Hello Mostel....(reply to your mail)

My opinion is only worth what you paid for it but personally i struggle to equate a black dial with ChronomeTRE....so for that reason i guess i'm a touch bias. The two watches highlighted are different to what i have seen and the problem arises which is re-done and which is factory original or even a second generation service replacement. Try to remember not to take your eye of the ball and not be too excited with the colour of the dial....the case will still need inspecting....the version highlighted in this thread seems to be a least the 3rd style used by Zenith and of course it is upto yourself to pick just the lot your taste-buds desires. There are some rare styles of silver dial out there...one with a lovely engine-turned centre chapter and for me applied furniture trumps embossed regardless of colour. Besides that i like a dial to look vintage from the moment my eye falls on it. Good luck

Star Crown.

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This message has been edited by C.vallely5 on 2008-07-04 11:38:26 This message has been edited by C.vallely5 on 2008-07-04 12:02:19

💰162 Marketplace Listings for Zenith›

OBSCURE KNOWLEDGE QUIZZER/ Zenith cal 135

By: Mostel : July 3rd, 2008-11:57

Hi guys, I have located what may possible be a stupefyingly rare zenith cal 135 with mint BLACK dial! But... did Zenith make them with black dials? I've only seen silver. Any info, minutia, encyclopedic Zenith knowledge? Zenith-savant, this is your time t...

Yes, usually with arrowhead hour index -nt-

By: SuitbertW : July 3rd, 2008-12:55

Thanks Suitbert

By: Mostel : July 3rd, 2008-13:44

do you happen to know if they always came with 'star' crown? the one I may get seems to have a blank crown.

That's a bit hard to say...

By: SuitbertW : July 3rd, 2008-15:09

yes, I know that watch

By: dotman : July 3rd, 2008-13:51

one of the best 135s to come up for sale in a while the dial does not seem suspicious, but I'd be wary of one of the hands in regards to the crown, I should think that without the "Z-star" it would be aftermarket Of the two 135's I have purchased, neither...

never seen a version with black dial that i'd trust...nt

By: Catherine. : July 3rd, 2008-14:02

you might be right

By: dotman : July 3rd, 2008-14:38

there might be some other fussy elements going on... I do not think the words 'Zenith' and 'Chronometre' should line up straight (on that variation, the word 'Chronometre' is much wider than 'Zenith') choices, choices... :P

WOW. Thanks everyone, I wish

By: Mostel : July 3rd, 2008-17:37

I could 'grab' photos from website but the site prevents that. I am going to PM you, Suitbert, and tell you the website, as I cannot link here. If anyone else would like to see the watch, pls PM me. (BTW, it is on hold for me, at the moment.)

Re: photo

By: dotman : July 3rd, 2008-19:26

is it this one? I'm actually kind of curious myself now, if only for the sake of curiosity! hope this does not conflict any rules...

Hi Mostel, I've not been tempted like that in a while! Congrats for getting it on hold. And like that you can send me the link so that I have a look! Cheers Dje

KEEP LOOKING! New PIC!

By: Mostel : July 4th, 2008-08:43

So i found here a pic of a watch sold by Christie's. It's not such a great pic but you can see the word Zenith appears to be the same 'length' as the word chronometre. Is it possible this is how black dials were done? Also, Dotman has noted that the secon...

Okay... even more info...

By: Mostel : July 4th, 2008-09:19

I have spoken to the seller, who is enormously reputable, and a hugely respected and well liked player in the vintage game, and he tells me he has seen this exact dial several times in his career, and that he is 99.9% certain the dial is original. (I'm no...

Believe it or not, Mostel, I reached for my copy of . . .

By: Dr No : July 4th, 2008-10:32

. . . "Wristwatches - History of a Century's Development" by Kahlert, Mühe, and Brunner, and opened the book to page 346, upon which there's a photo of a silver dial 1960 Zenith 2000 with the same movement. To quote: 'steel case, 35 mm diameter, 13-line m...

Horological Meandering