This Zenith Elite is named the Rainbow, and this is after the racing boat that featured in the 1935 Americas Cup. Model number 15/020470-670
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
This model was available from 1991-1999, but in 1996 the lume pip was added to the bezel. This watch will be between 1996 and 1999. In 1999 Zenith bought out a version with a mango coloured dial, which is now highly collectible. We have settled on this watch being made circa 1998.
CONDITION
There is a large group of people who love the look of a divers watch, but not the bulk. With the Rainbow model Zenith made the ideal watch for these people. 200m water resistance when new, yet in a 9.0 mm thick case (A Rolex Explorer II is 12.2 mm thick and is rated to just 100m). This makes the watch far more comfortable to wear. The crown is original and signed. The sapphire crystal does have a mark at 1 o’clock, but is otherwise good. The bracelet is a good length, and has been cleaned in our ultrasonic bath. The bracelet is complete with the signed butterfly clasp, which is secure. The bracelet has not been polished, and neither has the case – you can see some scratches on the non crown side that are far more visible on the photos than in real life. The case back is complete with the engraving of the Rainbow yacht. The beautifully finished calibre 670 movement is working sweetly, and the quick set date can be adjusted in either direction (very few watches can do this). The bezel, with the lume pip at 12 to meet the later ISO standards, is unidirectional and turns with a nice click.
The obvious ‘rival’ for this white dialed sports watch is the Rolex Explorer II. Not only is the Zenith much rarer (at time of writing there were 1,119 Rolex Explorer II’s on a leading website, and one Zenith Elite Rainbow), but the Rolex is far more expensive.
This watch will be supplied with the original inner and outer presentation boxes, instructions and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 42.6 mm
Width without crown 38.8 mm
Between lugs 19 mm
Lug to lug length 44.9 mm
Case Thickness 9.0 mm
Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 188 mm. The bracelet can be sized for you if you give us your wrist size when placing the order.
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
