at a Zenith Port Royal Open at one of my ADs. 
It was too pricey for me then, I had just started work as a lowly software engineer. 
5 years on, I would like to share with you guys, my latest acquisition. It's my second Zenith watch to boot, hopefully there will be many more to come.

I chanced upon this particular watch, about a week back. Was surfing around one sleepless night, when I browsed upon Ashford. There was an independence day sale going on, knocking off about 12% off all models.
I was hesitant, having never seen this watch in the steel, and unsure about purchasing online and losing the warranty.
But with it being the last piece, I simply couldn't resist and took a shot. 
With a stroke of luck, I managed to grab it!

Finally today, after a week of sleepless nights praying that the shipment arrived safely, I picked up the package at my local UPS headquarters. There were some delays for the shipping to my house, and I simply couldn't have it! 
I called them up and arranged for a personal pick up.
Now it's adorning my wrist as I'm typing this review.

To start off, unpacking pics!








- the box it came in. Typical Zenith box.








- the watch box itself, i feel like i'm playing with russian dolls already.








- the manual and the warranty card, pretty standard fare








- and behold! the grand opening ceremony!








- here's a little closer look. 
This little beauty measures 36mm across discounting the lugs, has about a 12mm height, and is 44mm long. 
Fits perfectly under any sleeve for work I say!








- pardon the blurry pics, was literally trembling with anticipation.








- the very first wrist shot!

It looked very small while i was handling it, I thought I was screwed this time, having made a purchase without trying the watch on my wrist first.
But once I put it on, it fit perfectly like a little classy dress watch!

I didn't really consider this a dress watch earlier, as the dial design was too complicated. My idea of a dress watch is a simple 3 hand, without dates even and definitely no lume. 
But this little complicated tri-dial beauty managed to squeeze in all in, and still pull off a dressy look!








- size comparison with the Pilot Chronograph (42mm) 
I thought the 36mm would be dwarfed by the Pilot. But it manages to hold its ground.








- another wrist shot!
I love how the hour markers are applied, giving the illusion of another dimension. They seem to be floating around. Not sure if that's due to the slightly domed crystal.
Chronograph pushers works as expected, with typical El Primero stiffness. There's the trademark little jump of the second hand when you start the counters.








- examining it under the loupe. Crown's marked with the old Zenith, square logo.
Whilst under the loupe, I noticed a couple of flaws. 
At the second sub-dial at 9, i noticed a couple of blemishes. Nothing to worry about, it isn't even noticeable to the naked eye. 
All other areas are perfect though, could nary notice any other flaws.

Things I like about this watch

It's light, coming in at 100g or under I believe. You could scarcely notice it while it's on your wrist
The double folding clasp should help to save the strap
Very tiny profile, fitting in under most sleeves with no issues
It's an El Primero Movement, Calibre 400 if i'm not wrong. What could be wrong with this?
It's brilliant how Zenith had squeezed in 3 sub dials onto a 36mm face without overlapping.
Date at 430 is simply brilliant
Movable lugs simply wraps around your wrist for comfort. I wonder why other manufacturers didn't think of this. Or is this a pretty common feature

Things that could be improved

The crystal doesn't seem to be AR coated, there's glare everywhere, affecting the readability of the watch at angles in a bright environment. The dial and its subdials does catch the light in a fascinating way though.
The crown is too small, but I guess with a dress watch design that can't be helped. Couple the small crown with the El Primero movement and you're gonna have a hell of a time trying to wind this little beast.
Date changes at 23:55 instead of 0:00. I guess during the next servicing I could bring this up and they would help to reset the minute hand and solve this.
Other Class 4 watches seem to have the tachymeter markings indicated above the date window, to prevent loss of readability, this dial doesn't.
Seem to have a little drop in QC quality, with a couple of blemishes at the second sub-dial at 9.
For a dress watch design, it could be a little slimmer. I guess it's already slimmer compared with the valjoux 7750 alternatives though.
Could have came with a clear caseback so that I could appreciate the movements. But I understand this was from the previous series, where the finishing isn't quite as highly done as the currently crop. Still I would love to see it.
Replace the double folding clasp with a deployment clasp. This is just a personal preference, a deployment clasp feels much more secure to me.

