When you’ve iterated so much on a single model, there’s sometimes just one thing left to do: make it gold. Zodiac has used its Super Sea Wolf platform for innumerable collaborations and seemingly infinite versions, so it was only a matter of time until the diver got the Midas touch. If you read the site, you know the Super Sea Wolf, as we’ve reviewed plenty of them. If you don’t read the site, you probably also know the Super Sea Wolf (and welcome!). This is the shiny Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compression Diver 18k Gold-Plated watch, and it has a lovely dial.
We have reviewed 29 Zodiac Super Sea Wolves (a pluralization I insist on) — including the Pineapple Dream and Aquamarine Dream models made in collaboration with aBlogtoWatch founder Ariel Adams — and covered a few more than that in new release articles. So, with apologies to the newbies, I will not be going into all the nitty gritty of a typical review, but rather discussing the basics and what makes this one different (hint: it’s the gold plating). Like almost all Super Sea Wolves, Goldie here is 40mm wide, 13.4mm thick, and has a 47.5mm lug-to-lug. In my experience with this and other models, it wears almost perfectly on my 7-inch wrist. The watch has a sapphire crystal, a lumed black ceramic dive bezel that has absolutely perfect tension with no backplay, and 200 meters of water resistance.
The case and bracelet, as you may well have noticed, are plated in 18 microns of 18k yellow gold. One of the things I don’t love about certain Super Sea Wolves is the polishing on the tops of the lugs, but the brand here has smartly fully brushed the case, save for the bezel and the crown. Similarly, the jubilee-style bracelet has its smaller center links polished and its larger outer links brushed. This tamps down a bit on the gaudiness of it being a gold watch. The quick-release 20mm bracelet has a slight taper, and ends in a butterfly clasp with spring-loaded links on either side that expand or contract for a perfect fit.
A gold watch can be positively ruined by the wrong dial, but I think Zodiac did it right. The dial on the Goldie (that’s the nickname we’re going with) is an impossibly dark blue. In most lights, it seems black, but every now and then, you get a rich, abyss blue that goes beautifully with the gold of the case and the dial markers. The dial’s layout is identical to most other Super Sea Wolves: blocky markers and hands afford perfect legibility, while ample Super-LumiNova all around ensures low-light conditions are no trouble. One nice touch I enjoyed, and which Zodiac has done on other models, is the coordination of the printed date frame with the rest of the watch.
Even the caseback gets the gold treatment, and in this case, it’s concealing this latest automatic three-hand date movement from Swiss movement manufacturer STP (This is your reminder that both Zodiac and STP are both owned by the Fossil Group). The STP1-11, which can still be found in some Super Sea Wolves, was discontinued in January of 2023, in an effort to reduce reliance on suppliers outside Switzerland. The STP1-21 has a shorter power reserve of 41 hours at 28,8000 vph, but is purportedly more reliable. I didn’t have any issues with the movement or timekeeping during my admittedly brief time with the watch. The accuracy remains at -0/+15 seconds per day, which is a similar variance to the midgrade offerings of the ETA 2824 and the Sellita SW200.
Some may turn up their noses at gold plating or balk at the almost $5,000 price (for a Super Sea Wolf, a gold-plated watch, or the combination of the two), but consider that the alternatives for dive watches using any amount of actual gold are scant. Brands like Rolex and Tudor of course have solid gold offerings that will set you back tens of thousands, and Omega, Breitling, and Blancpain don’t even offer their current divers on solid gold bracelets (but still charge an arm and a leg). The truth is that most brands in Zodiac’s segment aren’t going to bother with a gold-plated sports watch, diver or otherwise.
A $5,000 Zodiac isn’t for everyone, but it is an access point for those who want a gold dive watch but aren’t in the position or willing to pay the premium for it to be solid gold. This is a fun, beautiful watch to wear. It’s fun because it’s entirely gold, and wears incredibly well. It’s beautiful because of its enigmatic blue dial…. and because it’s entirely gold. The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compression Diver 18k Gold-Plated Z09308 is priced at $4,995 USD and is limited to 300 pieces. For more information, please visit the Zodiac website.
