Zodiac Rotographic Automatic — Cal. 1225A, Black Gilt Dial, Late 1950s Swiss
$ 139.92
Description
Zodiac Rotographic Automatic — Cal. 1225A, Black Gilt Dial, Late 1950s Swiss. Black gilt dial with applied gold Arabics at the cardinals, dagger markers between, gold dauphine hands with luminous channels. Caliber 1225A inside (17 jewels, AS-base automatic with Zodiac-signed bridge), running. A mid-century Zodiac Rotographic — the brand's trade name for their full-rotor automatic line through the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the Le Locle factory was still independent and named-line product was the bread and butter of the catalog. Black gilt dial with applied gold Arabics at the cardinals, dagger markers between, gold dauphine hands with luminous channels. Caliber 1225A inside (17 jewels, AS-base automatic with Zodiac-signed bridge), running. Dial — the period vocabulary: Black gloss gilt dial: applied gold Arabic numerals at twelve, three, six, and nine; gold-tone dagger/baton markers with luminous inserts at the inner tips for the eight intermediate hours; gold dauphine hands with luminous channels running down the center; gold ZODIAC over Automatic just below twelve. The luminous material has aged to a soft cream tone (original radium or early tritium, NOT relumed) and the applied markers are intact with no lifted indices. Minor patina spots near center under the wordmark — age-consistent for a 60+ year old gilt dial. Movement + case: Caliber 1225A automatic — Zodiac's signed version of the AS-base full-rotor automatic mechanism, 17 jewels, central seconds, marketed under the Rotographic trade name. Stainless steel case (per the caseback engraving, twisted-lug profile period-correct for late-1950s gent's watches, ~33mm), signed Zodiac crown, domed acrylic crystal with the period-correct dome that catches light across the dial. Caseback carries the bilingual radial engraving: WATERPROOF / ÉTANCHE, SHOCKPROOF / PARE-CHOC, ANTI-MAGNETIC, SWISS-SUISSE, with serial 246147 stamped centrally. Strap + finish: On a fresh tan/brown leather strap (aftermarket replacement, standard 18mm lug width). Case is honest — some yellow tone on the case sides consistent with age grime rather than plating loss (the caseback explicitly engraves SWISS-SUISSE stainless), polished but with surface marks of regular wear over six decades. Crystal shows light scratches; the lens of the dome will polish out for the new owner if desired. Condition: Running on the original 1225A automatic — confirmed working. Dial is original with cream-aged luminous material and intact applied markers; minor patina spots near center are age-consistent. Crystal has light surface scratches (polishable). Case sides show honest age, caseback engraving sharp and fully legible. Named-line vintage Zodiac is the collector handle — Rotographic was the trade name for the brand's automatic line at the same moment Eterna was marketing Eterna-matic and Vacheron was marketing Chronomètre Royal. Same buyer cohort as Eterna Centenaire, Movado Kingmatic, Universal Polerouter relatives — the mid-century black-gilt-dial automatic collector who knows the look and wants the named line, not a generic anonymous Swiss. Working examples in honest condition cluster $200-$320 on eBay sold; this one sits in that band. Included: Zodiac Rotographic Automatic on aftermarket tan leather strap. No box or papers.
