Zenith

Pilot Press Kit – Zenith 2012

Introduction

Passionate about aviation

 "Zenith! Isn't that a name just destined for aviators? Add to that all the quality contained in this watch's beautiful case, and you will have a Zenith." These few words of Léon Morane, who in 1910 became the first pilot in the world to exceed a speed of 100 km/hour, firmly anchor Zenith in the world of aviation and aeronautical feats.

As the 20^th century began, the development of air travel created specific needs for precision instruments for use onboard the airplanes and dirigibles that were crossing oceans and flying over the poles. Zenith was among the first to build aviation instruments. Its watches embody the ambition that motivated these "knights of the sky": their desire to conquer, master great distances and surpass themselves was reflected in the precision of the timers and watches that accompanied them on their journeys. These instruments met the technical requirements imposed by aviation. They had to stand up to temperature variations, magnetic flux, and the vibrations of the aircraft while remaining reliable, accurate, sturdy, and readable. A Zenith aviator watch was more than just an instrument; it became a faithful co-pilot that backed up the pilot and kept him safe. In that capacity, in the 1930-40s, the Montre d'Aéronef Zenith Type 20 was carried aloft in many machines, including the famous Caudron planes.

Today's Pilot collection is a worthy legacy from those glory days of aerial conquest. Its mechanical elements are a distillation of the manufacture's historic expertise and the beauty that the freedom of flying leaves behind like a contrail. The Pilot collection is made especially for lovers of aviation and its history, mechanical enthusiasts, and those enamoured with wide-open spaces. It symbolises discovery and exploration, the love of adventure and the development it brings.

Three watches, three expressions of the pleasure one feels at rising into the air. Three well-broken-in machines that become the best companions for a trip through time. Three instruments that bear within them the euphoria that comes with freedom and the feeling of having lived one's dream of exploring new skies and letting the altitude go to one's head.

Within every Zenith pilot slumbers an Icarus, a Blériot, a Morane or a da Vinci. And on his wrist, today, is a Zenith Pilot.

Crossing the English Channel

Watching the ribbon of Sangatte Beach fall away below. Thinking that breaking away from the confines of the earth's surface is the greatest feat of all. Turning one's back on the landmarks that delineate the coast. Soaring upwards to where water gives way to more water, or where perhaps mist will veil the sky. Battling the elements while at the same time working with them. Winning out against wind, noise, fear, gravity. Making oneself small… to become great. Braving, as a cloth dragonfly, the turbulence that plays about Cape Blanc Nez. Becoming a tiny dot in the sky – seen from afar, no bigger than a seagull. Spotting the cliffs of Dover. Heading for the eagerly-awaited green meadows of the English coast. Re-creating that half-hour that became a moment for all time. Remembering that the Channel is an ocean, a world unto itself. Paying tribute to the incredible original conquest by the "heavier-than-air" craft.

Zenith and Blériot

Calais, July 25, 1909, 4:15 a.m. Louis Blériot is aboard his plane, the Blériot XI. The wind has died during the night and it seems the right moment has arrived to take up the challenge issued by the British newspaper, the Daily Mail: cross the Channel – 40 kilometres of ocean – in a flying machine. What some would consider a utopian dream was accomplished in 37 minutes by Blériot, formerly nicknamed the "Crash King" but afterwards the undisputed "Father of Aviation." He was wearing a Zenith.

·        ZENITH PILOT AERONEF TYPE 20

Historical Montre d'Aéronef Zenith Type 20

"I am very satisfied with the Zenith watch, which I usually use, and I cannot recommend it too highly to people who are looking for precision," said Louis Blériot on March 19, 1912. His Zenith watch sported a luminous dial and hands for optimal readability, and also had a crown that was easy to manipulate while wearing gloves. A seconds counter at 6 o'clock provided additional temporal information.

From 1939 onwards, the Zenith Type 20 aviator watch, with its 36-hour power reserve, was standard equipment on most French planes. Lauded by aviation builders and professionals for its reliability, sturdiness and accuracy, it appeared on the instrument panels of many airplanes, in particular the Caudron Simoun C.635 models used by the French Army for training and by the Air Bleu postal company for international and transatlantic routes.

