During the 1950s the Rolex Zephyr was advertised as the "world's handsomest and most waterproof watch". And while modern Rolex appears like same same every time there's a "new" release this particular oddball of a design may become more and more favorable. It simply combines one of the greatest watch designs of the last Century - the Oyster - with almost unheard of design cues, at least for Rolex. It's new and refreshing without being too far out of left field.

August 21, 2024

Fresh Wind from Rolex - The Curious Case of the Rolex Zephyr

Marcus Siems @siemswatches
Collector, Author, Data Analyst

[Highlights] The saga of the Rolex Zephyr (1956-87)

- Named after the westwind and Greek mythology -

- Introduced in 1956 at the height of Rolex's experimentation phase -

- advertised as the "handsomest" and "most waterproof" watch in the world! -

- Yet, mostly overlooked and forgotten today -

Excuse my headline pun but I couldn't help it. If you don't know what I'm talking about the Zephyr is the westwind. The name originates from an ancient Greek mythology. Aeolus, keeper of the winds, was for example trying to guide Odysseus home to Ithaca granting him the services of Zephyrus. He is also the messenger of the upcoming Spring, he is "the one coming from the mountains" bringing fruitful sowing and fertility.

But what the heck does it have to do with watches? Well, I guess the watches are almost as uncommon as the knowledge about the mythological creature itself. However, Rolex - one of the best-known brands - introduced the lesser-known collection in 1956 and was running it well into the 1980s.

A timeless and classic Goldammer introduction to the Rolex Zephyr. A video by Felix Goldammer .

Today we like to think of Rolex as "always same same" but back in the 1950s Rolex was still inventing itself into the brand we know today. The GMT, Explorer and Submariner lineups were all just born and the catalogue was full of funky design and function experiments.

And while you had on one end of the catalogue all the new toys ... I mean ... tools, and another strong dress oriented half there was a longing to connect both ends of this spectrum. The 1958 European Rolex catalogue for example featured 28(!) dressy non-Oyster alternatives and another 15 time-only Oyster-Perpetuals as compared to 5 tool references (Ex1, Sub, Milgauss, GMT), 10 references with (Day &) Date, and 7 complicated references.

vintage 1950s Rolex advertisement for the Zephyr A late 1950s advertisement in classic New York manner for the "handsomest watch in the world". Photo Courtesy of HIFI Archiv.

Ultimately, the Zephyr* is what sticks out of the pack of tool-to-dressy links. It is a statement piece, the "go-everywhere" watch. It is the perfect blend between the sturdy Oyster case and functional aesthetics with a simple and legible dial. It combines design features of the 6202 Submariner Turn-O-Graph and the 6556 Tru-Beat - the crossover between science tool and style frontrunner. After Rolex mastered the Sea (Oyster) they set their sight to the Sky...

vintage 1960s Rolex advertisement of a Zephyr model wristhot in black and white New York Advertorials finest: "It's big. It's heavy. It's tough. It's accurate. And [...] it's the most waterproof watch in the world. Photo Courtesy of HIFI Archiv.

1) References

Overall, we can find three generations of classic Zephyr models. Introduced in 1956 the saga of the Swiss Zephyr started with the ref. 6582 (1956-60)^[1]. The collection was originally defined through the faceted bezel, Dauphine hands, a cross-hair dial, small lume-plot hour markers and Swiss signed at 6o'clock, and two-tone or 14k gold cases.

Next in line were the refs. 1008 & 1009 from 1960 to 1967. The design was almost identical to the 6582 but with alpha hands (1008), "T Swiss T" (6o'clock) signed dials (after transition to Tritium) and similarly the long chronometer signature. And from 1967 to 1987 you'll find the ref. 1038 in the catalogue with a modified bezel style and stick/paddle hands.

three examples of the classic Rolex Zephyr references Transitions between the three classic Zephyr references. From left to right: ref. 6582 (1956-60), ref. 1008 (1960-67), ref. 1038 (1967-87). Photos Courtesy of Goldammer Archives and Sotheby's.

1a) Oddball References

Outside the classics you can further find Zephyr pocket watches (ref. 3694, 1960s), the non-Oyster "Disco Volante" Zephyr (ref. 9919/9522 with center-/sub-second, 1962-66), a date-version (ref. 1512, 1969-73), and several ladies watches as well (ref. 6724 & 67243, 1971-96). Interestingly, even Patek Philippe had a remarkably similar "Disco Volante" iteration in their ref. 3459 (1960s, cases made by Eggli).

You will find the perfect unobstructed view of the dial on the 1960s "Disco Volante" iterations of the Zephyr like this ref. 9919. It's right now available in the Goldammer.Shop. A video by Felix Goldammer for SiemsWatches.

2) What to make of this windy collection?

Rolex and New York advertisement made it clear: The Zephyr is not just one piece in the catalogue but one of The highlights! And much like the ancient wind god, the Rolex Zephyr collection came at a time of vernal renewal for the brand.

The 1950s are a tumultuous era for the Rolex catalogue and mark the rise of the brand into its monolithic status. After a very successful two-decade run of perpetual monopoly Rolex was starting to branch out. And just like the wind they were feeling through the lands near and far to explore every niche.

wrist shot of a vintage 1960s Rolex Zephyr Disco Volante A refreshing sight like the early Spring breeze signaling the dawn of a new era. If too lyrical just take another look at the watch... Photo from Goldammer.Shop.

Here's my point... after the extensive field exploration was done, Rolex started to trim down the catalogue to focus on their most lucrative collections. In the 1950s and 60s the world was leaning heavily towards recreational activity and was in stark need of sturdy tools. The Zephyr may have been the "world's handsomest and most waterproof watch" but still wasn't exactly what was popular. And thus consequently the Zephyr left the catalogue after its major revision during the late 1980s.

However, from today's perspective the outlook might be a lot brighter. The Rolex Oyster is The watch design of the last Century, period. But people are a bit fed up with the monotony coming out of the Genevan workshops year in and out. Thus, people are turning - almost paradoxically - towards vintage to find something new. Ultimately, the Zephyr is the aggregation of the established and cherished Rolex DNA with a breeze of fresh air! Hey Rolex, so why not bringing this one back?

* By the way, it is very hard to say whether the collection was ever officially called Zephyr or not. Vintage (particularly US American) advertisements do call the collection that way but Rolex never registered a trademark for "Zephyr" in Switzerland.