Zenith

A few photo highlights of the Zenith dinner in Toronto

 

This was an event where watch enthusiasts inspected first hand the full range of the latest Zenith products and prototypes from this year's Switzerland Baselworld 2012 watch fair. Some of the highlights included the North American debut of several 2012 novelties from Zenith. One of the most talked-about production timepieces was the Zenith Christophe Columb Equation of Time. This Academy series timepiece is a magnificent achievement in watchmaking that took the manufacture 5-years of research and development to bring to perfection. In the heart of Toronto's prestigious Yorkville shopping and fashion district, our GTG venue was held at ONE Restaurant. This restaurant is famous for its modern menu and also for being owned by Canadian celebrity chef owner, Mark McEwan.  

Alaskan black cod 
   

The barbecue chicken dish. 
     

One of the rolls of watches from Switzerland that includes the new Pilot Doublematic on the left, an El Primero chronograph and the new style Pilot watch. 

  

    

A great display of Zenith watches. The company has systematically been reducing the number of model references the past few years since Zenith Switzerland President, Mr Jean-Frédéric Dufour, reset and began the company's rebirth in 2010. The successful direction credited to Mr Dufour was the move towards production more classic Zenith styling and less avant-garde. The selection of Zenith watches we see now have clearer design identities within each production series such as the El Primero, Heritage, Pilot, Captain, and Academy timepieces.    

   

A few of the attendees mingle and discuss wristwatches at the boutique welcome & cocktail reception held before the dinner event. 

     

The presentation begins with an official welcome to the distinguished guests. Mr Alain Huy welcomes the group to the evening reception. He lays out the agenda for the evening that presents the company's history and current directions towards classic timepieces and traditional watchmaking. Mr Huy experience in the industry spans over two decades with brands such as Piaget, Louis Vuitton and Zenith International. Eventually becoming President of Zenith Watches North America in 2009. 

  

    

Zenith's Sales Director for North America, Mr Roland Enderli, discusses Zenith's history, calibers and technical specs. He talked about the brand's Baselworld 2012 novelties just before the display trays are handed out. Just some of the relevant facts about the manufacture's history that we learned:

  

1865 - The Founder of the company to become Zenith was founded by watchmaker Georges Favre-Jacot. He was one of the first to create the real concept of a watchmaking manufacture. Since its beginning, the brand has enjoyed 147 years of uninterrupted presence in the same factory location in Le Locle, Switzerland. 

1911 - Zenith becomes the official name of the company during this year. 1900 - FIRST CHRONOGRAPH BY ZENITH premiered at the Paris Universal exhibition in 1900. A pocketwatch from Zenith was recored as the Grand Prix award. 

1930 - The brand expands with distribution in over 50 countries worldwide.  1948 - Ephrem Jobin created the 135 caliber which won 235 chronometry awards for its exceptional precision. 

1969 - LAUNCH OF THE MYTHICAL EL PRIMERO CALIBER. The still only automatic chronograph beating at 36’000 VPH. Since1969 there are now 22 variations of this movement used in the current Zenith collection 1975 - CHARLES VERMOT saves the El Primero Movement. Charles Vermot was a senior watchmaker at the manufacture who was ordered by executives at Zenith (Radio) Corporation USA to begin disassembling and disposing of Zenith's machining, tools and parts of the El Primero movement production. The executives at Zenith felt the mechanical watch days were over. Quartz/battery operated watches was the future. But rather than obey the wishes of the company heads, Mr. Vermot had quietly stored the parts/movements, machines and watchmaking notes. This step would later prove to be very important as the company had orders by Ebel less than a decade later for El Primero chronograph movements. Mr. Vermot's efforts ensured that Zenith had enough parts and know-how to produce the large quantity of movements ordered by Ebel (and later other watch companies). 

1984 - Thanks to Charles Vermot ’s courageous act 9 years earlier, the El Primero was born again. Several famous brands (such as Rolex, Panerai, Ebel, Concord) then began looking to Zenith to supply their movements 1994 -  The first of the Elite ultra thin movements were manufactured. At 28,800 VPH the brand has 7 different caliber configurations of the Elite series movements today. 2012 - The brand has 135 different watches offered in its modern lineup since streamlining the number of timepieces and model references. Today the brand produces roughly 30,000+ watches annually.   

The history lesson continues with a look at production pieces and photos (military watch theme) from the company's archives. 

  

Not surprisingly, the busiest area is the display table with trays of watches from Baselworld 2012. There was good reason to buzz around the table as most of the watches laid out are making their first public debut outside of industry trade shows such as Las Vegas's JCK convention. The beginning of the trays being passed around table to table was a real treat to the watch collectors present. 

    

The El Primero 1969 chronograph 
  

The classic look and very desirable Zenith Pilot watch in 42mm stainless steel case with an El Primero movement. This model has been discontinued this year in favour of a newer style dial. Side by side with the new version (picture below) this watch makes for a compelling 'This or That' comparison. The simple hour markers and well proportioned dial layout makes this wristwatch very easy tell time. 

