
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Zenith Stainless Steel Dress Watch W/ Blue Enamel Markers & Hands 'Cal. 2542', 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Zenith (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- stainless steel
- Stock no.
- ZNTDW2542
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (ZNTDW2542)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1960s Zenith Stainless Steel Dress Watch W/ Blue Enamel Markers & Hands 'Cal. 2542' (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number ZNTDW2542), 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. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. 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 — Craft & Tailored
Zenith has created some truly iconic watches over the years, with the El Primero being the most recognizable. But well before the brand built the world's first automatic chronograph, they were already building robust and beautiful timepieces the world over. Some, like this stunning cal. 2542, were so well made that you'd be hard-pressed to find a watch 50 years younger in as good of shape. This remarkably well-preserved piece features a comfortable, slim, stainless steel case with a matching seemingly simple dial that, upon closer inspection, has a subdued pop of color in the blue enamel hour markers and handset. It's not something you immediately notice, but once you do it's hard to stop staring. SPECS Stock # ZNTDW2542 Brand Zenith Style Dress Watch Model N/A Serial 37XXXXX Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Brushed Silver W/ Blue Enamel Markers Millimeters 35.5 Strap 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The stainless steel case features a slightly wide, sloped bezel and substantial lugs that work together to give the case a more powerful footprint than you might imagine from its on-paper measurement. The case exhibits minimal evidence of polishing in the past, with razor-sharp edges and its original Zenith-signed crown. The case back shows signs of honest wear with the factory engraved serial number still deep and legible. The watch comes supplied on a two-piece handmade leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The striking brushed silver dial is in fantastic condition with virtually no signs of wear or age. The tritium lume plots atop the hour markers (with the exception of 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock) are all intact and have aged to a light cream color when inspected under UV light. The baton-style handset features inlaid lume that has aged to match the dial perfectly along with the complementary blue enamel, which corresponds to the blue enamel inlaid in every hour marker. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is functioning perfectly and keeping time, previous service history is unknown. A movement service can be provided upon request.
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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