I just returned from
Baselworld 2016, and prepared the first images to give you an intial impression on the
Zenith novelties. 2016 certainly was a year for the petrol heads amongst us!
Like the proverb says, 'a leopard doesn't change its spots'. The Zenith booth looked familiar to last year. A bit less crowded, but that was due to the general lower number of visitors this year (an impression I heard several times in the corridors), but then last year was Zenith's 150th anniversary, and then there was the new CEO to 'check out'.
For those who appreciate chronometric performance there was a lot to ponder. All records and prizes were lithographed on hundreds of tiles, and like pages of a book attached to the sides of the building:
Only at the entrace we saw an artifact which symbolises the main theme of the year:
green* combustion engines! Zenith really focusses on partnerships in the classic/vintage motoring field and the result shows well in the collection.
(* it was stressed vehemently by the Zenith press people that the colour of the bike is pure coincidence and has no connection to the watches presented...)
Which brings us directly to this specimen of streampunk style: The
Zenith Heritage Pilot Café Racer :
Throughly vintage, this automatic chronograph is a testament to the golden ages of motor cycling. 45 * 14.25mm
aged stainless steel case (looks and feels like engine parts smoothened over decades of use) around a
slate-grey toned dial with grained pattern. A
Café Racer motif adorns the engraved
titanium case back. The strap is a
green/olive coloured oily nubuck leather strap with protective rubber lining.
The effect of the 'grainage' is fantastic, very fine and shraply executed. Best admired from an agle. Note the orange accents (did Andrew Luff consult?).
I am a critic of revisiting the old time and again. But if the result is of such beauty and appeal I can only say:
'if you have to do it, then do it this way!'For those of us who like to play safe and prefer twice the number of wheels, Zenith showed us the
El Primero Classic Cars :
Based on the
El Primero 36,000 vph, the new version retains the
42 * 12.75mm stainless steel case, but with an
anthracite dial with “Brushed Engine” pattern (Côtes de Genève) and 3 colored counters as well as the b
rown calfskin leather strap with protective rubber lining.
Take a close look at these counters; the manufacture corrected an old (and unforgivable) error and has now the seconds/minutes dial overlapping the hour conter (instead of vice-versa). This makes the chronograph counter actually usable in the third quarter of a timed hour, when with the other version you would have to guess the counted time.
Note that some of the hands changed slightly. The central seconds counter now has the luminous rectangle, and the small hands are thinner with a longer slit. I would prefer if the permanent seconds counter would have a different finishing - that would make it perfect.
For the more adventurous aficionados and those who appreciate the architectural qualities of watches, Zenith created a new version of the
El Primero Tourbillon . At this time I have little information to show as this piece is neither mentioned on their website nor in the Basel press kit. Simply nowhere.
Using some guesswork I tend to believe that this watch comes on a
46mm ceramic case. It certainly has a really mesmerising
3D dial. There are so many details so I am only mentioning two: note that there is no engraved inscription, instead all are carved from the base plate and really stand out. Second, there is no date or seconds hand.
But look at the subdials, standing out like Mount Fuji. This is almost landscaping quality!
Amongst all these dominant elements I find it applaudable that Zenith applied a gentle red accent to all chronograph hands.
Completely opposite (or as a complement, just as you prefer) the obvious novelty: The
Elite 6150 now comes in
red gold 42 * 9.45mm case. Actually, I think this is the second greatest novelty after the Café Racer! Surprised? Well, look at the images:
The red gold has two game-changing effects on this watch: first, it confers a noble, understated contrast to the dial which previously was confined to surface structures only. Second, a surprise effect hits you when you put this watch on your wrist. The higher weight adds a lot of presence to the timepiece, which is a new quality that is egoistically restrained to the wearer... Thus, two additional characteristic features are added!
Lastly, there is a new
Elite Lady Moonphase. This watch is the female natural complement to the Elite 6150, but with a
pebble shaped 36 * 9.10mm case. Available in
8 different variations in either
stainless steel or red gold. The dial is always crafted in
mother-of-pearl. The following specification are offered:
- steel or red gold
- engraved hour-markers or Roman numerals
- polished or diamond-set bezel
Let's start with the steel/polished bezel version:
A shape complosed of vintage references and a modern view on the world:
Same with diamond bezel:
Alternative: polished bezel, but with Roman numerals. I strongly prefer the former.
Somehow, the red gold is the preferable material for this model. Here: red gold/engraved indices:
Or with diamonds:
Finally, a
new website is up and running. It will be improved over time, but right now I can already say:
this is fast!
Overall, it was a slow year for Zenith focussing in refinements and a hint of a direction towards 'mechanical elegance' (in an effort to sum up its new watches and the fostered partnering strategy). In general, Zenith is very much aligned this year with the overall sentiment of the industry. Fine detail work, new dials/cases, but little mechanical surprises. In view of the economic and political situation worldwide I think this is a clever move. It reassures the collectors and gives them time to ponder about the 'missing link' in their collections.
What is your impression?
So far this time. I am currently working on getting thousands of images sorted. There are more highlights to show, but I need some time to prepare separate articles for every watch. And I will have to arrange for rendez-vous at the coffee house ;-)
Cheers,
Magnus
This message has been edited by cazalea on 2016-03-22 09:46:06 