Hope you guys enjoy reading this. It's my first day with the watch and I haven't had a chance to conduct any timing tests with it. Probably would have to wear it for a couple of months before I can derive any sensible data from it. But as chances go, my Pilot Chronograph seems to have been tuned for me personally, gaining only 1s/day. With any luck, the default regulation for this little beauty would fit me to a T too. Would try to update this with the timings after a couple of months.
Sorry for the low quality images, I'm not really a photography man. Thanks for reading this!

-edit- there has been quite a few posts of the Pilot Chronograph around the forums, I think I won't try to distract from them. But if any of you are interested in a review of that, let me know and I'll try to do a write up.


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## malarky_hk (May 1, 2012)

Congrats on the new piece, it looks nice!


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

Thank you for sharing. Lovely presentation. You only forgot to post a picture of the back of the watch.

It is one of those lovely classic designs made by Zenith in the second half of the '90s, just before the take-over by LVMH and the new CEO Nataf.

One thing which changed for the better after 2000, were the boxes. The box you got with your watch was made after 2000 and is definitely a better quality than the boxes which were used in the 1990's.

So one can say that you got the best of two worlds.

Next you should get a copy of Roessler's book on Zenith, who will tell you (p. 265) that there were only 530 of these made in black!

Here is a pic from the 1996 catalog.









According to Roessler there were 1340 pieces made with white dial, 630 in copper, and 530 in black, - which makes a total of 2500 Class 4 El Primeros.

+ an additional 150 were made in blue for the Italian market, ... which makes for a grand total of only 2650 of these beautiful and rare square-case Class 4 Zenith El Primero's.

Enjoy it and wear it in good health.

Thanks again for the review.


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

Thanks for your info!
I was trying to contact Ashford to find out when this watch was manufactured, but they couldn't give me an answer. 
Wow, I didn't know that there were only 530 of this, sure makes it feel exclusive. Must thank my lucky stars that I'm able to find this NOS.

Here's a picture of the case back with the serials blurred out. 







Guess I was so excited I forgot about the case back entirely. Oops.

Here are some pictures of the clasp and the buckle.


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

Just checked out Rossler's book. It is certainly pricey!! :-d


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## little big feather (Mar 6, 2013)

Great watch!


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## Hartmut Richter (Feb 13, 2006)

I'm afraid you wasted your time wiping out the "serial number". This is actually the reference number and therefore the same on all these models! I am surprised you can still find one of those NOS. Good catch!

Hartmut Richter


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

Hartmut Richter said:


> I'm afraid you wasted your time wiping out the "serial number". This is actually the reference number and therefore the same on all these models! I am surprised you can still find one of those NOS. Good catch!
> 
> Hartmut Richter


o| 
Doh! and i thought it was the serial... haha


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

a little update, pictures of the movement








- With its innards exposed








- Rotated 180 degrees.

it's a calibre 400, i believe with 31 jewels and 280 parts.
so far it seems to be gaining about 5 secs/day. Will continue monitoring to see if it stabilizes after running in.


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## D N Ravenna (Apr 30, 2005)

Pictures just keep getting better.

Thanks for sharing!

Dan


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

Excellent movement pics, thank you !


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

D N Ravenna said:


> Pictures just keep getting better.
> 
> Thanks for sharing!
> 
> Dan


Thanks!
The movement are easier to photograph compared with the dial. It is nearly impossible to capture the dial properly!


