What makes a summer watch a summer watch? Is this some arbitrary distinction devised by a jaded watch writer with too much time on his hands? (Possibly.) But to said writer’s mind, if there is a distinction to be made between a timepiece ideal for hot-weather wear and one best suited for, well, the rest of the year, it’s that a summer watch shouldn’t take itself too seriously. And this could mean different things to different people: Maybe it’s made out of plastic; or it’s got a cartoon character on it; or it comes on a Velcro strap; or it’s simply colorful as heck.
The watch we’re discussing today fits squarely into the latter camp. Produced by Zodiac, the Super Sea Wolf Compression “Sea Turtle” ref. ZO9310 is merely the latest iteration of a watch that dates all the way back to 1953. That’s right, the Zodiac Sea Wolf was one of the first commercially available dive watches along with the Rolex Submariner and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. And though the brand folded during the Quartz Crisis, it was revived by none other than Fossil Group as its vintage-inspired, high-end offering.
A large and growing collection of mid-tier dive watches, the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf lineup will oblige you with a classic, conservative steel and black dial combination, if that’s what you so desire. But the real fun of the collection is that for well under $2,000, you can get yourself a steel tool watch with 200m of water resistance, an excellent bracelet or strap, and a wildly colorful dial-bezel combination that will grab somebody’s attention from across the room. And isn’t that half the fun of a watch worn to the beach in Ibiza, or along the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore, or even on the street on a sweaty July day in Manhattan? We sure think so.
The Case
Take a look at a vintage example of a colorful 35mm Sea Wolf from the 1960s and you’ll notice immediately how beautifully its curves translate to the upsized, modern 40mm version you see here. This is not the type of watch with beautiful lug bevels that see the nerds among us ogling the case with a loupe for hours on end — and indeed, that isn’t really the point. The Sea Wolf, after all, was born to service the needs of the recreational scuba-diving community when it was in its infancy. The case itself is thus a reflection of said utilitarian spirit: Vertical brushing makes for a uniform aesthetic across the midcase and lugs, which are carved from the same block of stainless steel. The screw-down caseback, meanwhile, features a grained inner section with the Zodiac logo and an outer polished band. Simple, handsome and not by any means cheap-feeling. (The signed, screw-down crown is admittedly a bit tough to properly re-thread, and takes some getting used to.)
The bezel, however, is where this watch begins to shine: Mirroring the colorful versions from the ‘60s and ‘70s, its sapphire crystal surface is executed in a truly beautiful aqua-blue color, while the 1-15 hash marks and other indices are a lime-green hue. Its action is solid and provides 120 clicks of unidirectional timing — perfect for the scuba diver (or frequent timer of drying laundry, as the case may be). Vintage examples of this watch have had Bakelite bezels, of course — the modern sapphire version is meant to mimic its feel while substituting a more modern and hardy material.
The Bracelet
Zodiac’s current Super Sea Wolf production ships, for the most part, on either a stainless steel five-link bracelet or a rubber dive strap, with roughly a $300 premium for the bracelet models. The Sea Turtle is of the former variety and comes paired to a comfortable, Jubilee-style bracelet with brushed outer links, three polished inner links, and a 20mm end-link width. With free and easy articulation on the wrist, a handy quick-change system for easy strap swappage, and a spring-loaded, double-button butterfly clasp, it’s a cinch to don and doff the watch. The only thing to note is that there’s no wetsuit adjustment system in the clasp, so you’ll have to size the bracelet thoughtfully and carefully. (Unless you’re a masochist like me, have a jeweler do this.) And because there are no lug holes, you’ll have to set the end links into the lugs carefully as well, making sure to properly seat them. (The quick-change system makes this fairly easy, however.)
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The colorful bezel on the Sea Turtle is merely the appetizer — “entrée” for the French and Swiss and anyone else who insists upon dining terminology actually making sense — for an even more beautiful dial, which is contained beneath a sapphire crystal. Inspired by “the resilient spirit of sea turtles,” as Zodiac writes, it consists of a turquoise central dial surrounded by en electric-green minute track with turquoise hash marks; applied, lume-filled, rectangular hour indices with green borders; a chunky, lumed baton handset in green and grey; and a black date window at 3 o’clock with white typography. Highly legible and executed in a beautiful color scheme that does indeed recall green sea turtles swimming in the blue ocean, it could easily be a watch dial from the mid-20th century, offering as it does the carefree, sunny vibes that Zodiac has specialized in for decades. Regardless of the inspiration, it’s most certainly a dial that screams “summer.”
The Movement
As is the case with nearly all modern Zodiac production, the Super Sea Wolf ref. ZO9310 is powered by an automatic caliber from STP (Swiss Technology Production), Fossil’s movement producer founded in 2006. The STP 1-21M automatic movement offers a quick-set date; hacking, 18 jewels; manual winding; and 40 hours of power reserve. Similar to the workhorse Sellita SW200-1 but nearly a millimeter thinner, it offers reliability and Swiss-made precision at an affordable price.
Wearability
There are no two ways about it: this is a comfortable watch. Jubilee-style multi-link bracelets tend to be a comfortable bracelet category in general, with excellent articulation between the links, and this one is no different. (All you need is a set of lugs that aren’t overly long — the Sea Turtle case measures roughly 48mm lug-to-lug, by my count — and a pair of well-curved end links, and it should prove an ergonomic fit.) With respect to lume, the Super-LumiNova is plenty strong on this dial, and can easily be seen in the darkness. The same goes for the 12 o’clock pip on the bezel, which was easily readable in low-light conditions. (While I didn’t have the opportunity to dive with this watch yet, I’d imagine the lume, if not the dial background color itself, would translate well under water.)
Should You Buy One?
At $1,695, the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Sea Turtle exists at an interesting crossroads. There are plenty of less expensive — sub-$1,000, even — divers from microbrands out there such as Vero, Nodus and Baltic. Then, of course, there are some for between $1,000-$3,000 from large mid-tier luxury brands such as Longines and Hamilton; finally, there are the big dogs from the likes of Omega, Rolex and Blancpain for $5,000 to $20,000. This particular execution admittedly has a narrower use case than certain other versions of the same watch given its bright and cheery color scheme — indeed, you might not think to pull it on with a suit the way many people might with another dive watch such as a Submariner, even though such a watch was never designed for pairing with more formal attire in the first place.
Or you might think to yourself that if you’re gonna spring for a piece with a louder dial for summertime use, maybe you don’t wanna drop so much money on it — and that’s understandable. But the Sea Turtle is no slouch of a watch. It’s well built, features a movement designed to be serviceable for the long run, and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time. At just shy of $2,000, it’s probably not an impulse buy, but as a vacation watch, or as an introduction to luxury watchmaking, or as a graduation gift for a young person headed off to college or the workforce? Man, it’s perfect. It’s a joy to have on-wrist, it’s accurate and it captures the essence of vintage Zodiac while offering modern conveniences: sapphire crystal, quick-set date, quick-change bracelet, slightly larger case, the list goes on.
Frankly, what’s not to like?
Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compression ‘Sea Turtle’
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: STP 1-21M automatic
Water Resistance: 200m
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