Dive watches, 1950s to today
Zodiac Sea Wolf
Every generation of the Sea Wolf and Super Sea Wolf in production order, with the calibre inside and the reference numbers that belong to it.
Origins
Zodiac gives 1953 as the Sea Wolf's launch year and says it debuted at the Basel Fair alongside the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Collector research, drawing on Yuriy Vakulenko's book Collecting Vintage Zodiac Watches, puts the first watches at about 1957 to 1958. This catalog uses the collector dating.
The brand is much older. Ariste Calame opened his workshop in Le Locle in 1882 and the Zodiac name was registered in 1908. Before the Sea Wolf, Zodiac was known for the Autographic, a water-resistant automatic sports watch with a power reserve indicator.
The Sea Wolf was sold as the affordable dive watch. A period advertisement lists Model 1750W at $110, tested to 660 feet. Zodiac advertised it in US armed forces newspapers from 1966 to 1969, and it became a common private purchase for servicemen in Vietnam. Navy divers wore it, but it was never an issued watch.
The cross-and-circle Zodiac emblem matches the symbol the Zodiac Killer used in his letters in the late 1960s. A Sea Wolf appears on a suspect's wrist in David Fincher's 2007 film Zodiac.
At a glance
Zodiac's own records are not public, so year ranges are the ones collectors and dealers use. Treat them as approximate.
One bar per generation, using collector dating. Zodiac itself dates the first Sea Wolf to 1953. Nothing carried the name between the late 1990s and 2015. Click a row to jump to its references.
Two lives: 1957 to the 1970s, then 2015 to today
References
Photos are web images found by searching for each reference, credited where the source is known. Click one to enlarge. A photo shows one example of the reference, so dial, bezel colour and bracelet vary. For a few vintage references (732-916, 722-836, 722-906, 762-966) the match could not be confirmed, and rows marked No photo had no usable result. If a photograph is yours and you want it credited or removed, write to me.
Pre-Sea Wolf, 1957 – 1958
A. Schild automatic. The dial reads 10 Atm under the Zodiac name and does not yet say Sea Wolf.
First signed Sea Wolf, 1958 – 1961
17 jewels, 18,000 bph, about 42 hours of reserve, no hacking. Late examples carry cal. 70 or 71. Radium dials signed Swiss, later tritium. About 34 mm across, 17.5 mm between the lugs and 9.5 mm thick with crystal.
Calibre 70-72, metal bezel, 1961 – 1964
Built on the hand-wound AS 1687/1688, with automatic winding developed jointly by Doxa, Eberhard, Favre-Leuba, Girard-Perregaux and Zodiac. 21,600 bph, 40 hours, hacking. Cal. 70 has no date, cal. 72 adds one.
Bakelite bezel, 1964 – 1971
Cal. 72B sets the date by pushing the crown in. 35 mm case, 43 mm lug to lug, 18 mm lugs, 11 mm thick with its domed acrylic crystal. Snap-on back marked 20 ATM. The bezel turns both ways without clicks.
Aerospace GMT, 1960 – 1970
Cal. 75 adds a 24-hour hand to the 70-72 family. Sea Wolf case with a two-colour 24-hour bezel. Launched in 1960; my sources do not give the end of production, so the bar is a guess.
Super Sea Wolf 750 m, 1968 – 1979
Date models use cal. 72B at 21,600 bph, the day-date uses cal. 86 at 36,000 bph. 43.5 mm tonneau case about 16 mm thick, screw-down crown and back, locking bezel. A patented crown and stem system raised the rating from 200 m to 750 m. Catalogue no. 1796 at $150, against $100 to $110 for the Sea Wolf. US Navy frogmen and Underwater Demolition Teams wore it, and Zodiac used that in its advertising.
Sea Wolf SST 36000, 1969 – 1975
17-jewel high-beat automatic at 36,000 bph with day, quickset date and hacking. Zodiac guaranteed it to within a minute a month. 40 mm coffin-shaped case, internal rotating bezel, 20 ATM.
Monnier-era Super Sea Wolf, 1990 – 1997
ETA automatic at 28,800 bph. The sources list these references without dates; the movement and the style point to the relaunch under Willy Gad Monnier, so the years are my inference.
53 Skin, 2015 – today
STP 1-11: 26 jewels, 28,800 bph, 44 hours, built on the ETA 2824 layout. Chronometer editions use the STP 3-13 with a swan-neck regulator. 39 mm, 200 m, sapphire crystal, screw-down crown. The closest model to the 1950s original.
