Zodiac is a brand with a surprisingly rich watchmaking history dating back to the late 1800s. Still, it would be about 70 years before Zodiac would put itself on the map. The year 1953 could easily be dubbed the year of the dive watch. It marked the debut of some of the most iconic dive models ever created: Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, Rolex’s Submariner, and Zodiac’s Sea Wolf.

Since then, Zodiac’s ties to the dive community became inextricable, but the brand is far more than just a producer of influential tool watches. Zodiac has long been an innovator in the industry. Prior to the Sea Wolf, Zodiac created the Autographic, one of the first self-winding sport watches to showcase a power reserve indicator on the dial. Just ahead of the Quartz Crisis, the brand launched the Dynotron, one of the first Swiss electronic watches and shortly after released the world’s first LCD watch to obtain an official chronometer certificate followed by the world’s slimmest quartz watch.

Cameron Barr, a collector of Zodiac watches

This rich heritage is what has long drawn Cameron Barr, founder of Craft + Tailored, to Zodiac. Barr is a self-proclaimed lover of objects that possess history, quality, and purpose — it’s no surprise he found his way to watches. He spent a decade sourcing and collecting vintage timepieces before establishing his own vintage business. 

With Craft + Tailored, Barr prides himself in creating a customer experience that’s not just about finding a killer watch to add to your collection. It’s about really understanding the story of that timepiece, its historical significance, and the responsibility to perpetuate that story and history as the owner of that special timepiece. It’s each of these principles that Barr infused into his first modern and collaboratively designed watch: the Craft + Tailored × Zodiac Reference 691 Reissue. 

“I’ve collected Zodiac watches for a long time,” explains Barr. “They have a ton of history, and their watches have quality, story, substance — all the things I really look for in a watch — while still being pretty affordable. Over the years, as I’ve been hunting for vintage watches all over the world, I would find Zodiacs and bring them into my personal collection,” he continues. “I’ve always had a real love of the brand, so when they reached out about a collaboration, it was an easy yes, but I had some guidelines.”

Craft + Tailored on teaming up with Zodiac 

Collaborations have become increasingly popular in the watch space in recent years — some might even say there are too many mashups on the market. While this trend has been true across the board, Zodiac is a particular maker who has really leaned into the collaborative space. The brand has teamed up with countless others like Liberty London, Rowing Blazers, Huckberry, RedBar, and even eBay to co-design timepieces.

“Zodiac is one of those brands that’s done a tremendous amount of collaborations,” emphasized Barr, “and I wanted to do something different, so I really held their feet to the fire to develop a model that was unlike any of their other collabs.” 

In order to do things differently, Barr leaned on another aspect of his collecting journey. In addition to watches, he’s spent decades acquiring other horological ephemera, including old reference books, auction catalogs, and advertisements. 

“I have this great book called Collecting Vintage Zodiac Watches by Yuriy Vakulenko,” Barr showed me. “It’s not a mainstream title (I found it several years ago on eBay) and it was really created for collectors by a collector who is clearly even more obsessed with Zodiac than I am. It’s probably one of the most comprehensive books in existence on Zodiac,” he continues. “It details every dial configuration, every bezel variation — there are sections on hands, movements, progression of case materials — it’s just insane. So, when Zodiac approached me for the collab, I knew this book would be my reference point for what I wanted us to co-create.” 

Barr’s passion and this book took him and the brand back to Zodiac’s roots. They began looking at the most iconic models from the archives, and, of course, the Sea Wolf rose to the surface. 

“A marquee model for Zodiac is the Sea Wolf,” confirms Barr, “and the first Sea Wolf they ever produced was the Reference 691. Now, at the time, this model didn’t even bear the Sea Wolf name on the dial,” he explains, “but the dial design itself was incredibly unique — unlike anything we’ve seen on subsequent Sea Wolf models since the 691 — and I knew immediately, this was the reference we should recreate.” 

Zodiac was on board with Barr’s vintage inspiration, but the brand wanted to modernize it. They suggested elements like a larger and more oversized 42mm case as well as modifications to the dial that would make the design more contemporary. Yet, Barr stood firm in maintaining the watch’s vintage essence. 

Craft + Tailored × Zodiac Reference 691 Reissue

The new Craft + Tailored × Zodiac Reference 691 Reissue retains the modest proportions of the original with a 36mm stainless steel case. Given the trend back toward more accessible, mid-range sizing, this was a smart move in my humble opinion. To me, 36mm is the definition of sweet spot sizing for any wrist, gender, and style preference. 

In addition to the more aesthetic and stylistic elements of the design, the choice of movement was also a key decision to make. For Barr, it was really important to use a manual-wind movement, and to achieve that, Zodiac built an entirely new in-house caliber exclusively for the Reference 691 Reissue. 

“For me, one of the things I love most about watches is winding them,” confesses Barr. “The ability to unscrew a crown, take a moment with myself and my watch, and feel the mechanical movement that’s going to be ticking on my wrist is one of my favorite rituals. So, having a manual movement in this watch was another non-negotiable for me.”

Powering the Craft + Tailored × Zodiac Reference 691 Reissue is the brand new STP 1-21M manual-wind movement from Swiss Technology Production (STP), a movement developer and manufacturer of the Fossil Group. This caliber (a manual-wound version of the STP 1-21 automatic movement) not only provides the intimate and tactile experience Barr wanted to achieve compared to an automatic movement but also enhances the vintage sensibility. With the manual-wind caliber, Zodiac was able to maintain a thinner profile than with an automatic caliber. In turn, the duo was able to keep the proportions of the Reference 691 Reissue slim with an overall case thickness of 12mm, just as the original would have been. 

“I’m going to be totally honest: working together on this collaboration was tricky and difficult from both sides. Every step of the way, we were pushing back on each other over different elements,” admits Barr. “I was coming at this from that perspective of something made by a collector for a collector — not from the business side of making something we know is instantly going to sell well. Making this watch was a risk, but I really believed in my original vision for this co-creation. I knew it wasn’t just about this watch but what could grow from it — how designing a truly authentic vintage reissue could ultimately be a stepping stone to revive other things from the archives and to reignite a passion in vintage Zodiac lovers for the brand’s modern offerings.” 

Turns out Barr’s persistence paid off. A week after the launch of the Craft + Tailored × Zodiac Reference 691 Reissue, he got a text message from the brand asking when they’re going to start working on their next collaboration — so stay tuned. 

In the meantime, the latest mash up is available in two references: the standard issue Reference ZO0001 with a black dial, and the limited edition Craft + Tailored exclusive Reference ZO0002 with a white dial. Both examples are priced at $1,695 with the Reference ZO0001 available directly from Zodiac and the Limited Edition Reference ZO0002 available exclusively through Craft + Tailored.

Tech Specs: Craft + Tailored × Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 691

Movement: Manual-wind Caliber STP 1-21M; 40-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes; central seconds
Case: 36mm; stainless steel; 200m water-resistance
Dial: Black (Ref. ZO0001) or white (Ref. ZO0002)
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet
Price: USD 1,695
Availability: Limited to 100 pieces