Passions Watch Exchange

About This Watch

Vintage. No box or papers but a Passions box will be given.

This Tourneau chronograph is almost 40yrs old with an intriguing history that spans five decades and four brands.

You may find that it is shaped like a 90s Zenith Chronomaster and indeed, this high complications chronograph is fitted with a Zenith El Primero movement while the watch was made by Waldan International for the Amercian retailer Tourneau and branded as such. Tourneau is a luxury watches retailer based in America since 1900 with 30 stores and was acquired by Swiss Bucherer in 2018.

Waldan International is an American watch maker based in New York since 1979 and founded by a Polish watchmaker. This watch was one of his most successful model and the same was sold under Tiffany & Co during that era. According to his autobiography, the birth of Rolex Daytona's first automatic chronograph must be credited to Mr Oscar Walden. In the late 1980s, Rolex was looking for a new movement to replace the ageing Valjoux 72 and Oscar Waldan introduced this movement to Mr Diether Kubel Wilsdorf (nephew of Hans Wildorf, founder of Rolex) of Rolex and the rest is history. The Ref.16520 Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona was born using this Zenith's El Primero movement.

This case design would go on to influence the unmistakable Zenith's Chronomaster by 1990s.

History on the development of this movement can be read here. Movado & Zenith existed together at one time under the same holding company until 1972 when Zenith was sold to the American Zenith Radio Corporation. While Zenith's El Primero had 31 jewels, the Movado version was parred down to 17 jewels to avoid USA import duties due to the jewel counts which is what we have here.

The exact example of this watch although with a black dial is featured on the history page of Waldan here.

Watch has just been polished while a new leather strap has been fitted. This is very well priced for the collector as both Zenith and Tiffany & Co of the same case and movement are selling between S$12-14K now. This is a solid gold watch with a thick waterproof style screw-lock back so it is of substantial weight.