Goals, people, we have to have goals. What is the point of this activity if we just see something shiny and figure out how to acquire it? That’s just crass consumerism. That is being a shopping addict, not a collector. (Do you feel the burning shame of your last thoughtless purchase? Good. I feel mine too.)
The coming of the new year finds less fire in the proverbial belly for big purchases. I kind of like what I have and don’t want to outlay valuable resources for more man jewelry. The last child is off to college, and it will be more expensive than the first. It will be enough to keep most of these old watches running with anything resembling accuracy. But, despite that I will still keep an eye out for bargains. However, most of the watch models on my internal checklist will not be bargains. They will require funds, luck and timing. I may just land one this year. What tickles my fancy? Well, since you asked:
(Watches 83 sold this recently.)
Zenith Respirator X
This one has been on my hunted list for a few years: the Zenith Respirator X. Its close relative, the Respirator, came to be known as the “JFK watch”, although it had no connection to the deceased president, except perhaps a superficial resemblance to an Omega that we know that Kennedy owned and wore at his inauguration. The Respirator was square and refined and began production in 1968. The Respirator X shows up in the Zenith catalog the next year. It has rounded edges and the case is more rectangular.
Both Respirator models had cases made by Ervin Piquerez, S.A., the same maker as the Heuer Monaco’s case. The watch’s name translated roughly to “breathes”. The two-piece case became more watertight as pressure was exerted on the seal between the two halves.
We know when Zenith stopped manufacturing the Respirator X, 1972, because that is when they ceased manufacturing mechanical movements entirely and moved to quartz. Most models come from the 1969-71 window. They are mostly brushed dials of blue, gray, black, white or gold. The cases are usually steel, but some gold-plated ones were made. They have the date window at 4:30, which I like.
Pre-1970’s Zenith watches are hard to find in the United States. Before 1972 they were embroiled in a trademark dispute with the Zenith Radio Company, the makers of my family’s first color television. (I later took it to a college apartment and watched the Challenger disaster before class.) Zenith bought Movado to access to the U.S. market and most of their watches were branded as Movado. The radio/television company bought the watch company in 1972 and orphaned all of its mechanical movements, the very thing that made Zenith different than most Swiss watch companies. Zenith had always made its own movements. They were vertically integrated from the beginning. It took Rolex decades to buy all of its suppliers by contrast.
I would prefer a gray or blue dial. The original bracelet would be nice, but they take to leather straps just as well. Like I do for my less expensive watches, condition and price will be what determines if I get out my credit card. It will likely have to come from Europe, so tariffs may delay me.
Eterna KonTiki
I watched films about Thor Heyerdahl in elementary school. It took Eterna eleven years to commemorate the Kon-Tiki expedition in watch form in 1958. It still looks like nothing that came before it. The KonTiki changed styles over the years, but the original remains the most striking. I have been tempted to buy a Chinese “homage” several times over the years, but I doubt that it would feel “right”. The Super KonTiki was released in 1960 and is a proper tool watch, however the old radium dial original is the one that I want. I will have to over-pay for this. The trick will be to find a dial and case in decent shape and work on the rest.
Titus Calypsomatic
Titus introduced this diver in 1960 and ran it for a decade. The first two generations are the most interesting. The first generation is a no date model with pencil hands. The second and subsequent generations had a red and blue alternating date wheel and an hour hand that would feel original on a Submariner. Titus kept the gilt lettering until 1967 and it really makes these stand out. Titus was Swiss until it wasn’t, and in the 1960’s it was. The Black Bay 58 never looked so good.
(Some folks think that they can take a photo of an old print advertisement and “copyright” it. To those troglodytes I say “fair use” and “parody” and whatever else gets it done.)
Piz Palu
Why did Ollech & Wajs start a brand named after a mountain in the Alps? I have no idea. Like its parent brand it was sold to soldiers in their PX’s in the 1960’s and by mail order. It came with multiple replaceable bezels: diving, time, yachting, and tidal. Most of those bezels are long gone. Would I settle for a 1960’s O&W? Sure, but I would prefer the unicorn. It is just cool. Nothing more.
What are you hunting for in 2026? (Four dark dial watches, arguably all sports watches: change in tastes? Maybe I should just give in and buy a used Black Bay 58, so many for sale…)
The Escapement Room 