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Zodiac Glorious Automatic “Faceted Bezel” Ref. 696 Cal. 1624 Stainless Steel c.1960s
Short Description
A striking silver sunburst dial framed by a faceted crystal bezel ring with dart-shaped hour markers sitting on the sloped surface, giving this watch an aesthetic frequently compared to the Universal Genève Polerouter. The crosshair-patterned rotor signed “Zodiac Ltd, 1624, Seventeen 17 Jewels, Swiss” is a wonderful finishing detail. Presented on a brown leather strap.
Description
Zodiac is a brand that most collectors know for two things: the Sea Wolf dive watch and the wild, colorful chronographs of the 1970s. What gets overlooked almost entirely is the Glorious line, Zodiac’s serious dress collection from the late 1950s and 1960s, and that is a shame because this is genuinely one of the most visually distinctive dress watches of its era. The standout design element is immediately obvious: a faceted crystal bezel ring with dart-shaped hour markers mounted directly on the sloped surface, creating a three-dimensional dial architecture that catches and refracts light from every angle. The effect has been compared frequently to the Universal Genève Polerouter, and the comparison is apt. Both watches use the bezel area as an active design element rather than a passive frame, and both achieve a sense of depth and dimensionality that flat-dialed dress watches simply cannot replicate.
Zodiac was founded in Le Locle in 1882 by Ariste Calame, and by the mid-twentieth century the brand had earned a serious reputation for both sport and dress watches. The Glorious line went through several iterations during its production life: the Glorious Calendar with an ETA 1080 and date complication, the Glorious Datographic with an A. Schild 1361 automatic and date, and the Glorious Autographic with an A. Schild 1424 and power reserve indicator. This example, the ref. 696 with the A. Schild 1624 automatic, represents a later 1960s variant that does not appear in most collector breakdowns of the line. The crosshair logo on the dial dates it to the post-late-1950s period, when Zodiac transitioned to this now-iconic brand mark. The outer caseback reads “Waterproof & Shockresistant, Automatic, Antimagnetic, Swiss, Zodiac” with the Libra scales emblem. The inner caseback is stamped “Zodiac Ltd, Le Locle Swiss, 696, Acier Inoxydable.”
This particular example is in lovely condition. The silver sunburst dial is clean and well preserved, with the “Zodiac Glorious” printing sharp and fully legible and the “Automatic” script below center equally crisp. The faceted bezel ring retains its definition beautifully, and the dart-shaped hour markers are all present and intact. The dauphine handset is original. Turning the watch over reveals one of the nicer finishing details you will find on a mid-range 1960s Swiss automatic: the rotor is decorated with a repeating Zodiac crosshair pattern, signed “Zodiac Ltd, 1624, Seventeen 17 Jewels, Swiss.” It is the kind of touch that separates a brand that cared about the details from one that simply dropped in an ebauche and moved on. The stainless steel case is in strong shape, with clean lines on the angular lugs and the signed Zodiac crosshair crown intact. The case profile is slim and elegant.
We are presenting this piece on a brown leather strap. For the collector who wants a dress watch that stands apart from the usual Omega and Longines fare, the Zodiac Glorious offers something genuinely different. The faceted bezel construction is a design language that few brands attempted and even fewer executed this well. It is a watch that rewards a second look, and then a third, and it remains one of the most underappreciated dress designs of the 1960s. In our opinion, that will not last forever.
