It is strange enough that there is not a separate thread on WUS devoted to Zenith family pocket watches.
I think that such thread would be interesting and useful for Zenith pocket watch lovers.
Recently I got several Zenith/G.F.J. pocket watches. Some of them are interesting IMO.
Rare Zenith (Ф.Р.Дроновъ - Zenith) pocket watch for the Russian market before 1917.
The inscription 'Часовой Мастеръ Ф.Р. ДРОНОВЪ' (Watch Master F.R.DRONOV) is engraved on the dust cover. Caliber Zenith 19''', circa 1911.
Collectors on the Russian watch forums have known nothing about F.R.Dronov and his works.
Rare enough Georges Favre-Jacot pocket watch for the Russian market, 1900s, silver hunter case, cal. 18''' Diogène type. As far as I know this version of the Diogène caliber was not mentioned in Manfred Rössler's and Jöel Duval's books dedicated to the Zenith manufacture.
Georges Favre-Jacot PRIMA (ZENITH-PRIMA) pocket watch probably made for the Russian market; silver hunter case; diameter 54 mm; caliber 19-269 K.
I wonder why is the movement too simple for the top (PRIMA) grade: it doesn't even have a central jewel.
And it isn't a marriage watch - I've already seen similar watches in Internet. For example https://meshok.net/item/52789204_Часы_карманные_серебрянные_84_875_проба_Prima
I've missed a lot in the long time I was offline. Congradulations Probep your watch collection grows terrific and the watches are really interesting. I can't add a lot. I'd never heard about F.R.Dronov as well. He should be a wholeseller or own a bigger local watch and jewelry shop that Zenith produce a "Private Dial" in this aera. I like this watch .
Yes a GFJ with a diogene movement is quite rare and not mentioned within the books. General is striking that you find different movements within the GFJ brand for the russian markt after 1900. I guess the brand was only used anymore for this and the asia markt those times. The watches are usually quite big and mainly hunter. Zenith watches for the european market turns mainly fashonable to open face ones. Probably they used the hunter movements that existed and sometimes pimped with glas beads depending on the demand of the seller. A watch in a wonderful condition as well. My few russian GFJ looks a "bid" hardly used.
THe 21 Jewel Prima is a real high light. I recently encountered such a movement for the first time. Unfortunately its not mine but the owner has studied it closely. Do you've any idea were you can find the last and unvisible stones ? I promise you they excist. I am really jealous. Okay let's start: 15 for the standart lever movement, add two for the centre, two for the leverwheel capstone and you get 19 ...I leave you the big surprise. Please open the curtain for the surprising. Wonderful ...you lucky guy.
I stop here and will add some watches when I have recovered from the view on this extraordinary movement
Okay then I post. I'm not really sure if this timepiece belong to the "family of pocket watches" but it looks quite simular and it is rare depending on a short production time. Far more than pocket watches, stop watches are among the forgotten things. It's the Mark II Stop watch. If I understand this great link correct it was the inexpensive variant to the Benson Mark I (https://www.royalsignals.org.uk/photos/watch.htm). Depending on the pattern of the british army it owns a simple case slide for stop and go on while the flyback is done by the crown. This allows additive measurements but is only useable with the left hand
Nice, the british guys date the time piece to me: delivered in 1916:
and the movement called "Kaliber Zenith":
This movement also excist with a rattrapante add on (sorry a german side but the pictures speak itself Zenith) and with LePhare branding as well. Depending on the movement structure and the timeline the orgin is probably LePhare but the expert Mr. Zwehn also see patrs simular to Venus 122 movements which was used by LePharea while. Not unusal in this aera that one take over simular constructions if patent rights were not obviously violated.
