I’m happy to be able to offer another very special watch — this time a very rare and exceptionally attractive vintage Zenith reference A273 3-register chronograph. Just one look at the almost Bauhaus-Inspired fine calibrations on the lovely silver dial of this Zenith tells you that exceptional care was taken in its design, making it as suitable for the scientist as the sportsman.
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Beneath the oversized 37mm all-steel 3-piece screwed case beats Zenith’s in-house caliber 146HP manual wind chronograph movement. This excellent column wheel chronograph was Zenith’s flagship 3-register caliber before they developed the El Primero automatic chronograph movement later in the ’60s. Note the exceptionally large balance for improved accuracy. It’s also been recently serviced to insure years’ more of faithful performance.
This 1960s A273 has a very modern feel and with the large face it wears extremely prominently and handsomely on any man’s wrist. It definitely makes a cultured and refined statement that few other chronographs do. With the market for high quality vintage chronographs still quite hot I don’t expect this beautiful Zenith to last. So make your move now while its still available and get ready to head into the holiday season in timelessly classic style!
NOW ON NEW YEAR’s SALE — click here to contact me directly for more info on this great vintage Zenith chrono. SOLD
CASE & BACK: Oversized yet elegant 37mm wide (not including crown) x 44mm long x 11.5mm tall all stainless steel 3-piece screwed case with straight faceted lugs and pressure-fit bezel. The case shows a little polish, perhaps a light buffing in the past and the edges might just be softened a little from years of wear. It exhibits the typical marks of a 50+year-old watch that has been worn regularly with some superficial scratches and one or two nicks but no serious dings — Excellent condition overall. The outer part of the dedication-free screw-in caseback also shows some superficial scratches but the patterned Zenith logo and case serial number are very sharp. — Excellent+ cosmetic condition. The inner case lip shows a bit of corrosion —perhaps it was worn without the proper gasket for a time? — but the inner back appears corrosion-free. The inner caseback has all the correct spare Zenith nomenclature of the period. At a very modern 37mm and with its large face this A273 wears extremely prominently and handsomely on any man’s wrist and definitely makes a cultured and refined statement that few other chronographs do.
DIAL & HANDS: All-original and beautiful brushed silver dial with applied Zenith star logo, engine turned sub-registers & finely printed calibrations suitable for the sportsman or scientist. This lovely dial is in Excellent+ original condition with only some minor signs of wear to the edges and one small scratch on the edge of the minute counter sub-dial. Overall the dial has acquired a pleasing warmth to its original silver tone and rather than luminous material the applied bar markers are filled with enameled inlay, in this case a really attractive sort of ochre colored fill. These dials also came with black inlays but I definitely prefer the patina-like tone of this one’s brown accents. Original non-luminous hour & minute hands are silver with black inlays while the sweep seconds chrono hand and sub-register hands are blued steel. All show only minor signs of age and are likewise Excellent+. This unique and highly legible Zenith layout is absolutely stunning and elegant — a real gentleman’s chrono.
MOVEMENT: Famed in-house Zenith caliber 146HP column wheel chronograph movement with shock protection, fine regulation and 30-minute & 12-hour chronograph complications. Note also the oversized balance for improved accuracy. The nicely finished 17-jewel movement is looking very bright and clean and this fine and complex caliber was fully serviced by my watchmaker just last year. So of course it runs as it should, with strong power reserve, precision operation & reset of all chronograph features and with all time-setting and winding aspects working well. Therefore, I am willing to guarantee the movement for 6 months of normal, non-abusive use.
CROWN & PUSHERS: Original oversized Zenith-signed crown with correct logo of the period and nicely proportioned pushers are in Excellent+ condition with only minor wear. The push-in crown sits flush to the case, winds the movement and sets the time when pulled out as designed. The top pusher starts & stops the timer and the bottom resets it, as usual. The operation of both pushers is pleasingly crisp and firm and all counters reset to zero as they should.
CRYSTAL: Older unsigned low dome acrylic crystal has some residual scratches from the years even after being polished but no chips or cracks — Excellent condition.
STRAP: This cool Zenith chronograph comes on a wonderfully fitting and gently used honey brown leather strap with white contrast stitching, generic steel buckle and tons of life left to it. This classic Zenith chrono has a lug width of 19mm.
As a matter of policy, I make NO guarantees for the water resistance of this watch in any way, shape or form.
This great collector’s Zenith A273 chrono is offered with a 3-day inspection period from the date of receipt and may be returned for a full refund (less any shipping costs incurred by the buyer). This refund is unconditional and once I get the watch back in exactly the same condition as it was sent to you, your money will be refunded. Of course, once the 3 days are over the sale will be considered FINAL.