Zeppelin watches are common place online, I have seen them promoted on Amazon, catalogues and on various affiliate websites. They are good at catching people’s attention as they are one of the brands I am most frequently asked about. The brand is connected to the 20th century dirigible manufacturer on the sense that a German watch manufacturer has bought the licence to use the brand on timepieces. One should not be under the illusion that this watch benefits from a genuine aviation heritage and the influence of Zeppelin’s engineers. But then, who is to say that aircraft manufacturers are particularly expert in the manufacture of watches? So let’s give them a pass on the spotty heritage for now.
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What are they?
Fundamentally Zeppelin watches are watches assembled in Germany using Japanese movements. The rules around “Made in Germany” are far more relaxed than for “Swiss Made”. That is to say, I think the most we can expect from a “Made in Germany” Zeppelin is that the final assembly was done in Germany, the machining of the case, the production of the crystal and the movement being sourced in Asia. These claims aside. There is nothing wrong with Asian watchmaking. Japan in particular is the home of legendary brands like Seiko and Citizen. The latter being the supplier of movements to Zeppelin via their subsidiary Miyota. Every mechanical Zeppelin watch I have seen was running a Miyota. Let’s take a look at an example.
Zeppelin 100 Jahre (Years) Special Edition
![](https://tfhorology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-01-at-11.33.58-1024x523.png)
This special edition watch by Zeppelin is one of their most popular model. eBay is almost always the cheapest source for watches but I scanned the Google Shopping results and found the following:
![](https://tfhorology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-01-at-11.39.55.png)
What are its specifications?
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Thickness: 13mm
Bracelet: Leather strap and buckle
Movement: Ronda 5130.D Quartz (Not a Miyota)
Case Diameter: 42mm
Water Resist: 50m
Crystal: Mineral
Design
Let’s consider the design first. This is based on a typical 1930s chronograph and is pretty good looking. Having handled these in the past they do feel like good quality timepieces. The metalwork is full polish which was normal for the period however these days modern tastes prefer part brushed and finer finishes.
I would give it a perceived quality score, at its price of around 7.5 out of ten.
Movement
The Ronda 5130.D is a good movement. It is Swiss made and can be found in watches that cost a great deal more than this zeppelin. Although my preference is for mechanical watches, at this price, the Movement represents good value. 8 out of ten.
Crystal
This is the first let down, a standard mineral crystal is not really good enough at this price point anymore. Seiko gets away with it but they are a much bigger brand and a lot of people complain about that anyway. Practically mineral is more scratch resistant than plexiglass but I vastly prefer plexiglass on this type of watch because the bezel-less domed crystal design means that if any part of the watch is making contact with a wall etc, it is going to be the crystal and it will scratch. A plexiglass lens can be polished out, a mineral one can not be. 5 out of ten.
Brand
People like this brand, Zeppelin has a great heritage, it invokes 30s cool, think The Mummy or Indiana Jones. Don’t think of Nazis or Purges. It is a fun brand although not one with a watch history per se. 6 out of ten.
Total
26.5/40 = 66%
Overall this is not a bad watch. unexpectedly for me the best thing about it is the movement. Of course if you love the design you might score it more highly. Personally I would take my Quartz chronograph money elsewhere.
For the money, I would much rather have the Rotary Avenger Chronograph. This may be seen as a dubious decision by some however I feel that the design is better, Rotary has a long heritage of making excellent watches. The movement on the rotary is actually a Miyota and a relatively cheap one. However it is a much more elegant design. At 38mm the watch is sized more appropriately for a vintage style chronograph.
Let’s take another example this time an automatic three hander.
Zeppelin LZ127
This watch is available as a Quartz GMT as well but on this occasion we will concentrate on the automatic only.
![](https://tfhorology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-01-at-13.03.56-1024x526.png)
This watch is usually under £200 and that is about as cheap as an automatic watch gets. That is aside from the Ali Express brands. By being this cheap, the Zeppelin starts to make a strong case for itself. The watch is named after the largest ever Zeppelin aircraft.
What are its specifications?
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Thickness: 13mm
Bracelet: Leather strap and buckle
Movement: Miyota 821A
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Case Diameter: 41mm
Water Resist: 50m
Crystal: Mineral
Design
Let’s consider the design first. This is based on a interwar pilots watch design. It is a pretty design and a little smaller than the chronograph. good looking. I like the unfussy dial too. The metalwork is full polish which was normal for the period as I mentioned before, modern tastes prefer part brushed and finer finishes.
I would give it a perceived quality score, at its price of around 8.5 out of ten.
Movement
The Miyota movement is best described as “adequate”. It is a very old movement and was once ubiquitous in the microbrand space. Citizen still uses it heavily however it is out matched by its seiko competition. 6.5/10
Crystal
Like the chronograph, this watch uses mineral crystal and all the negatives I mentioned above apply here. 5/10
Brand
Again, the Zeppelin brand is generally liked but it is not a traditional watch brand. 6 out of ten.
Total
24.5/40 = 63%
I like this watch more than the chronograph but the movement is nothing to write home about and the crystal isn’t much either.
That said for £200 this watch has less competition and if you are set on this style of watch there is little competition. There is a good competitor from Rotary again. The Rotary Gent’s heritage is again, just that little bit more refined, to my taste however in this case it does actually cost a little bit more.
Check it out on eBay (affiliate link)
![](https://tfhorology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Rotary.jpeg)
In summary, yes, Zeppelin makes a decent watch. Is it the best watch for the money? It is hard to say. You get good watches from Ali Express for this king of money but they have zero brand value. On the other hand there are watches from Seiko, Rotary and Omega for this kind of money that offer more brand value than Zeppelin. If you are dead set on the Art deco interwar vibes then the choice is more clear.
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