Zodiac Sea Wolf

The Sea Wolf (originally called Seawolf) was a pioneering dive watch launched by Zodiac in 1957.

Overview

In modern times it is usually claimed that Zodiac launched the Sea Wolf model in 1953, the same year as other famous dive watches like the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. But this timeline is suspect: The earliest known appearances of the model date to 1957 and it was officially launched at the Basel Fair in 1958. Zodiac registered the brand name "Seawolf" in September 1955 (a year before Basis Watch registered the same name) suggesting that it was not launched two years earlier. Another consideration is the name: The experimental nuclear submarine Sea Wolf (only the second atomic-powered submarine) was publicly named in 1952 but not launched until 1957, it was not until the mid 1950s that it began making international news.

The original Zodiac Seawolf model featured a rotating bezel with counter-clockwise markings of 15, 30, 45, and a triangle. It was an automatic watch in a sealed case waterproof to 100 meters. The dial featured luminous numerals at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 with parallel lines between and larger lines at 12. It was claimed that Zodiac developed the model with "Commander (Jacques) Cousteau's laboratory," and this was featured in advertisements in the late 1950s.

The watch was redesigned and renamed "Sea Wolf" in 1959 with a depth rating of 200 meters thanks to a "twin gasket" case. The "safety lock" bezel now featured bold lines with triangles every 3 minutes between the top triangle and the long line at 3:00, with the only numerals being "30" marked at 6:00. The dial featured numerals inside triangles at 3, 6, 9, and 12 (like the contemporary Eterna Kon-Tiki). A smaller ladies model appeared in 1963.

The company launched a "Super" Sea Wolf in 1968 with better water resistance. This was accompanied by a cartoon bipedal wolf diver called "Sea Wolf Dude" in advertisements.

The modern Zodiac (now part of Fossil Group) has continued the Sea Wolf line to this day.