Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Zenith A 279, 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Zenith (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- Product 11190398476
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 11190398476)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Zenith A 279 (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 11190398476), this is a wristwatch by Zenith, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — S.Song Watches
Collectors love oddities. A historically important period or an unusual design trait perhaps, all of which adds to the uniqueness of collecting vintage. Through the context in which it was produced, the Zenith A279 in my opinion, is such an oddity. This watch was produced in the late 60s, a time period where watch manufacturers were racing to create the first automatic chronograph movement. As we know now, Zenith created the El Primero movement and a consortium consisting of Heuer, Buren, Breitling and Dubois-Depraz created the Calibre 11. This was seen to be the future and the Zenith A279, with its manually wound Cal. 146 DP was seen largely as an afterthought. Perhaps Zenith were even casing already made manually wound moments just to sell them off. I say this because of the unusual components of the watch. Cased in what is a very standard stainless steel chronograph case of that era, there is a contradiction between that and the high-quality column wheel movement inside it. The watch could easily be mistaken to be a Valjoux 77 or Landeron 248. In regards to the dial, there is a lot of depth to it. There is a contrast between the bright silver sunburst dial and the beautiful matte grainy subdials. Though same in colour, they reflect light differently, creating a nice two-tone effect. Combine this with the unusual wide-boy style lume hour markers, it is kind of a neither here nor there piece, exactly the kind of oddity that I love.
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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