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Zenith men's wristwatch, 20ym g, c. 2000 — view 1 of 3
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Zenith men's wristwatch, 20ym g, c. 2000

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Zenith (maker)
Date
c. 2000
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
crystal, sapphire
Lot
Item 174175337
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 814, 168 Auction-Jewellery,Pocket and Wristwatches, Historia Auctionata (2024), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Zenith men's wristwatch, 20ym g (English)

View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 174175337), this is a wristwatch by Zenith, made in Switzerland, dated c. 2000. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: crystal, sapphire. The record is illustrated with 3 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

Lot description — Historia Auctionata

Zenith men's wristwatch, 20ym gold-plated, chronograph automatic, El-Primero movement, Ref. 20.0140. 400 circa 2000, polished case with glazed push back, domed sapphire crystal, white dial with applied gold-plated bars, date between 4 and 5 o'clock, subsidiary dials with display for second, 30 min and 12 hour counter, central second for stop function, movement with partially blued screws, fine regulation, runs accurately, diameter 38mm, height 14mm, original brown ostrich leather strap with gold-plated Zenith buckle, length approx. 23cm, with box, outer box and operating instructions

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

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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