1990s Zodiac Red Dot Tank (Ref. 342-567) W/ Hangtags

Zodiac made several sports models in the 50s-60s and were direct competitors to Rolex, Blancpain, and Tudor but are often looked over as they don't receive the same clout as the aforementioned companies. Keeping this in mind, Zodiac is one of the more undervalued Swiss timepiece companies to come from this "golden era" of sports watches. From then, Zodiac went on to produce countless other quality sport and dress models that to this day remain at an affordable price point, but still carry the colorful Zodiac charm.

This Zodiac ref. 342-567 is a bit off the beaten path of their usual aesthetic. The case echoes stylized influences of the AP Royal Oak meets a Cartier Tank, with a hint of Rolex's King Midas in the bracelet, yet the overall design feels very unique. This unusual Zodiac 'dot series' came to be in the 1990's when former TAG Heuer CEO, Willy Gad Monnier bought the Zodiac company shortly after their near collapse from the quartz crisis. 

It is rumored that Monnier aimed to create a tiered system of technical watches within the 'dot' series, with a focus on divers and chronographs. The 'dot' series consisted of four distinct colors: gold, silver, red and blue dots; with the red dot watches distinguished as the “Professional Sports Watch” line.

This particular example is distinctly unique in appearance and vastly comfortable on the wrist. A little bit space age, a little bit dressy, this Zodiac is very, very cool.

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