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## Longjean (Jun 30, 2012)

Congratulations on that lovely watch . I have a 1999 Zenith catalogue in which the black version gets a page to itself but it is called "Class El Primero" no mention of "4" in the description. Highlighted in the description are the mobile lugs for increased comfort and the curved case. The display back was available for the round El Primero's but not the square ones. Ref. 01.0420.400/31 white: /71 copper: /21 black. All on a brown Louisiana croc. strap and priced at £1,995.
I have a Zenith of a similar age bought from Ashford and they would not tell me how old my watch is either saying that all their watches are new when they mean unworn.


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

Thank you for that information !



Longjean said:


> Congratulations on that lovely watch . I have a 1999 Zenith catalogue in which the black version gets a page to itself but it is called "Class El Primero" no mention of "4" in the description. Highlighted in the description are the mobile lugs for increased comfort and the curved case. The display back was available for the round El Primero's but not the square ones. Ref. 01.0420.400/31 white: /71 copper: /21 black. All on a brown Louisiana croc. strap and priced at £1,995.
> I have a Zenith of a similar age bought from Ashford and they would not tell me how old my watch is either saying that all their watches are new when they mean unworn.


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

Longjean said:


> Congratulations on that lovely watch . I have a 1999 Zenith catalogue in which the black version gets a page to itself but it is called "Class El Primero" no mention of "4" in the description. Highlighted in the description are the mobile lugs for increased comfort and the curved case. The display back was available for the round El Primero's but not the square ones. Ref. 01.0420.400/31 white: /71 copper: /21 black. All on a brown Louisiana croc. strap and priced at £1,995.
> I have a Zenith of a similar age bought from Ashford and they would not tell me how old my watch is either saying that all their watches are new when they mean unworn.


Thank you!
I ran into the same problem, wrote in to ashford trying to clarify the year of manufacture, but all they could tell me was that their inventory was composed of current models. I gave up trying to get more info from them and tried writing to zenith directly, still waiting for zenith's reply though.

The prices before lvmh certainly seems much more appealing, though they did improve the movement finishing nowadays. 
If it's not too much trouble, could you scan that particular page in the catalogue? Would love to take a look at it.


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## Longjean (Jun 30, 2012)

Scan of catalogue as requested. You may have to get your watch serviced given it's age. Mine has a poor power reserve and stops unless worn 24/7. I wonder where Ashford gets them from. If the come directly from the manufacturer as they imply you would think that Zenith would service them first. See thread 29 May "My New Old Zenith Has Arrived" and the advice I received there. Sorry about the scans , rules have changed recently & original scan was too large so I resized with a photo editor I have not used before.


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

Thanks a lot mate! :-!
The scan's good enough! The brown strap really brings out the contrast with the dial!

I've also been stuck wondering if I should send the watch in for servicing. I don't believe Ashford got the pieces directly from Zenith as they're not ADs. Probably got them from some other sources meant for parallel export. 
That's how I figured the grey market dealers do it. Chances are, this watch has been sitting in a dark corner for the past decade. Another testament to the movement. Picks up simply where it's left off. 

Going by the numbers, it seems that the watch is about 14 years old, and shouldn't have been touched before.
I've opened up the case, and it seems like the visible parts are still quite well lubricated. :think:
There's obviously no wear. Power reserve seems to be running at about 50 hours odd, I'll try to time it over next weekend and update with the numbers. 
I've taken on such an obsession with this watch, it's simply getting too much wrist time for me to calculate the power reserve. 
I did switch to my Pilot watch on friday for casual fridays, and it's running through from Thurs till now (Sat). So it has been at least, 36 hours since I last worn it. If it carries on running through tonight, I would be able to tell better. 
Next week I promise to let the old horse take a break over the weekend and get some timings!

But the timing it keeps is still very unstable.
It started out the first week, at +6secs/day. 
That went on for about a week, and now into the second week, it's doing -2secs/day. 
I'm not sure if this was due to the oils clogging up earlier, and took about a week to unclog, thus losing time during the second week instead. 
Correct me if I'm wrong, if a watch is running fast, it should be due to the oils drying up. If the watch is running slow, that means it's well lubricated and the oil needs to be spread around evenly.

