SUMMERTIME STOP-OFF

Zenith’s ever-so-limited Defy El Primero 21 Porto Cervo edition, a chronograph boasting the emblematic colours of the Mediterranean, gives your wrist a summertime twist.

During the peak time of the year, towns and villages along the shores of the Deep Blue become the absolute place-to-be. Saint Tropez is one of them, Porto Cervo, in Sardinia, another. It is in this blue-sky-, blue-sea-kissed beach resort that Zenith dropped anchor and set up an ephemeral pop-up store, open until 8 September, which accompanies the launch of a 25-piece, aquatic-toned limited series. The Defy El Primero 21 Porto Cervo bedazzles with a 44 mm-diameter titanium case inspired by the one found in the original 1970s El Primero models. An ever-so pure white ceramic bezel encircles a skeleton dial-enhanced scenography. Delicate touches of blue on the crown, the indexes and the hands boost its wondrous summery style. The power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, the discreet small seconds at 9 o’clock and the chronograph totalizers play with the axes of symmetry and harmoniously balance this open-worked composition which centre stages the mechanical craftsmanship.

The time displays and the 1/100^th of a second short-cycle time measurement are driven by an El Primero self-winding movement. Loyal descendant of the calibre from 1969, the 9004 is equipped with a dual escapement and offers over 50 hours’ power reserve.

Flaunt the Defy El Primero 21 Porto Cervo with its white rubber strap covered with blue alligator at café terraces, cocktail parties, summer galas…

Price: EUR12,600 zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

IN REBEL MODE

In the 1960s, bikers sought thrills at high speed. Today, the café racer spirit has become a style in its own right and now has its signature watch.

Yesterday a pilot’s watch – today on the wrists of bikers. It’s true that the Pilot Type 20 Chronograph Ton Up has all the assets required to be at home in the air and on tarmac roads. On the dial, XXL-size figures are joined by some imposing hands. All these oversized elements are coated in lume and provide an ideal contrast with the deep matt black dial. So readability is optimal in all lighting conditions. Especially since the chronograph’s 30-minute totaliser and the split seconds are set in bicompax position for harmonious symmetry. The watch is housed in an elegant case that is watertight down to 100m. With a generous diameter of 45mm and a majestic crown, this piece is really cut out for adventure. The aged black steel look adds a stylistic and masculine touch.

The timepiece is powered by an automatic movement with a column-wheel chronograph. The calibre 4069 can be used to measure split times with the help of monopushers that are perfectly adapted to the body of the case. It also supplies the model with 50 hours of power reserve.

With its black oily nubuck leather strap, this Zenith watch should be worn for preference with a leather jacket at the handlebars of a café-racer motorcycle or behind the joystick of a private plane. The presence of a protective rubber lining and a tang buckle improve comfort on the wrist.

Price: 7,500 EUR zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

CUBA SI!

Two new limited editions this year embody the partnership launched in 2016 between Zenith and the famous Cuban cigar manufacturer Cohiba.

If, as the traveller and writer Sylvain Tesson says, “fans of Havana enjoy being wrapped up in smoke”, they never say no to being surrounded by beautiful objects either. The partnership signed by the Zenith and Cohiba brands will no doubt delight them with a limited edition of two elegant pilot’s watches. The Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Cohiba-Maduro 5 Edition is built around a large, 45mm-wide rose gold case. The warm tones of the metal are enhanced by the black dial and brown leather strap. The overall effect evokes the colour of dried tobacco leaves in a Cohiba cigar. Key features of the design on this type of timepiece are Arabic numerals and an XL-size crown. The imposing presence of hands coated in luminous material also provides excellent readability, even in the dark.

It’s worth noting that the 50 watches are joined by another limited edition of 150 pieces. The Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Chronograph Cohiba-Maduro 5 Edition stands out with a case of the same size but made of bronze. This version houses an automatic El Primero 4069 movement to take care of shorter time intervals while you are enjoying your Maduro 5 cigar.

Price: 7,900 EUR (chronograph) – 21,900 EUR zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

DEFYING GRAVITY

From the Defy collection, the Zero G combines the visual design of the model of the same name launched in 2017 with a miniaturised mechanism in a skeletoned El Primero calibre.

