Watch Release: Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT Blueberry Limited Edition
Zodiac released a new limited edition to its line of Super Sea Wolf GMT watches last week. This time, we get a black dial and two shades of blue on the bezel. A traveler’s watch for those with a taste for ’60s design.
Zodiac named this the Blueberry. Now that is a bit of a cheeky move. Let’s unpack that before we look more closely at the watch itself.
Blueberry origins
I just have to address this watch’s name. Browsing the press materials, I found that Zodiac describes how the blue is inspired by the ocean. The brand specifically refers to the lighter blue as “Mediterranean, representative of light breaking through the surface” while the darker shade is “…alluding to the inky depths below”. So we would expect an ocean-themed name, right? Barracuda, perhaps? Lagune-something? Why Blueberry?
Well, the name Blueberry might ring a bell with watch collectors. There is a highly controversial Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 with an entirely blue bezel. This is nicknamed “Blueberry”. There is a lot of myth surrounding this model. Some claim it has an original service bezel. Others say it is a special version made for specific armed forces. Many experts believe them to be inauthentic, aftermarket bezels. At best, the Rolex GMT-Master “Blueberry” is extremely controversial.
So I guess Zodiac might be trolling the Rolex community a little. Here is a blueberry that is factory-original and available at a decent price. If you like your blueberries uncontroversial, get them from Zodiac.
Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT Blueberry specs
On to the watch itself. The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT Blueberry measures in at a crowd-pleasing 40mm wide with a length of 48mm and a thickness of 13.6mm. Potential buyers will surely appreciate the 20mm lug spacing. A sapphire crystal is surrounded by a 24-click bi-directional bezel with a sapphire insert. The case is rated water-resistant to 200 meters.
Zodiac equipped the watch with the Soprod caliber C-125. This is based on the ETA 2893-2. It is a caller GMT, which is a shame. I find flyer GMTs infinitely more practical, but let me know if you agree in the comments. In typical Zodiac style, the GMT hand is executed as a simple red baton with a lumed tip.
Zodiac Blueberry style
Like the entire Zodiac Super Sea Wolf line, this Blueberry has a distinct ’60s vibe to it. Zodiac does not need faux-patina or other cheap tricks to do it. The design is simply faithful to its Aerospace GMT ancestor with classical fonts, a slim bezel, and typical-for-the-era hour markers. It is a very specific look, and you will not mistake a Zodiac like this for anything else.
For this limited edition, Zodiac pairs a matte black dial with a blue bezel. The top half of the bezel is a light cerulean blue. The bottom half is somewhere between royal and space blue. The color combo, paired with the fact that this is a GMT watch, reminds me of Pan-Am or our own KLM. It has that ’60s “the world is your oyster” globe-trotting vibe.
The Zodiac Blueberry is unapologetically retro. If you are looking for something contemporary, look elsewhere. But if you dig the style, there really is no substitute.
Pricing and availability
Zodiac is limiting the production of the Super Seawolf GMT Blueberry to 200 pieces. They are available only via the Windup Watch Shop. Shipping will commence on October 18th. The price of the Zodiac Blueberry is US$1,495 (€1,563 at the time of publication). Let us know what you think of this release in the comments.