Its case, made of a light alloy, could be attached to the instrument panel and included an easy-to-handle knurled bezel for winding and setting the watch. The dark dial was ringed with heavily-coated luminous numbers, giving the important criterion of visibility its due. The small seconds dial was at 6 o'clock, while the equally luminous hour and minute hands left no doubt as to the time displayed.

The mechanical movement had a bimetallic balance wheel coupled with a self-compensating, anti-magnetic hairspring and a Swiss lever escapement – all solutions that met aviation's need for reliability and accuracy.

Montre d'Aéronef type 20

In obvious tribute to its inspiration, the new Pilot Aéronef Type 20 learns from the past to update the technical triumphs and reinterpret the codes of a high-flying success.

The original aviator watch

This watch dabbles in excess. Like the skies that beg to be conquered, it chooses to anchor time in a large space, confidently letting the hours tick away. The 57.5-mm-diameter case, made of titanium to offset the weight of the movement it contains, has the qualities of an instrument that was born to fly.

The notched crown is reminiscent of those on antique aviator watches, which allowed pilots to set the watch without taking off their gloves. The 27 mm space between the lugs accentuates the shape of the extremely refined loops that attach an antiqued leather strap sewn and topstitched entirely by hand. Adding to the vintage feel is the black dial, which is easily readable thanks to luminous elements. Beneath the impressive sapphire crystal (glareproofed on both sides), the raised numbers of the chapter ring are made of entire blocks of Superluminova. The time is indicated by hands that are also enhanced with luminescent material.

The visually balanced counters display the small seconds at 9 o'clock and the power reserve at 3 o'clock. The aesthetics serve mainly to make reading the time easier, recalling the functional approach taken in traditional aviator watches.

Pilot Montre d'Aéronef Type 20

Its outsized 57.5 mm diameter is in proportion to the great aviation feats of the early 20th century. A vibrant tribute to the free-spirited pioneers of the skies, it is the very essence of infinite, unlimited time – mirroring the greatest discoveries.

Chrono… Master

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.

Technical Data

Montre d'Aéronef Type 20

Reference

95.2420.50121/21.C723

250-piece limited series

Movement

Calibre 5011K, hand-wound

Total diameter 50 mm

Thickness 10 mm

134 parts

19 jewels

Cadence of the balance 18,000 vph

48-hour power reserve

Chronometer-certified by the COSC

Functions

Central hours and minutes

Small seconds at 9 o'clock

Power-reserve indication at 3 o'clock

Case

Polished and satin-brushed grade 5 titanium

Diameter 57.5 mm

Water resistance 3 ATM

Sapphire crystal caseback

Dial

Matt black with Superluminova-enhanced hands and numerals

Strap

Calfskin with hand-sewn topstitching, titanium pin buckle

·        ZENITH PILOT DOUBLEMATIC

FLYING Around the WorLD

Expanding the range of what is possible. Ignoring boundaries. Soaring up to the blue skies where one can look down and see the whole earth. Counting up oceans, cities, forests, mountains and deserts—wonders invented by Man and natural extravaganzas. Having an indomitable spirit and an awareness of the dangers. Believing in the inseparable team one forms with the machine. Being prepared to fight fatigue, hail, mechanical failure, headwinds, sleet, slowed reflexes, geomagnetic currents, blinding sun and, at the same time, night. Dreaming of Phileas Fogg, feeling driven onward by one's wings. Flying against time. Marking off time zones. And returning to one's starting point having embraced the whole world.

Ever further

Mankind has always wanted to explore new lands and push back the boundaries of the known. In 1924, Americans Smith and Arnold completed the first flight around the world. In 1957, three B-52s made the same trip non-stop.

