Zenith Manufacture Visit: Le Locle & Geneva

Bruno.M1 · 2013-04-12T12:46:00Z

Join a collector's journey to the Zenith manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland. Discover the brand's heritage, production insights, and boutique experience.

Bruno.M1

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Bruno.M1 shares an engaging report detailing his two-day visit to the Zenith manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland, organized by Maison Degreef. His account takes readers through the journey, from breakfast in Geneva to a visit to the Zenith boutique, a dial manufacture, and ultimately, the historic Zenith factory itself, offering a rare glimpse into the brand's heritage and production.

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Just returned from 2 magnificent days in Le Locle / Neuchatel/ Geneva

We ( 6 people) received an invitation from Maison Degreef in Belgium, an chance to visit la Manufacture Zenith. Being a watch enthusiast and being a Zenith fan this was very exciting news.Our tour started wednesday at 4 AM in the morning ( I know , way too early LOL). Departure from Brussels at 5.10 AM and arrived not much later in Geneva.

First thing to do was having breakfast. And the Kempinski in Geneva was the perfect place.

Then we went to the Zenith boutique in Geneva. Nice to see a big part of the collection and the food and drinks they offered us were good

Back into our minivan and straight ahead to Hotel Parc Des Eaux Vives to have a great lunch.

In the afternoon we went to METALEM, a dial manufacture. I didn't know what to expect, I've seen more than one manufacture but always watch manufactures.

This one made only dials. If you think a dial is just a tiny, unimportant part in your watch ... think again.

I had no idea how much work went into the dial. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures in this manufacture.

But if you ever get the chance to visit it, DO IT

Oh, did I say they make dials for Audemars Piguet, JLC, Vacheron Constantin, and several others.

They make about 400.000 dials per year. It was nice to see how they make these typical Zenith chronograph dials with 3 colors.

After the visit we went to our hotel Beau Rivage

Some time to relax but not that long because 1 or 2 hours later we were expected in restaurant La Bocca

Known for it's amazing wine cellar. Since I don't drink alcohol I can't tell you much more about the wines but the rest of the group seemd to enjoy it .... a lot.

I can tell you the diner was very nice. I don't drink but I love to eat great food ;-). If you are ever in Neuchatel, La Bocca is the place to be.

Back to the hotel, a few drinks in the bar and time to go to sleep.

The next day we arrived around 9.30 in the Zenith manufacture.

So let's start the tour ...

First the R&D department

As you can see, a Christophe Colomb

Afterwards we met the people who made the tools to make these watches and watch parts

CNC machines at work.

Parts which still need some finishing like bevelling, perlage, côtes de Genève, brushing, polishing etc

Here we saw watchmakers finishing several parts

And, do you like our fancy shoes ?

These blue plastic bags were necessary to keep the dust out of the rooms where they assemble the watches

Putting all the parts together ...

Afterwards we had some time to see the whole collection and sneak previews for Basel 2013.

Some might already know the succesfull TYPE 20 will have some smaller editions ( 48 mm)

Another thing I heard ... the doublematic in pvd or dlc will not go into production

I have no pictures of all these watches because light circumstances were not good enoug to take macro pics.

But I'll post a link to pics of their magnificent Christopher Colomb, pictures I took some time ago at De Greef

The Christopher Colomb

zenith.watchprosite.com

If you're looking for a great watch, a real manufacture. A watch made with passion and not with marketing ... consider Zenith!

I' m sure you will find several pieces in their catalog you like and when you look at the price it will even get more interesting.

No idea how long they will keep them so underpriced ( compared to other similar brands) but today is the time to buy an amazing watch at a VERY fair and affordable price.

I can tell you one thing, I've seen more than one manufacture. I'm not going to tell you which manufactures I already visited but I can tell you Zenith was amazing. We saw what we wanted to see and they answered all our questions.

And I have the feeling zenith was 'more special' than the other manufactures I visited. It is a big company but somehow I had the feeling it is different from other manufactures I visited. I dind't feel like an industrialized mega factory. Everybody I spoke to was full of passion.

And last bu not least .... I want to thank Mr Hanus (from Zenith) once again for the wonderfull experience he gave us. And ofcourse Maison De Degreef ( Arnaud and Joke) in Brussels who invited us for this unforgetable experience.

I hope you enjoyed reading this report.

This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2014-11-17 12:23:22

Key Points from the Discussion

Zenith's legitimacy and relative affordability are highlighted, noting its status as the oldest Swiss watch factory in its original location and its pioneering concept of in-house manufacturing.
The El Primero 1969 is suggested as the most representative and affordable Zenith model, akin to iconic watches from other brands, though Captain moonphase or Power Reserve models also appeal to classic watch enthusiasts.
The contributor expresses excitement for new Zenith models, particularly the 48mm Pilot Type 20 pieces (including a 500-piece DLC GMT LE) and the 'Rainbow' Stratos, noting the rapid availability of new introductions.
Zenith's production figures show significant growth, from under 20,000 in 2008-2009 to 33,000 last year, with a target of 40,000 next year, indicating strong market performance.
The visit included a stop at METALEM, a dial manufacture, which revealed the extensive and often underestimated work involved in producing watch dials.
The contributor expresses gratitude for the detailed report and photos, acknowledging Zenith as a brand deserving more attention from high-end watchmaking fans.

The Discussion

MTF

Apr 12, 2013

Bruno, Thank you for your report. I agree that the BIG secret about Zenith is their legitimacy and affordability (relative to others). The oldest Swiss watch factory in its original location and it was Zenith that introduced the concept of everything done inone building or complex. Why...oh... Why do we always stand in a circle when visiting factories? :-) Your best photo even with nobody in it! Final question: Which affordable model do you think is representative of Zenith watch for a new enthu

Bruno.M1

Apr 13, 2013

that one picture is probably taken from their own website LOL. To be sure I'll have to ask Patrick. The pictures I used were his. I forgot my camera and I took some pics with my smartphone but these were too terrible, too terrible to post them here. On my smartphone's screen they were acceptable, on a laptop it was a disaster. Your other question ' Which affordable model do you think is representative of Zenith ', is more difficult to answer ... I think I would say it has to be the El Primero 19

Mark in Paris

Apr 13, 2013

You seem to have had a wonderful time there and the places you visited are stunning. Thanks a lot for taking the time to gather all these pictures and make us visit de manufacture with you (or kind of :p ). A brand that deserves more care from fans in the high-end watchmaking industry. Did the elements of Basel 2013 news pleased you ? Cheers, Mark

Bruno.M1

Apr 14, 2013

I really like those 48 mm Pilot TYPE 20 pieces. ( for the woman there is a 40mm TYPE 20) One will be a LE (500 pce) a 48 mm GMT TYPE20 with DLC I saw so many watches that I almost can't remember which were those for Basel 2013 LOL Good to know that the first new watches will be available from may / june which is very fast for new introductions. The 'Rainbow' Stratos is also something new. I think I saw new annual calendars and a PVD or DLC with carbon dial. Firs time I heard more about productin

Spellbound

Apr 14, 2013

Looking forward to that. My girlfriend absolutely loves my Type 20, but it is way too big for her (thankfully!). Excited to see the novelties coming out of Basel. The Baron Rouge sounds nice....

ED209

Apr 17, 2013

Great report, thanks for the photos of your visit to the Zenith manufacture. Regards, ED-209

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