Judging by the movement condition, I'm not too concerned, would probably wear it for a couple of months to see how it settles. I was half contemplating regulating the watch myself, but I'd give it some more time to settle in first. 
I've heard nightmare stories about the LVMH service centers in Singapore, and would like to avoid them for as long as I could. I've been trying to look around for an alternative watchmaker who could take a look, but it seems like the country's too small and there isn't too many independents around. :-(
Oh well, at least I could probably purchase the original strap and buckle from LVMH when I do send it in.

p.s. the blue dial on your piece is amazing.


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## Veritas99 (Dec 15, 2006)

Meant to post this earlier, but ran into some issues connecting to my scanner.

Here's the "Class 4" Zeniths from the 1997 catalog. Based on what I've seen, the Class 4 watches were made between 1997 and 2000.


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

Wow. Thanks for the scans. 
I almost feel bad for the Louisiana crocodile but that brown strap is really striking!

It seems that this series was called the Class 4 and renamed to Class El Primero later!


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

So we have catalogs for these models covering the period 1996-99.

catalog 1996 








Catalog 1997:














catalog 1999:








However the actual production probably occurred during the first years only (1996-97). This can also be seen from the movement cal. 400 (Zenith El Primero's produced from 1998 onwards have cal. 400*Z*).


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## Hartmut Richter (Feb 13, 2006)

As far as I know, the Cal 400Z came out in 1999 and I have even heard some sources say that it was 2000. It was due to the use of new machinery, the purchase of which was only made possible by the LVMH takeover.

Hartmut Richter


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

Hartmut Richter said:


> As far as I know, the Cal 400Z came out in 1999 and I have even heard some sources say that it was 2000. It was due to the use of new machinery, the purchase of which was only made possible by the LVMH takeover.
> 
> Hartmut Richter


All I can say is my information is based on https://sites.google.com/site/zenithistoric/la-saga-du-el-primero (scroll to the bottom of the page) where he says cal 400 was changed to 400Z in *1998*:



> En *1998*, suite à l'arrêt de fabrication d'un train de rouages, ZENITH a modifié son calibre El Primero en modifiant les roues concernées, l'ancre, un pont et la roue d'échappement...


I always thought this to be correct and still think so.

Take for instance the Zenith El Primero HW: it was featured in the 2000 and 2001 catalogs. It must therefore have been produced around 1998/99. It usually has a cal. 420*Z*.

Clearly the water between us is not deep here. Zen says the change was made in 1998, you say the cal. 400Z came out in 1999. Both dates seem to fit together. Only it seems to me that this was planned and executed before the gradual take-over by LVMH in 1999-2001.


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

mine's a Cal 400, so it should be between 96-97. 
Wow, what a piece of history.


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

sempervivens said:


> So we have catalogs for these models covering the period 1996-99.
> 
> catalog 1996
> 
> ...


Wait a minute... catalog appearances for Class 4 in 1996, 1997 and 1999? Don't I have a 1998 catalog somewhere?

Yes I do: only it appears to be the exact same catalog (in German) as what was posted above as the "1997" catalog.

I'll post it anyway... could be interesting for our forum members from Germany.















Domed sapphire crystal, Louisiana crocodile strap: we already knew that.
Let me add that the catalog itself has no date: only the price list has a date (01.04.1998).
Interestingly, the price for the square Class 4 models was apparently 30 % more than the round Class 4 models: 5100 DM (2608 Euro) against 3800 DM (1943 Euro). 
I guess the reason is that it is always more difficult to make a square watch than a round model.
Note: according to a basic inflation calculator 2600 euro in 1998 would be around 3700 euro in 2013.


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## Veritas99 (Dec 15, 2006)

sempervivens said:


> Yes I do: only it appears to be the exact same catalog (in German) as what was posted above as the "1997" catalog.