The whole world within reach

"A watch is an essential item for navigating in an airplane and adjusting [fuel] consumption. But it has to be a good watch. The Zenith watch is perfect," said Marcel Brindejonc des Moulinais in 1913. That was the year this famous aviator completed his visits to the European capitals, a 5,000-km tour that earned him the Legion of Honour. He was only 21 years old. One of his navigation instruments was a Zenith.

Mankind has always wanted to explore new places, set new records, confront nature and time. Completing a European tour, like Brindejonc des Moulinais, or a solo round-the-world flight are among the kinds of human and technical challenges that develop and shape the personality. In 1924, American pilots Lowell H. Smith and Leslie P. Arnold flew 44,345 kilometres from Seattle to Seattle, becoming the first to circumnavigate the globe by air.

Today, such trips are commonplace. Time zones are simply and conveniently changed on one's wrist. Yet it was not until the end of the 19th century that universal time came into existence. In 1820, a committee of scholars proposed adopting a unit of universal time based on a mean solar day of 86,400 seconds. In 1833, the United States became the first country to use time zones. In 1884, the globe was officially divided into 24 time zones at an international conference in Washington; after acrimonious debate, the prime meridian was set at Greenwich, England. Greenwich mean time was the time standard for the world for much of the 20th century, before being replaced by universal time (UT) in 1972. Watches with time zone indicators quickly appeared.

Historic 1955 chronograph watch

In the 1950-60s, long flights became more commonplace and more people gradually came to travel by air. In 1955, the Zenith chronograph showed its pioneering spirit by displaying universal time. At a glance, the wearer could see what time it was anywhere in the world. The watch also had a chronograph function with a sweep seconds hand and 45-minute counter at 3 o'clock, along with a small seconds hand at 9 o'clock. The chapter ring was encircled by a list of world cities and circumnavigated by hands with a vintage feel.

Pilot Doublematic

Yesterday Cairo, today Tokyo, tomorrow Moscow, always with an updated time zone. A simple operation sends the Pilot Doublematic's worldtime function through all the time zones, as the crow flies.

Day and night, here and there

One disk transferred onto the flange reveals the time in each iconic city, while a second disk indicates day or night. Paired with a chronograph, the Pilot Doublematic watch has two barrels, one of which is devoted to measuring time and the other to an alarm function. The alarm is activated and set by a pushpiece button and crown at 8 o'clock. On the dial, a pierced black and red hand shows the time set for the alarm, while an opening at 8:30 confirms that it is turned on. An alarm reserve indicator at 7 o'clock tracks the status of the barrel.

The 30-minute chronograph counter is at 3 o'clock, and is topped by a large date. The sweep seconds hand is accentuated by a Superluminova arrow, while the athletic design of the hour and minute hands dates them as being squarely 21st-century. The chapter ring is set off by luminous numbers that seem to levitate above the silver or sandblasted matt black dial. Readability is excellent. Housed in a 45-mm brushed and polished steel or pink gold case, the mechanical selfwinding El Primero 4046 movement shows its skeletonised rotor ends through the sapphire caseback. This 439-piece watch operates at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour and has an ample 50-hour power reserve.

TECHNICAL DATA

Pilot Doublematic

References

Pilot Doublematic steel version:

03.2400.4046/21.C721

Pilot Doublematic pink gold version

18.2400.4046/01.C721

Movement

El Primero 4046, selfwinding

Total diameter 30 mm

Thickness 9.05 mm

439 parts

41 jewels

Cadence of the balance 36,000 vph

50-hour power reserve

Functions

Worldtimer

Central hours and minutes

30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o'clock

Sweep seconds hand

Large date at 2 o'clock

Central alarm hand

Alarm on/off indicator at 8.30

Alarm power-reserve display at 7 o'clock

Cases

Polished and satin-brushed steel or pink gold

Diameter 45 mm

Water resistance 5 ATM

Sapphire crystal caseback

Dials

Matt black with Superluminova-enhanced hands and numerals or silver-toned with Superluminova-enhanced 5N numerals and hand

Straps

Alligator leather with hand-sewn topstitching, 18-carat gold pin buckle or folding clasp

Press Release