Vintage Zenith watches.
Zenith is one of the great Swiss manufactures, founded in 1865 and famous for the El Primero, among the first automatic chronograph movements and long one of the finest. Its vintage watches represent serious watchmaking at prices that still reward the collector.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Zenith El Primero?
The El Primero, introduced in 1969, is one of the first automatic chronograph movements and, thanks to its high beat rate, one of the most accurate. It is a landmark of Swiss watchmaking.
Is Zenith a luxury watch brand?
Zenith is a genuine Swiss manufacture that makes its own movements to a very high standard, and it sits among the more prestigious names, which makes its vintage pieces excellent value.
Do your Zenith watches come with a warranty?
Every watch is inspected before listing and covered by our 14-day returns.
Do you sell second hand Zenith watches?
Yes. Every Zenith watch we sell is second hand, and we use "pre-owned" and "vintage" to mean the same thing: someone owned the watch before you. The words differ only in age. Pre-owned and second hand say nothing about when a watch was made, while vintage conventionally means roughly thirty years or older. Our Zenith stock spans both, and every listing states the year where we can confirm it from the caseback, papers or movement, and says so plainly where we cannot.
Are old Zenith watches worth buying?
An old Zenith in honest condition is usually better value than a new fashion watch at the same money, because the depreciation has already happened and you are buying a watch that has proved it lasts. What matters is the individual piece rather than the age: an original dial, a case that has not been over-polished, and a movement that has been serviced or is priced to allow for it. We inspect and test every Zenith watch in London and describe wear in plain English rather than cropping it out of the photographs.
What makes a Zenith watch a classic?
A classic watch is one whose design has stopped dating, and the test is simply time: a shape that looked right thirty years ago and still looks right now. In practice that means restraint, a legible dial, proportions that suit a wrist rather than a trend, and a case shape that was not chasing the fashion of its decade. The classic Zenith designs are the ones that keep reappearing in our stock precisely because people kept them and wore them, which is the most honest evidence a design has lasted.
What is the difference between a vintage and an antique Zenith watch?
Antique conventionally means a hundred years or older, and vintage roughly thirty years or older, so almost everything described as an antique wristwatch is really a vintage one. Wristwatches only became common after the First World War, which is why genuine antique examples are mostly pocket watches. Our Zenith collection is vintage and pre-owned rather than antique, and each listing gives the year or era we have been able to confirm.
