Signed Zenith, Retailed by A. Cairelli, CP-2 model, Circa 1965

Cairelli retailer in Rome is a name synonymous with Italian military watches. Even before Zenith, in the 1950s, Cairelli had been placing orders to Universal for pilot’s timepieces. Those watches used a movement manufacture by Martel Watch, a company Zenith bought in 1959. Consequently, in the 1960s Cairelli turned to Zenith to ensure consistency of the supply. Two models are known to have been made, for a total of 2500 watches. One version was for civilian use, such as the present watch. The military version features either the engraving “AMI” (Areonautica Militare Italian: Italian Air Force) or “MM” (Marina Militare: Navy) followed by the inventory number.