The price list in mine is dated July 1997 and matches the watches/pages in the catalog, so I'm guessing they either reused the Class 4 section, or used the same thing for the 1998 catalog. Does your 1998 catalog have a man's hand pressed against a kid's while wearing a Chronomaster?

Out of curiosity, what's on the cover of the 1996 catalog you scanned? I have a small folder with pamphlets on all the different Zenith model lines that have mid- to late-1995 price lists, but I don't think I've seen a 1996 catalog before. I'm curious as to when Zenith moved back to a single catalog versus the model line pamphlets you see in the 80s and early 90s.

Thanks,
Mike


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

Veritas99 said:


> The price list in mine is dated July 1997 and matches the watches/pages in the catalog, so I'm guessing they either reused the Class 4 section, or used the same thing for the 1998 catalog. Does your 1998 catalog have a man's hand pressed against a kid's while wearing a Chronomaster?
> 
> Out of curiosity, what's on the cover of the 1996 catalog you scanned? I have a small folder with pamphlets on all the different Zenith model lines that have mid- to late-1995 price lists, but I don't think I've seen a 1996 catalog before. I'm curious as to when Zenith moved back to a single catalog versus the model line pamphlets you see in the 80s and early 90s.
> 
> ...


As you can see, even the page numbers of my 1998 catalog match your 1997 catalog. Surely it is the same catalog, with a different price list only. The cover looks like this:









Just as you described: "a man's hand pressed against a kid's while wearing a Chronomaster" (in namaste greeting).

The 1996 catalog scan: I don't have the cover. I copied that image years ago from Zen's site. In recent years he made some changes in his site, see https://sites.google.com/site/zenithistoric/Home, and he hasn't put up the 1996 catalog scans any more. The only images I have of the 1996 catalog are the Prime and Class 4 models. I guess your 1995 folder doesn't include the Zenith Prime models yet?


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## Veritas99 (Dec 15, 2006)

sempervivens said:


> I guess your 1995 folder doesn't include the Zenith Prime models yet?


Thanks for posting the cover, that's it.

As for the folder, it does have Primes. There's a Prime pamphlet with 3 models and a June 1995 price list (listing the 3 in the pamphlet and a gold model not shown). Those same three are in the "main" pamphlet with an August 1995 price list. The sticker on the folder shows it came from Eric A Bird Jewellers in Lincoln England.


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

Veritas99 said:


> As for the folder, it does have Primes. There's a Prime pamphlet with 3 models and a June 1995 price list (listing the 3 in the pamphlet and a gold model not shown). Those same three are in the "main" pamphlet with an August 1995 price list. The sticker on the folder shows it came from Eric A Bird Jewellers in Lincoln England.


Oh... it would be nice if you could post that Prime pamphlet (and the prices) in the Zenith cal. 420 Prime / El Primero HW thread.


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## Longjean (Jun 30, 2012)

In the interest of clarity my catalogue has no date on it but a loose leaf price list for 1999 is included. The cover has the Zenith 1865 logo with 21 stars and the Roman numerals for 10.11.121&2.
The most interesting graphic for me is a 1920s advert in Japanese with a pointed ear cat- art deco style.


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## eechern (Nov 7, 2012)

It's amazing how you guys have kept the catalogues for over a decade. 
My family would be accusing me of being a hoarder and force me to discard them.

Just a small update, it's been slightly over 2 weeks since I've got this watch, seems to have finally stabilised in terms of time keeping.
It's been gaining 1.5 secs daily for the past week. couldn't be more pleased with it!
I've managed to find the original buckle on ebay, eagerly waiting for its arrival so that I could post updated pics. No luck with the strap though.


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

eechern said:


> It's amazing how you guys have kept the catalogues for over a decade.
> My family would be accusing me of being a hoarder and force me to discard them.
> 
> Just a small update, it's been slightly over 2 weeks since I've got this watch, seems to have finally stabilised in terms of time keeping.
> ...


