The job seemed Watling's to lose but his assured innings on the first day of the three-day match should be enough to convince coach John Wright to hand him the job in the one-off test against Zimbabwe in Napier.
Batting at No 6, he put on 125 with Otago youngster Sam Wells to help the New Zealand XI to 272 for seven declared. Skipper Ross Taylor brought the innings to a close when Watling, who batted for nearly four hours, was run out.
Taylor won the toss and opted to bat but New Zealand were soon reduced to 59 for four. Kruger van Wyk, who was named in the test squad and is battling with Watling for the wicketkeeping position, fell for just five opening the innings.
Watling, Daniel Vettori (49) and Wells (65) were the main contributors to New Zealand's total, with Wells striking seven fours and one six in his impressive innings.
Zimbabwe openers Tino Mawoyo (23) and Hamilton Masakadza (15) survived 14 overs before stumps, moving through to 39 for no loss in reply despite offering a couple of chances the New Zealanders failed to grasp.
