Zenith Art Deco Sub Second 18k Pontife 1939

Name: Zenith Art Deco Sub Second 18k Pontife 1939
Brand: Zenith
SKU: #1044
Price: 3300.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

€3.300

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Description
BRAND HISTORY

Timeless Elegance from 1939

A design relic from the golden era of Art Deco watchmaking.

This 1939 Zenith dress watch is a true celebration of pre-war elegance. Housed in a 32 mm 18k yellow gold case crafted by famed casemaker Henri Jeanneret, it wears with subtle grace yet unmistakable vintage character. The silver dial, untouched and beautifully preserved, features bold Art Deco numerals and a delicate sub-second register — both hallmark elements of late 1930s design.

What truly sets it apart is the original blued steel Pontife hour hand, a rare stylistic detail that evokes the refined precision of the time. The case, with its fixed lugs and stepped edges, adds a touch of architectural sophistication rarely seen today.

Powered by the manual Zenith Cal. 12.4 movement, freshly serviced, this piece carries not just the elegance of its time, but also the durability to still be worn with confidence today.

- wrist size in our picture is 18cm circumference -

DIAL:

original never touched silver dial in great condition
original hands and crown

STRAP & BUCKLE:

black aftermarket leather strap is fitting up to a 21 cm wrist size / 2 mm thick
gold plated aftermarket buckle

CASE:

good overall condition, showing minor traces of use
3- body 18k yellow gold case with snap-on case back and fixed lugs; casemaker Henri Jeanneret
32 mm (without crown) / 39 mm (lug-to-lug) / 18 mm (between lugs) / 9 mm thick
Year: late 1939
total weight: 36 g

MOVEMENT:

Zenith Cal. 12.4 - manual wind
15 jewels, 18000 A/h, 44 hours power reserve
professionally serviced 07/2025
-25 sec/d / 280°

BOX & PAPERS:

GOLDAMMER certificate of authenticity & service documentation card
GOLDAMMER box

GOLDAMMER REFERENCE: #1044

Zenith

To understand Zenith is to understand the thrill of precision. Founded in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot — who united all aspects of watchmaking under one roof for the first time — Zenith was born with a singular mission: to master time, down to the smallest fraction of a second.

Among vintage watch collectors, Zenith holds a special kind of reverence. Not just for its designs — which range from classically restrained to boldly avant-garde — but for its legendary movements. Most famous of all: the El Primero, introduced in 1969, one of the first automatic chronograph calibers ever made, and still one of the most accurate, beating at a high-frequency 36,000 vibrations per hour.

Vintage Zenith watches — from the groundbreaking A386 El Primero to the sleek Defy series — carry a spirit of innovation that was never just for show. They were built with purpose, crafted with precision, and always infused with daring.

But Zenith has never needed to be loud to be respected. Its vintage watches reward those who dig a little deeper, who appreciate the engineering beneath the surface, the balance between modernism and timelessness.

To wear a vintage Zenith is to wear the pulse of horological history. It’s for the collector who seeks out stories others overlook. Someone who doesn’t follow the crowd — but who finds greatness in the brands that have quietly shaped the craft from behind the scenes.

Zenith doesn’t just make watches. It captures the essence of forward momentum — in chronographs that defied convention, in designs that felt ahead of their time, and in a heritage that continues to inspire watchmakers and collectors alike.

Because sometimes, the most meaningful ticks aren’t the loudest.

They’re the ones beating just a little faster.