Defy. Four letters resonating like a promise for Zenith. The promise of a timepiece in a very contemporary collection, featuring a movement with up-to-date performances and a visual design that is not inspired by 20^th century models. With this collection, the manufacture is not looking to turn the page of a rich watchmaking past, but to write a new chapter. The Defy Zero G, introduced at Baselworld 2018, epitomises this orientation. Powered by the El Primero 8812 S movement, the model has a trick up its sleeve to combat the effects of gravity: a gyroscopic module named “Gravity Control”, which was already found in the impressive Academy Christophe Colomb in 2013. Its purpose? To keep the escapement and balance wheel in a horizontal position irrespective of the position of the watch!

The timepiece comes in a brushed titanium or pink gold case, depending on the version, and with a diameter of 44mm. The earth’s attraction may be eliminated, but the visual attraction is at its zenith!

Price: 95,400 EUR (titanium with alligator strap) – 121,500 EUR (pink gold) zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

BRONZE: A METAL WITH CHARACTER

The brand from Le Locle takes inspiration from its long love story with the sky to design a big chronograph combining bronze and blue, and with the display driven by the legendary El Primero movement.

Since it was founded, Zenith has celebrated the rise of aeronautics by creating measuring instruments specially designed for pilots. When the Frenchman Louis Blériot (1872-1936), on board his Blériot XI, completed the very first flight across the English Channel in 37 minutes on 25 July 1909, he was wearing a wrist watch made by the brand from Le Locle. This long love story between Zenith and aeroplanes is embodied in the Pilot collection, which has just been joined by the Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Chronograph Bronze Blue Dial model, introduced this year at Baselworld.

On the midnight blue matt dial, the time display is perfectly readable at a glance, with its large Arabic figures and the big cathedral-type hands coated in white Super-LumiNova® with green luminescence. The second scale runs discreetly round the outside of the dial. The hour and minute hands are in the centre and the running seconds in a counter at 9 o’clock. The chronograph seconds track the large central second hand and the minutes are counted up in a totaliser at 3 o’clock.

The Type 20 Extra Special Chronograph Bronze Blue Dial is driven by a famous self-winding movement, the calibre El Primero 4069, which runs at 36,000 vibrations an hour (5Hz) and provides a power reserve of 50 hours.

Price: 7,400 CHF zenith.com

By Sharmila Bertin

VINTAGE TIME DISPLAY

The Zenith star is back at its zenith! The Pilot Cronometro Tipo CP-2 Flyback combines the attractions of a legendary model with a mechanism featuring very up-to-date performances.

Developed in the 1960s for the Italian army, the 2,500 CP-2 Cairelli chronographs are now highly sought after by collectors of military watches and fans of the brand with the star logo. Encouraged by the enthusiasm for a model that has become the symbol of an era, Zenith has designed a new version named Cronometro Tipo CP-2 Flyback and in the same spirit as the original model. On the dial, there is the ultra-readable display. The hour and minute hands, coated in Super-LumiNova®, make their way around Arabic numerals with the same luminescent material.

The Cronometro Tipo CP-2 Flyback watch comes in two versions with a vintage look. While the case still has its original width of 43mm, it now comes in a choice of two materials. Aged bronze or steel are combined respectively with a grained brown or slate grey dial and a brown or green nubuck strap.

Price: 7,900 CHF zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

BLACK LOOK

Black is an ally of design. It means elegance, modernity and a sports feel – a colour adapted to and enhancing all materials. And here’s the proof!

Its ancestor hit the headlines in 1969, when it became the first wrist watch to include split times down to 1/10^th of a second as a standard feature. With the Defy El Primero 21 Black Ceramic, Zenith has raised accuracy to 1/100^th of a second with the help of the impressive automatic movement equipped with a double chain and two escapements. One runs at a frequency of 5Hz for the watch, while the second is dedicated to the chronograph and rises to 50Hz – or 360,000 vibrations an hour! This cutting-edge mechanism provides 50 hours of power reserve and is displayed through an open-work dial. The components create a monochrome relief structure that is part of the timepiece’s design.

While the small second counter at 9 o’clock is discreet, a few time indicators provide colour to the Defy El Primero 21 Black Ceramic. The power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock and the central second hand are adorned with a red tip, while the 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock is dressed in blue and the 60-second totaliser at 6 o’clock is grey. The ruthenium hands and hour markers are coated in Super-LumiNova®. They are all designed to provide perfect readability. The design is highlighted by the judicious choice of a 44mm-wide case. Made of black, high-tech polished ceramic, its presence acts on the dial like a tuxedo at an evening party, providing elegance, but discreet enough not to overshadow your partner’s outfit.

