
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Zodiac Sea Wolf SST 36000 (Ref. 862-952), 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- Zodiac (maker)
- Date
- 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- ZSWSST862952-2
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (ZSWSST862952-2)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1970s Zodiac Sea Wolf SST 36000 (Ref. 862-952) (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number ZSWSST862952-2), this is a wristwatch by Zodiac, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) 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 — Craft & Tailored
The Sea Wolf SST 36000 ref. 862-952 is one of the more unique models to hail from the 1970s "golden era" of watches. The SST 36000 features an odd, but beautiful coffin-shaped case, along with twin bullhead style crowns, an inner rotating super compressor-like bezel, and clear resin indices on the dial. The SST 36000 movement was the premier offering of Zodiac at the time, featuring a high-beat 36000 bpm movement and a quickset date function operated by pushing down on the winding crown. This amalgamation of features resulted in one of Zodiac's most avant-garde designs that is both a conversation piece and worthy of wrist time. SPECS Stock # ZSWSST862952-2 Brand Zodiac Style Sea Wolf SST 36000 Model 862-952 Serial N/A Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Matte Black Millimeters 39 Bracelet Stainless Steel Duchess Flat-Link Bracelet CASE & BRACELET The unique coffin-style case has been previously polished and exhibits honest signs of gentle use with the original case chamfers and geometry still present. The case retains its original twin Zodiac-signed crowns on the top of the case, the button crown at 11 o'clock operates the setting of the time and the quickset date while the crown at the 2 o'clock operated the inner rotating bezel. The case back retains its factory markings in excellent condition. The watch will come supplied on a stainless steel Duchess flat-link bracelet, which was sourced with the watch. The bracelet retains 14 links that show almost no stretch and will fit up to an 8-inch wrist. DIAL & HANDS The colorful black orange and white dial layout give this watch a handsome retro aesthetic and easy legibility. The center matte black portion of the dial is virtually flawless showing no aging. The clear resin indices are topped with reflective orange paint and backed with tritium lume that would cause the resin to glow when the tritium was still active. Under U.V. light inspection the lume exhibits no degradation on the markers. The inner rotating white and orange bezel is in excellent condition and retains its tritium triangle. The original tritium hands have aged to a dark green / grey patina, under UV light inspection the minute hand exhibits some superficial surface cracking and remains stable. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is keeping time, but the service history is unknown. A movement service can be provided upon request.
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
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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