53 Compression, 2015 – today
STP 1-11 at launch, STP 3-13 from 2018 to 2021, then STP 1-11 again. 40 mm, 200 m, date, keystone markers, skeleton hands with shovel tips. Ceramic bezel inserts from 2021. The main platform for colours and collaborations: limited runs are mostly 82, 182, 282, 300 or 500 pieces, with retail partners including Topper, Hodinkee, Huckberry, Worn & Wound, Rowing Blazers, Watches.com and eBay. The Rowing Blazers edition of 2023 (282 pieces, $1,595) is asked at about €2,300. Malachite and lapis lazuli stone dials followed in 2025.
68 and 68 Saturation, 2015 – today
Chronometer-certified STP 3-13 in the limited editions, STP 1-11 in the serial model. 44 mm barrel case, 16 mm thick, locking bezel, 1,000 m. Follows the 1968 Super Sea Wolf. The first edition of October 2015 ran to 82 pieces at $1,995.
GMT and World Time, 2019 – today
ETA 2893-2 in the 2019 to 2021 editions, Soprod C125 in 2022 and 2023, Fossil's own STP 7-20 from 2024, when the regular model rose to $1,995. 40 mm, 200 m. Successor to the Aerospace GMT. Hodinkee GMT editions are asked at €1,690 to 2,250.
Pro-Diver, 2022 – today
Chronometer-certified Sellita SW200-1 at launch, later the chronometer-certified STP 1-21. 42 mm, 14.3 mm thick, 300 m, ISO-certified diver.
Compression Ceramic, 2022 – today
Chronometer-certified STP 1-11. 41 mm polished ceramic case over a steel core, 13.2 mm thick, 200 m.
Ref. 691 reissue, 2024 – today
Hand-wound version of the STP 1-21. 36 mm case, 12 mm thick, 44 mm lug to lug. Based on the first Zodiac diver.
Movements
Click a calibre to filter the references that use it. Empty cells mean I found no reliable figure.
| Calibre | In the Sea Wolf | Base | Beat rate | Jewels | Reserve | Date | Hacking | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1957 to 1958 | A. Schild | None | No | Ref. 691 only. | ||||
| c. 1958 to 1961 | A. Schild | 18,000 bph | 17 | 42 h | None | No | Also used by Ernest Borel. Other AS numbers appear on Sea Wolf rotors. | |
| 1961 to c. 1971 | AS 1687/1688 | 21,600 bph | 17, later 21 | 40 h | None | Yes | 11.5 lignes. Winding developed with Doxa, Eberhard, Favre-Leuba and Girard-Perregaux. The family also includes cal. 74 with calendar. | |
| 1961 to the 1970s | AS 1687/1688 | 21,600 bph | 17, later 21 | 40 h | Push-in quickset on the 72B | Yes | Weak points: offset cannon pinion and the date pusher. | |
| 1960s | AS 1687/1688 | 21,600 bph | Date and 24-hour hand | Aerospace GMT. | ||||
| Late 1960s | AS 1687/1688 | 21,600 bph | Day and date | Ref. 762-966. | ||||
| c. 1969 to the 1970s | Girard-Perregaux design | 36,000 bph | 17, also listed as 21 | Day, quickset date | Yes | Sold as SST. Siblings 78 and 88 are date-only. Needs a watchmaker who knows the calibre. | ||
| 1990s | ETA | 28,800 bph | 25 (general knowledge) | about 38 h (general knowledge) | Quickset | Yes | 506.54 references. | |
| 2015 to today | ETA 2824 layout | 28,800 bph | 26 | 44 h | Quickset | Yes | Made by Fossil's Swiss Technology Production from 2008. | |
| 2015 to 2022 | STP 1-11 | 28,800 bph | 26 | 44 h | Quickset | Yes | Adds a swan-neck regulator. Used for chronometer editions. Recorded as discontinued in 2022. | |
| c. 2023 to today | STP 1-11 | 28,800 bph | Quickset | Yes | Evolution of the 1-11. Chronometer-certified in the Pro-Diver. | |||
| 2024 to today | STP 1-21 | 28,800 bph | None | Hand-wound. Ref. 691 reissue. | ||||
| 2019 to 2021 | ETA | 28,800 bph | Date, independent 24-hour hand | Yes | GMT and World Time limited editions. | |||
| 2022 to 2023 | Soprod | 28,800 bph | 42 h | Date, 24-hour hand | Yes | Replaced the ETA when it became hard to source. | ||
| 2024 to today | STP | Date, 24-hour hand | Fossil's own GMT calibre. | |||||
| 2022 | Sellita | 28,800 bph | 26 (general knowledge) | 38 h | Quickset | Yes | Chronometer-certified in the first Pro-Divers. |
Design by era
What the outside looks like, era by era. Use it to check that the parts of a watch belong to the same period.
