ZISSOU

Some designs start on paper. This one has been parked in the driveway for 51 years.

Zissou is my 1975 VW Bus, recreated as a Swell Marks ball marker. The white upper body, blue lower panels, rows of vents and round headlights are pulled directly from the bus itself—simplified down to the details that make an old Volkswagen instantly recognizable.

Each marker starts as stainless steel and is deeply engraved to create separate fields across the face. Blue and white enamel is worked into the recessed sections by hand, while the vents and headlights remain proud in bare stainless. Once cured, the face is worked back and finished by hand, revealing the metal again and sharpening the lines between color and steel.

It takes a little more coaxing than most Swell Marks to get Zissou out of the garage. The first run is just 25 markers. Once they're gone, Zissou heads back to the garage for a while.

Fifty-one years on the road. Now he's got a tee time.

Field Notes

• Material: Stainless Steel
• Enamel Fill: Two tone enamel paint fill, white on top, blue on bottom
• Finish: Enamel cured then polished
• Front: 1975 VW Baywindow Front Profile
• Reverse: Swell Marks monogram in round logo,  perimeter with Know the Break. Mark Your Spot.
• Diameter: 1.25 in (32 mm) diameter
  
• Thickness: 0.125 in (3.2 mm) thick
• Weight: 20 g
• Made in: Nick’s Garage — Coronado, California