A bid rocket, inconspicuous but really rare: Sweep seconds on civil pocket watches if they are not a chromometer before the aera of wrist watches. So I'm very very happy to find this watch unregardet as bycatch by a collector who mainly collect english pocket watches. A a small barter and two persons are happy. Here the unfortunately a bit run down watch but "Metal Chrome" cases were very popular in the 1930's even by producers as Zenith. I do not think that your quick transience was known then. The metal dials of the time were often quite vulnerable also. Here is the hidden gem:
The movementnumber 3052701 (Case metal Chrome: 8159345) date the watch to 1935. Here the movement side with an indirect second as usual those days:
Far more often, you will find clocks with center seconds for the British hydrographic institute. These movements differ in the excusion but are basically the same:
(Comparison with HS3 1938/39 movement number 3286539 (nickel case: 8341284)
Later on Zenith as well as other manufactures uses their actual wrist watch movements for the modern smal dress pocket watches or like here on a foto of the 3 hand sweep second pocket watch family, a nurse watch
Within this watch I find the nice caliber 120 mainly for the "pilot" serie but it could be 2522 or simular as well. It was not nessesary to develop a smal pw movement
(movement Nr. 4603845 /metal chrome case: 9258185 around 1956)
I hope you enjoy the sweep seconds as I do. I also hope that as many people as possible post their standart or rare Zenith pocket watches here and not only the "usual suspects". It would not be unusual if watch collectors do not have a pocket watch anywhere from their favorite company.
Many thanks for posting those. I have often thought, however, that pocket watches with centre seconds look marginally cheap! I am probably biased by the fact that such PWs are usually modern, quartz and - cheap! Maybe I ought to buy and wear one in order to get used to them.....
The nurse's watch is nice but I have my doubts about the red centre second hand being original. The main point for such conversions is better legibility and you don't usually get that if the hand fails to reach the scale.....! :roll:
Very unusual indeed. The case still boasts the 1900 gold medal. Movement number dates it to ca. 1945. The dial with star also implies production not before 1945. And the case number dates it to 1961/62.
Unusual but something we find some now several times. We'd this "Billodes" here https://www.watchuseek.com/f27/strange-zenith-billodes-gfj-pocket-watch-4090762.html were they probably used old stock movements. Within this prima they might use the caliber 193 a revival production of the 19N in 1941/42 mainly for the equipment for the military. These watches don't were not designed for a finer finish therefore the recess for the microregulation of Hermann Roost was missing. Findings of ungildet standart movements of this aera show that the movementnumber is missing at this point of production. Therefore it might be possible that stock movements were used and refinde with center stones and a fine regulation. I've never seen a swan neck one within this aera but on a balance cock without prepared well the simplest solution to get a prima movement. The other fact it looks a bid historical/traditional and might be hipp in 1962/63. Therefore you also find medals on the railroad pocket watches within the 1970 ties (Rössler page 88).
ЗЕНИТЪ (i.e. Zenith in archaic Russian) pocket watch, about 1913.
The inscription (in Russian) on the case back says: "To A.I.Nikonov / For the excellent job during reconstruction of the mining plant / From the Administration of Kolboolovo [Kolbino tin mines, East Kazakhstan, USSR] / November 4, 1935"
One of the most curious G.F.J./Zenith pocket watches made for the Russian market:
- Георгъ Фавръ-Жако (Georges Favre-Jacot in Russian) inscription on the dial and the dust cover;
- Diogene emblem on the case;
- Defi movement with 23 jewels.
It is not a marriage watch: the same model was described in Manfred Rossler's book, p.49.
That looks most unusual: the escapement gear cock and the geartrain bridge fused into one bridge on a post-1905 movement in this fashion (normally, the escapement gear doesn't make a "bulge" in the resulting fused bridge, cf. the N.V.S.III movement versions).
It's a glass bead modified "Defie" movement, the cheaper variant or precursor (not sure about it) to the Zenith movements with a simple srew balance and flat spiral. It was sold as a normal serial caliber oer years until something around 1910 I guess. Mainly within watches with Geroges Favre Jacot on the dial.
Regards Silke
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