Latest Review
Zodiac is among those handful of brands that we get pretty excited about here at worn&wound. Especially with their recent efforts to revive the brand by bringing back classic designs (see the Zodiac Watches Make a Comeback post for more) such as the Astrographic, Sea Dragon and the Sea Wolf. The brand has not been resting in the last year and are bringing back another iconic Zodiac design: the Super Sea Wolf.
The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf was originally released in the 1970’s as a “big brother” to the original Sea Wolf. The Super had improvements, such as a different case back design (screw down vs. snap back), a new patented crown and stem system along with 750 meters of water resistance (over the 200 meter for the Sea Wolf). It was also bigger, quite a bit bigger. The design has long been a hit with watch collectors and thankfully Zodiac has resurrected it for a new generation of watch buyers.
The new Super Sea Wolf, due out Fall 2015, clearly has the DNA of the original. The case is the same large cushion style case with covered lugs, measuring 44mm in diameter with a length of 50mm. The lug to lug makes it wear well for smaller as well as larger wrists, while really bring out that 70’s vibe. The hands of the old and new models are the same too, as are most parts of the dial. The text has been moved around a bit in the new version, but it is all pretty much the same information.
The new models have crisper and slightly larger printing on the bezel which is great for improved legibility. The new watches are powered by the Swiss made STP1-11 movement. The automatic movement has 26 jewels and a power reserve of 44 hours and is being used in a number of new Zodiac watches. The new Super Sea Wolf will have three models all with 100 ATM (1000 M) water resistance. The ZO9501 has a black dial with a sunray pattern while the ZO9502 has a blue dial with a sunray pattern. It appears both will come with a stainless steel mesh bracelet and a rubber strap. The ZO9500 also has a black sunray dial, both strap options and is also a chronometer. Not bad for under $2k
The attention to detail that Zodiac has put into these new Super Sea Wolf models is really impressive. It is great to see the brand getting back to their roots and acknowledging their rich history after so many years of putting out mass market, generic quartz watches. Combined with the other historic models Zodiac is really making strides in the right direction. These new Super Sea Wolf models will be available in the Fall of 2015 with prices starting at $1195 (USD, MSRP) up to $1795 (USD, MSRP) for the chronometer model. The new models are not yet on the Zodiac Watches website but you can sign up for their mailing list to know when they are added.