Somebody is selling on ebay a collection of the four square Zenith El Primero Class 4 models (ref. 01.0420.400).

First time I saw a pic of all four together. Pity it's a small pic though:









Have a look at the auction 4 Zenith El Primero Watches 'for The Person Who Has Almost Everything' 2 NOS | eBay

Here you get four beautiful watches and a rare collection (which otherwise would take years to collect - if you manage to find them all, because some are quite rare) and all that for the price of one Rolex Daytona :-d

(I don't know the seller but he seems to have a good feedback)


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## Veritas99 (Dec 15, 2006)

sempervivens said:


> Somebody is selling on ebay a collection of the four square Zenith El Primero Class 4 models (ref. 01.0420.400).
> 
> First time I saw a pic of all four together. Pity it's a small pic though:
> 
> ...


He also has them listed on Chrono24 for a slightly lower price (although still a little high per piece IMHO)

One thing for prospective buyers, the date wheel on the black model is most certainly not correct. One of the best features of this line was the color-matched date wheels.


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

Veritas99 said:


> He also has them listed on Chrono24 for a slightly lower price (although still a little high per piece IMHO)
> 
> One thing for prospective buyers, the date wheel on the black model is most certainly not correct. One of the best features of this line was the color-matched date wheels.


The price is relative of course. On the one hand a collector with patience would get one for less. On the other hand it is not too much for a Zenith El Primero, especially considering the NOS condition. Compare this with the retail price of a new one, and you get an excellent deal.

The matching date wheel: of course not a feature of this line in particular, since so many Zeniths have matching date wheels. Still it is a good remark to make. I also noticed the white date wheel in the black model, only I'm not so sure that it is not original. Maybe somebody requested it for better readability. The black model is very beautiful anyway, even with white date wheel. I remember JC bought a blue one with white date wheel and I just noticed another blue one with white date wheel on chrono 24.

Anyway it's a remarkable collection : the four different square Class 4 models b-)


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## D N Ravenna (Apr 30, 2005)

I would like to hear about the story on the date wheel. Certainly with patience and $$$, one can have it done with a Rolex. But outside of that, I've not heard it being done.

Just curious,

Dan


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## sempervivens (Sep 24, 2006)

D N Ravenna said:


> I would like to hear about the story on the date wheel. Certainly with patience and $$$, one can have it done with a Rolex. But outside of that, I've not heard it being done.
> 
> Just curious,
> 
> Dan


Not sure what you mean here : have what done? Get a white date wheel instead of a dial colour date wheel?

I remember JC wanted the matching colour and indeed with patience (three months) and $$$ (740 $ for a full service including new date wheel) he had it changed by Zenith: https://www.watchuseek.com/f27/return-class-4-blue-640640.html


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## D N Ravenna (Apr 30, 2005)

sempervivens said:


> Not sure what you mean here : have what done? Get a white date wheel instead of a dial colour date wheel?
> 
> I remember JC wanted the matching colour and indeed with patience (three months) and $$$ (740 $ for a full service including new date wheel) he had it changed by Zenith: https://www.watchuseek.com/f27/return-class-4-blue-640640.html


That is what I was referring to. I knew R did it. Did not recall Zenith doing it.

Thanks,

Dan


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## Veritas99 (Dec 15, 2006)

Looks like someone bought the black model. The other three just hit the 'bay & Chrono24 separately.


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## nickma (Jun 5, 2012)

Veritas99 said:


> Looks like someone bought the black model. The other three just hit the 'bay & Chrono24 separately.


The seller is a good guy I have bought old style deployment clasps from in the past. His favourites from this collection are copper and white. I also have a copper faced version which I like a lot. Wears quite large considering its dimensions.

I have a certain sympathy with a user who'd want to change the date wheel to white - it's difficult to read in the matching colours.


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## georges zaslavsky (Feb 11, 2006)

very nice zenith congrats:-!


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