To you watch buffs out there, you may be thinking the image to the right is of an original 1969 Zenith El Primero chronograph. You would be wrong. It is actually a soon-to-be-released Zenith from the year 2009, not 1969. Yes, just like Tag is doing with their McQueen Monaco, Zenith is releasing a tribute watch that not only resembles the original, iconic piece, but essentially replicates it. If you don’t believe us, take a look at this original El Primero Chrono and tell us they are not identical.
Now Zenith is tag heuer replica http://www.hmmauto.com/tag-heuer-formula-1-replica-australia-for-sale.html also releasing some new takes on this original concept, but we are somewhat curious why LVMH (who owns both Zenith and Tag Heuer) thought it would be a good idea to simply re-release exact duplicates of these watches, with essentially no changes whatsoever. That is not to say we don’t like these watches, because clearly we do, we’ve featured the originals on Hodinkee many times. Something about it just doesn’t make sense to us, a tribute is one thing, an exact replica is another.
If someone wanted a watch from Zenith that featured an El Primero movement and looked just like this, why wouldn’t they simply buy a vintage model? We are sure these tribute watches will sell for at least double the price of what a nice vintage example will cost you, and in our opinion, lack any real charm.
Gandhi’s Watch + Possessions Sell For $2.1million
You’ve been hearing about it for weeks and now it’s finally over. The much contested Zenith pocketwatch owned by Gandhi, accompanied by his iconic wire frame glasses, hand-made hublot big bang king replica sandals, and dishes from which he ate his last meal, were sold today March 5th for a hammer price of $1.8million. This does not include the house fees associated with buying at Antiquorum. Their standards are 20% of the first million, and then an additional 12% after that, bringing the final sale price for this lot to $2,096,00.00
The winning bidder was Vijay Mallya, the owner of Kingfisher beer and airlines. He said the items would go on public display but made no mention of a donation to the Indian government.
Gandhi’s Pocket Watch Up For Sale: A Chance To Own A Piece Of Pacifism
Like the Kennedy Onassis watch below, this Zenith pocket watch will be on the block at Antiquorum’s March auction. Also like the watch below, it belonged to an iconic figure of the 20th century, this time being Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is of course one of the most revered thinkers of all time, a man whose life inspired millions to respond to violence with pacifism, the leader of the Indian Independence Movement, and perhaps the greatest friend of humanity the world has ever known.
This pocket watch dates to 1910-1915, and was given to his grandniece and assistant (Abha Gandhi), before he died in her arms. This watch is estimated to sell between $20,000 and $30,000, although we have a strong suspicion it will likely climb much higher than that. Considering the magnitude of Gandhi’s vision and what his life (and murder) represents, this watch is one of the most amazing we’ve seen; on par with another great thinker’s watch, which recently sold for $596,000.
Making this lot even more attractive is that fact that the watch comes with Gandhi’s sandals, bowl, plate, and even a pair of his now legendary oval frame glasses. A letter of authenticity also accompanies this Zenth pocket watch.