| Feature | 691 and 699, 1950s | Classic Sea Wolf, 1961 to 1971 | Super Sea Wolf, 1968 on | Modern, 2015 on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dial markers | Numerals at the even hours, then lume triangles at 12, 3, 6 and 9 | Triangles with numerals set into the lume. Rectangles on the 1781 | Rectangular lumed blocks | Triangles on the Skin, keystones on the Compression, squares on the 68 |
| Hands | Broad-lume dauphine, often now empty | Dauphine with a central spine. Coloured hands on the 1781 | Sword hour hand, cobra-head minute hand | Dauphine on the Skin, skeleton shovel tips on the Compression |
| Bezel | Steel on the 691, then plated brass: countdown, then 30-only | Metal until c. 1964, then bakelite in black, grey, blue, white or orange. Turns both ways, no clicks | Locking bezel with black insert | Unidirectional. Steel, ceramic or mineral-crystal inserts |
| Case | About 34 mm round, no crown guards | 35 mm round, 43 mm lug to lug, 18 mm lugs | 43.5 mm tonneau, about 16 mm thick | 36 to 44 mm |
| Caseback | Screw-down, then press-fit with a compression seal | Snap-on, marked 20 ATM | Screw-down | Screw-down, solid or display |
| Crown | Signed | Signed push-pull, about 5 mm. Pushes in to set the date on the 72B | Screw-down, patented crown and stem system | Screw-down |
| Crystal | Acrylic | Domed acrylic | Acrylic or mineral glass, sources differ | Sapphire |
| Lume and text at 6 | Radium, "Swiss" | Tritium, "Swiss T < 25" | Tritium, "Swiss T < 25" | Super-LumiNova, "Swiss Made" |
| Water resistance | 10 ATM, later 20 ATM | 20 ATM, 200 m / 660 ft | 75 ATM, 750 m | 200 m. 300 m on the Pro-Diver, 1,000 m on the 68 Saturation |
| Bracelet | Crocodile strap on the earliest, then a stretch-link steel bracelet | JB Champion or C&I five-link with Zodiac-signed clasp | Three- or five-link steel, or rubber strap | |
| Serial location | Between the lugs at 6 | Between the lugs at 6 |
Dial and bezel types collectors name
Date a watch
On a vintage Sea Wolf the serial number is engraved between the lugs at 6 o'clock, and the case number is stamped inside the caseback. Zodiac kept no public year-by-year list, so only a few anchor points are known. Modern ZO references carry no public date code; use the warranty card.
Show the serial anchors
| Serial from | Period | Typical watch |
|---|---|---|
| 1,190,000 | Late 1950s to mid 1960s | Metal-bezel Sea Wolf: 699, 702-916, 722-916. |
| 1,920,000 | Mid to late 1960s | Bakelite-bezel 722-946. One source dates this serial to 1967. |
| 2,340,000 | About 1970 to 1972 | Late bakelite Sea Wolf and early Super Sea Wolf. |
| 2,800,000 | 1972 to 1975 or later | SST era and later Super Sea Wolf. |
Dial text at 6 o'clock
| Text | Lume | Period | What a mismatch means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss | Radium | 1950s to about 1960 | Expect it on the 691 and early 699 only. |
| Swiss T < 25, Swiss T < 25 MC | Tritium | About 1960 to the 1970s | A 699 can have either text. On a 1960s watch, bright white lume means a relume. |
| Swiss Made | Super-LumiNova | 2015 on | On a vintage case it marks a replacement dial. |
Caseback and dial depth ratings
| Marking | Where | Belongs to |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Atm | On the dial, under the Zodiac name | Ref. 691 |
| 10 ATM Especially Water Tested | Caseback, engraved on the flat | Early 699. Rare |
| 20 ATM Especially Water Tested | Caseback, engraved on the slope | Later 699 and all 1960s Sea Wolfs. Common |
| 75 ATM | On the dial | Vintage Super Sea Wolf |
| 20 atm | On the dial | Modern Ref. 691 reissue |
Buying and selling checks
Originality decides the price of a vintage Sea Wolf, and most examples have been polished, relumed or fitted with replacement parts. Check these points before pricing or buying one.