The Defy El Primero 21 Black Ceramic is worn with a strap made from the same material as the case or with a rubber strap featuring a double folding clasp made of titanium with black DLC coating.

Price: 12,100 EUR (rubber strap) – 14,900 EUR (ceramic strap) zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

BLACK IS BLACK

A Chronomaster featuring the El Primero movement, a skeleton dial and a black ceramic case. Zenith joins the dark side of the mechanical force!

As Yves Saint Laurent said, “There is no such thing as black, only different kinds of black”. This is what comes to mind when you see the new Chronomaster El Primero Skeleton. With its single-tone style, its chiselled dial and three-dimensional display, the timepiece made by Zenith will leave no one indifferent. Inside the generous 45mm-wide case, made entirely of black ceramics, is the self-winding El Primero 400 B, with its legendary frequency of 36,000 VpH (5Hz), its 1/10^th of a second display and its 50 hours of power reserve. And while the 326 components are all dedicated to chronometric precision, a fair number of them also play a role in the watch’s aesthetic appearance. The open-work counters on the chronograph provide an original vision of the movement’s workings. In a decor made up of tones of grey, only the date at 6 o’clock and the tip of the central hand of the chronograph add a touch of (deep red) colour.

For the time functions, the hour and minute hands are blackened with ruthenium and have a luminous coating, and point towards indices with the same features. The chronograph elements are displayed with a central hand, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock.

The Chronomaster El Primero Skeleton is worn with a black rubber strap with a carbon fibre coating and a triple folding clasp made of titanium and black PVD, underlining the original personality of the watch.

Price: €10,900 zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

A WATCH REVOLUTION IS UNDER WAY!

What’s new on the market? The Defy Lab by Zenith is exceeding expectations and revolutionising watchmaking with an oscillator that’s set to challenge the foundations of watchmaking mechanics.

Three centuries! For 342 years the principle of regulating time with a balance spring formed the foundation as you can see in any mechanical watch past and present. The concept was presented in 1675 by the Dutch astronomer, mathematician and physician Christian Huygens but has never been challenged until Zenith decided to do things differently.

Zenith, the renowned champion of the high frequency chronograph, has treated the Defy Lab to an oscillator that isn’t affected by magnetic fields, gravity or temperature. The ZO 342 calibre has been given an update and the Le Locle-based brand has proudly revolutionised Christian Huygens’ fundamental principle with ten unique pieces that were unveiled at the launch.

Price: CHF29,900 zenith.com

By Isabelle Guignet

TIME FOR ACTION

At ease on both land and sea, this Zenith chronograph combines high-tech and top performance in the style of the Team Land Rover BAR boat.

The fruit of a partnership between Zenith and Land Rover BAR, a challenger in the 35^th America’s Cup, the Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Bar Team Edition echoes the colour codes of the UK boat skilfully captained by Sir Ben Ainslie, the quadruple Olympic gold medallist. The slate grey dial, like the colour of the boat’s hull, houses the chronograph counters in bicompax position. A second hand at 6 o’clock provides balance to the overall composition. The time data are easy to read thanks to the contrast provided by the Super-LumiNova® on the indices, as well as on the hour and minute hands.

Performance-wise, the 45mm steel case is every bit as good as the UK AC50. Precision and cutting-edge technology are features of the high-frequency El Primero 400 B automatic movement (5Hz) with 50 hours of power reserve. A descendant of the movement launched by Zenith in 1969, it measures time in tenths of a second. So it will have no trouble timing the sea racer between two buoys at speeds that can get up to 45 knots. You just need to activate the red central hand tipped with the famous Zenith star using the screwed crowns. Even though the case back is equipped with a sapphire glass, revealing the rotor with the Côtes de Genève pattern, let’s not forget that the watch is perfectly waterproof down to a depth of 200m.

The Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Bar Team Edition is worn with a black strap made of rubber with a carbon-fibre coating, a material that can be found in some elements on the boat. Collectors should be aware that Zenith has put just 250 pieces on sale!

Price: €8,300 zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu