zenith academy tribute cohiba closeup

ZENITH – ACADEMY CHRISTOPHE COLOMB TRIBUTE TO COHIBA

A TALE OF TOBACCO AND GOLD

Zenith has sealed its partnership with Cohiba with a second watch for the premium cigar brand’s 50th anniversary.

 We introduced the limited edition El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Cohiba Edition in May 2016: 50 rose gold pieces and 50 steel watches whose dials were awash with tobacco brown and the signature Cohiba yellow, white and gold pattern to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the habanos brand. Zenith is doing it all again with just 5 of the exclusive Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute to Cohiba, again in tribute to Cohiba’s 50th anniversary.

zenith academy tribute cohiba closeup

The dial on this new watch brings to mind textured and creased tobacco leaf. The gold disc is shot through with tiny veins which are hand-engraved and enamelled. The hours and minutes appear off-centre at 12, the small seconds at 9 and power reserve at 3. The hour rim features Roman numerals and rose gold dots beneath a pair of spear-shape rose gold-plated hands.

The bottom of the Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute to Cohiba dial is filled with a sapphire crystal ball covering a gyroscopic module that holds the regulator horizontally. It controls gravity by protecting the mechanism from earthly forces of attraction that tend to affect a watch’s function and precision.

The displays, 50-hour power reserve and additional module at 6 are fuelled by the El Primero 8804 calibre. The manual wind movement made by Zenith runs at 36,000 beats per hour (5Hz) inside the 45mm rose gold case that’s 14.35mm thick (excluding the sapphire sphere).

Price: 220,000 CHF zenith.com

By Sharmila Bertin