Reading the codes
A vintage case number names the movement and the case. A modern ZO number names the family. Neither encodes the production year.
Case numbers Chronopedia lists under the Sea Wolf without a description, and so not in the catalog above: 712-916, 722-966, 1192-412, 1192-414, 1192-737, 86404 and the chronograph 692-843. Quartz Sea Wolfs from the 1970s to the 1990s exist but are poorly documented, and the first Fossil-era Zodiacs used Ronda quartz movements.
- 70
- Automatic, no date (702-916)
- 72
- Automatic with date (722-916, 722-946)
- 75
- 24-hour hand and date (752-925 Aerospace GMT)
- 76
- Day and date (762-966)
- 86
- High-beat day-date (862-836, 862-952)
- 47
- Ladies' calibre (472-346)
The third digit gives the case finish and is almost always 2 on steel Sea Wolfs. Before 1960 a three-digit number named the case alone: 691, 699.
- 916
- Metal-bezel Sea Wolf
- 946
- Bakelite-bezel Sea Wolf
- 925
- Aerospace GMT
- 836 / 936
- Super Sea Wolf, smooth or sharp case
- 736
- Super Sea Wolf with decompression bezel
- 952
- Sea Wolf SST 36000
- B
- On a case number (722-946B): probably the bakelite bezel, unconfirmed
- LO
- Solid gold bezel
- 1750B / W
- Catalogue number in ads. B is a black dial, W a white dial
- 1763
- Gold-bezel two-tone
- 1781B / W
- Exotic dial with orange chapter ring
- 3080B / W
- No-date bakelite model
- 2062B / W
- Ladies' Sea Wolf
- 1796
- Super Sea Wolf
- ZO920x–922x
- 53 Skin, 39 mm
- ZO925x–931x
- 53 Compression, 40 mm
- ZO94xx
- GMT and World Time
- ZO950x
- 68 and 68 Saturation, 44 mm
- ZO959x
- Compression Ceramic, 41 mm
- ZO35xx
- Pro-Diver, 42 mm
- ZO000x
- Ref. 691 reissue, 36 mm
Zodiac publishes no key; this pattern is read from the references in this catalog. Limited runs of 82, 182 and 282 pieces appear to echo the founding year 1882.
Milestones
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1882 | Ariste Calame opens his workshop in Le Locle. |
| 1908 | The Zodiac name is registered. |
| 1953 | The launch year Zodiac gives for the Sea Wolf, at the Basel Fair. |
| c. 1957 to 1958 | First watches by collector dating: ref. 691, then the signed 699. |
| 1960 | Aerospace GMT puts a 24-hour bezel on the Sea Wolf case. |
| 1961 | Calibre 70-72 arrives with case number 702-916. |
| 1962 | Sea Wolf Datographic, ref. 722-916, advertised with date. |
| c. 1964 | Bakelite bezels and the push-in quickset date on the 722-946B. |
| 1966 to 1969 | Advertised in US armed forces newspapers during the Vietnam War. |
| 1968 | Super Sea Wolf rated to 750 m. |
| c. 1969 | SST 36000 high-beat calibres; the Sea Wolf SST follows. |
| 1977 | Astrodigit LCD chronograph. Zodiac turns to quartz and digital watches. |
| 1990 | Willy Gad Monnier, formerly of TAG Heuer, buys the brand. Designs from this period show TAG Heuer influence. |
| November 1997 | Montres Zodiac SA goes bankrupt. |
| September 1998 | Genender International buys the inventory and trademarks. It drops the Sea Wolf and most automatics, keeping the Super Sea Wolf and Marine Life. |
| 1 October 2001 | Fossil acquires worldwide rights to the name for about $4.7 million. |
| April 2002 | First Fossil-era line appears at Basel with no Sea Wolf. |
| February 2010 | Fossil launches the ZMX line of large sports watches, 44 mm and up. |
| 2012 | Fossil buys a majority of movement maker STP in Manno, Ticino. |
| Early 2015 | The Sea Wolf returns as the 53 Skin and 53 Compression. |
| October 2015 | Super Sea Wolf 68, the modern 1,000 m watch. |
| September 2019 | First Super Sea Wolf GMT. |
| 2022 | Pro-Diver and ceramic case for the 140th anniversary year. |
| 2024 | Hand-wound Ref. 691 reissue. GMT moves to the STP 7-20. |
| January 2025 | STP reported closed. |
| 2025 | Stone-dial limited editions in malachite and lapis lazuli. |
| October to November 2025 | Fossil files for a court-supervised debt restructuring; terms approved in November. Zodiac stock is sold at up to half price and unsold watches reach discount retailers. |
| Early 2026 | Pro-Diver and dive knife set with GiantMouse at $2,295. Zodiac continues to release watches. |
Where the sources disagree
Much of the reference detail comes from collectors and dealers, and they conflict. The catalog uses the version in the first column unless noted.
