Vintage Zenith Stellina Calibre 133.8

Without a doubt, the El Primero is Zenith’s most famous watch of all time, and ever since it first appeared in 1969 and forever set the standard for self-winding chronographs. However, Zenith’s history dates all the way back to 1865 and long before the concept of an automatic-winding chronograph had captured the imaginations of the watch industry, Zenith was producing refined and reliable three-handed timepieces that were designed for everyday wear and use. Enter the much overlook sibling that hid in the shadows – the bumper movement.
Unlike the modern approach to creating a self-winding watch movement, which features a free-spinning rotor that is able to rotate a full 360 degrees, bumper movements like the Caliber 133.8 inside this Zenith Automatic feature winding weights that function like tiny pendulums, moving back and forth and winding the watches in the process. While they are mechanically inferior to the modern style of automatic movement that is used throughout the vast majority of the watch industry, bumper movements are emblematic of an important era in mechanical watchmaking, and timepieces like this 1940s Zenith Automatic can be seen as tiny, wearable pieces of history.

Specifications:

Case: 18k Yellow Gold – 34mm
Year: Circa late 1940s to early 1950s
Dial: White – naturally aged with applied Gold Hands and Hour Markers
Glass: Plexiglass
Movement: Bumper – Calibre 133.8
Strap: Leather with steel buckle