948
Zenith
A rare, very fine gold filled and agate open face pocket watch with enamel dial, Arabic numerals and 24-hour indication
Full-Cataloguing
The present open face pocket watch is a wonderful representation of the exact designs produced by Zenith at the turn of the century. Agate is formed primarily from volcanic and metamorphic rock, consisting mainly of quartz and chalcedony. Due to its durability, hardness, and ability to retain a highly polished surface the stone has been used as an ornament dating back to the ancient Greeks. The watch case back is produced from a single piece of Agate with brownish to black tones and highlighted by white strips with a reeded bezel. The white enamel dial is enhanced with outer 24-hour indication. The watch is in lovely condition, and an example of the innovative watch design a century ago.
Zenith
Swiss | 1865Since Zenith's beginnings, founder George Favre-Jacot sought to manufacture precision timepieces, realizing quality control was best maintained when production was housed under one roof. Zenith remains one of the few Swiss manufacturers to produce their own in-house movements to this day.
Today, the brand is best known for the "El Primero," the firm's most successful automatic chronograph movement. In an interesting twist of fate, the company that owned Zenith during the 1970s decided to move on to quartz movements and therefore sought to destroy the parts and tools necessary to make mechanical movements. One watchmaker realized this folly and hid the tools and parts before they were destroyed. In 1984, he returned them to Zenith so they could once again make the El Primero movement.