| Question | Version A | Version B |
|---|---|---|
| Sea Wolf launch | About 1957 to 1958 (Chronopedia, Vakulenko) | 1953 at Basel (Zodiac, most press) |
| Super Sea Wolf launch | 1968 (OTTUHR, Teddy Baldassarre) | Early 1970s (Wikipedia) |
| First depth rating | 10 ATM, later 20 ATM (The Spring Bar) | 200 m from the start (Wikipedia) |
| Cal. 70-72 introduction | 1961 (The Spring Bar) | 1962 (OTTUHR; Chronopedia gives both) |
| Cal. 70-72 jewels | 17 (The Spring Bar, period ads) | 21 (OTTUHR) |
| Ref. 722-916 | Date model, the Datographic (The Spring Bar, Chronopedia) | No-date model (OTTUHR) |
| 1750B and 1750W | B and W mean black and white dial (period pamphlet) | White or cream and sky-blue bezels (Chronopedia) |
| Start of the bakelite bezel | About 1964 (OTTUHR) | Serial 1.92 million, dated 1967 (Experts Watches) |
| Earliest Super Sea Wolf case | 722-936, with the older cal. 70-72 (Chronopedia) | 722-836B (OTTUHR) |
| Super Sea Wolf crystal | Acrylic (OTTUHR) | Mineral glass (dealer listing) |
| Serial chart | Seven-digit anchors from 1.19 million (Experts Watches, The Spring Bar) | Six-digit ranges from 100,000 in 1953 (same Experts Watches page) |
| Neon Lime GMT edition size | 250 (Beyond The Dial) | 282 (Windup Watch Shop) |
Prices and sources
About the prices
Collected on 3 October 2026. Euro ranges are the lowest and highest asking prices among the 76 used Sea Wolf listings on Chrono24.de that day. Asking prices sit above what watches sell for, and with so few listings per reference a single unusual watch moves the range. Rows marked as a family share one range across several references and are the least precise. Dollar figures marked as sales are dealer or private sales recorded by EveryWatch; dollar estimates for the Exotic dial and vintage Super Sea Wolf are one US dealer's published ranges. Modern prices reflect the heavy discounting that followed Fossil's restructuring in late 2025. Launch prices in the notes are US list prices. For comparison, one US dealer publishes $1,400 to 2,200 for a black-dial 722-946B with intact bakelite and $1,800 to 2,950 for a tropical dial, and Chrono24 quotes $1,150 to 1,850 for a 722-946.
Sources
- The Spring Bar, The Classic Zodiac Sea Wolf: A History
- Chronopedia, Zodiac SeaWolf
- Chronopedia, Zodiac SuperSeaWolf
- OTTUHR, Zodiac Sea Wolf 722-946B reference guide
- OTTUHR, Super Sea Wolf overview
- Wikipedia, Zodiac Watches
- Teddy Baldassarre, Zodiac Watches: history and guide to the modern collection
- Beyond The Dial, Iteration Tracker: Modern Zodiac Super Sea Wolf
- Worn & Wound, Hands-On with the Super Sea Wolf Ref. 691
- Worn & Wound, Affordable Vintage: Zodiac SST 36000
- Fratello, two new Super Sea Wolf GMTs with the STP 7-20
- Hypebeast, Super Sea Wolf Ceramic release
- Two Broke Watch Snobs, Zodiac and GiantMouse Pro Diver set
- GearJunkie, Zodiac prices after the Fossil filing
- Caliber Corner, STP movements
- Hairspring, Exotic Dial Zodiac Sea Wolf 722-946B
- Chronocentric, SST 36000 listing quoting the 1975 catalogue
- Watch-Deal, Zodiac reference number guide
- Experts Watches, Zodiac serial number dating guide 1950 to 1980
- Chrono24.de, used Sea Wolf listings (EUR asking prices)
- EveryWatch, Sea Wolf and Super Sea Wolf recorded sales