Zenith

Pilot Montre d'Aéronef Type 20

2012 was a year that Zenith surprised many of us with the introduction of the Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aéronef Type 20, a behemoth of a piece with the legendary caliber 5011. 

At its heart, a manually wound "observatory" pocket watch movement that was recorded by the Neuchâtel Observatory in 1967 as the most accurate chronometer it had ever tested. The movement, with a large 14mm balance wheel, coupled with a case and dial with cues from the original Zenith pilot watches from the very beginning of the 20th Century, stole many a PuristS heart. The quality and finish of the movement was exceptional, as best described by fellow Purist and Moderator, Ornatus-Mundi in a recent thread:

"It has a certain "vintage" feel to it, i.e. an airiness of the Côtes de Genève which seems to be applied by just a breath of air. Rarely seen these days!" 

This message has been edited by Spellbound on 2014-01-04 22:43:43 This message has been edited by nilomis on 2014-01-14 08:15:08

Hopefully, only 5!

Perfect on my wrist!

Fx

I totally understand your expression. One funny picture. But I guess there is a market. Every brand has SBE's (Super Bling Edition).

outrageous by all means This message has been edited by Ares501 on 2014-01-05 07:14:15

... blinding enemy pilots from miles away is an interesting air warfare tactic ...

Marcus

But my Type 20 and I love it!

Cheers

The "Piece Unique" with a hint of Orange !  I remember you were one of the first to get one, if not THE first.

Too many nights listening to the ticking!!  I am not sure I have seen 8 other uniques on here, so hope to now!  In fact, I have only seen one other ti verion.

And dear foversta, what an exceptional piece! Didn't even know that it existed. How heavy is this beauty? Or, to put the question in a different way: how long are you able to hold your arm in this position?  

Good one Thomas. Your skills with the I-Phone are exemplary ! I need to upgrade my Leica to an I-Phone one day!  These watches do catch stares from onlookers, but as you say, once the conversation starts it gives the opportunity to show the reverse side and get them hooked. The Titanium one is wearable and yes, one does not notice it during the day, but the gold, well, I must say there is not a moment that you do not feel its presence on the wrist. It is mighty heavy.

A fitting tribute to Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen !

I hope it is getting fair wrist time amongst your awesome collection (especially the Laurent Ferrier!)

Unfortunately, the Titan is well, too titanic for me. Am glad Zenith made one for the Hobbits ! LOLLL

Day or Night .... this watch just looks fantastic !

Rolling in with my Mini Titan , with a dark grey after croc strap.

 

LOVE IT !

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strap was very much NOT to my liking .... just like with the PAMs. Was plotting a strap change way b4 the watch arrived ! Had a vision ... LOL

 

Probably should/must thank FX for his great wrist shot fo the mini Titan, an itch scratched .... onto my next itch ... LOLLL

 

Happy New Year to you and yours  !

I need to get me one of those ! Love the strap. 

 

One of the most undervalued and underappreciated watch , IMO ...

Time it got some recognition !

And a great Flight Jacket !  This is turning into quite a turn out for this watch amongst the community.

Thanks for joining Bruno. This is a great picture once again, but since this is a kind of reference thread for anyone interested in the Type 20's, could you by chance also post some of your amazing movement pictures? (I have never managed to take good pictures of the movement as my Leica DLux 5 cannot handle properly macro shots.

Thanks for posting. Love the movement shots. I tried to take some today, but once again failed miserably.

Cheers, Thomas

Good one Thomas !

With its timeless elegance the Portofino has a special seductive effect on me...