    

Here is a look at the new style 2012 Zenith Pilot watch. Some key differences between this and the previous pilot watch are on the dial with the Arabic hour markers, a two-disk calendar wheel display, and the use of leather for the straps instead of crocodile.   

      

This display tray carried the 3 most popular watches of the evening. The Zenith Pilot Doublematic watch with alarm function, a prototype of the Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 configured with an 18k gold case, and the complicated Christophe Columb Equation of Time watch. 

    

First up is the new Pilot Doublematic watch with alarm and multi-city display. The gold case is 45mm with sapphire crystal front and back. The  dial view of the Doublematic in rose gold case is organized fairly well for a watch with a lot of information on the dial. At the top of 12-hour position shows "New York' where the time in this city is 12:32 in the afternoon— 6:32pm in Paris, and on the other side of the world, 3:32am in Sydney and 6:32am in Midway. The crown at the 10-hour sets the time zone to your current location. The crown positioned at 3-hour sets the time keeping in mind AM or PM of the 24-hour disc and also sets the alarm-hand. The 8-hour crown is used to wind up the alarm barrel power reserve and is used to set the alarm as well. The pusher works to set the alarm function on or off. The alarm when set off at full wind runs roughly 30 seconds. Unlike some alarm watches that sound like a buzzing electric razor, this watch has a very audible 'alarm-bell' sound that is pleasant to the ear. 

  

 The case back with movement display view of the Zenith Pilot Doublematic in 18k pink gold case (ref. 18.2400.4046/01.C721 ) alarm and world travel watch. The movement is an El Primero caliber 4046 with 439 parts with 41 jewels. 

    

The Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 in gold case. Originally presented earlier this year in a titanium case, this gold cased watch is a prototype production and makes its first appearance in Canada. At 57.5mm case size it is a very large watch. Only 75 watches are being produced in precious metal and already sold out worldwide. A teaser! The counterpart production is 250 pilot watches with Grade 5 titanium cases. 

  

From the Zenith press kit:  "The transparent caseback reveals the mechanical hand-wound 5011K movement. Its 50 mm diameter leaves room for exceptional finishes, such as 19 jewels and the broad linear Geneva bars that grace the rhodium-plated bridges. This COSC-certified chronometer comes with a pedigree to match its beauty: it contains the famous 5011 pocket calibre that was so successful for Zenith in the 1960s – and in 1967 was named the most accurate chronometer ever tested by the Neuchatel Observatory. The calibre has been in continuous production since then and has been used in competition timepieces, marine chronometers, pocket watches, and watchmaking school watches. Oscillating at 18,000 vibrations per hour, the 5011 calibre has a separate mechanism for stopping the seconds hand and synchronising the hour. It features shock-absorbers on the balance-wheel and escapement arbors, fine adjustment, and a self-compensating anti-magnetic Breguet overcoil balance spring, mobile stud-holder, double-arrow index regulator, and the Zenith winding-crown stem attachment system. All these assets combine to ensure that the watch gives a first-rate performance without losing its vintage feel."    

Here is a view of the caseback of the Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 which shows what is essentially a large pocket-watch size movement at 50mm. As the crown of the caliber 5011K is wound, you can hear the distinctive ratchet sound with each turn. The 5011 caliber beats at 18000 VPH with a 48-hour power reserve. It is COSC certified movement.

    

The Aeronef Type 20's dimension of a 57.5mm diameter case worn on a 6.25" diameter wrist size. Proportionately a large pilot watch with effective legibility. 

  

    

A dial view of the Christophe Columb. This Zenith Academy timepiece was the chosen winner at the recent Grand Prix d’Horlogerie of Geneva earlier this year. And it is NOT a tourbillon. Only 75 timepieces will be produced in 18k white or rose gold. The watch featured at this GTG is the first to arrive in North America.  

From Zenith's presentation:  Precision through the unique gyroscopic system. Measurement of Equation of time : difference between Apparent solar time versus Mean solar time Equation of time is dependent upon the date of the year (Gregorian Calendar)/ Setting is made through a corrector at 8 o’clock. While a traditional tourbillon has approximately 66 components, this daring complication comprises 167. The result is the first wristwatch in which the rate is completely independent from its wearers’ movements. The Christophe Colomb Module with Equation of Time is inspired by the legendary marine chronometer instruments of the past and it outperform Tourbillons and Gyrotourbillons.

A close up view of the dial of the Christophe Columb complication watch, with a detailed look at the gyromatic case display. The dial is finished by hand. Crafted in a silver finish with the barleycorn 'guilloché' motif. 

  

  

 The El Primero used for this watch is manual winding, reference caliber 8808 with a Zenith developed gyroscopic cage system that keeps the regulator in a horizontal position independent of how the watch case is positioned. The movement itself has 359 components and the gyroscopic case itself has 167 parts for its assembly. 

   

 

I hope you enjoyed this photo recap of the get-together. Thank you for reading.

Best wishes,
Joel