Zenith

Tim_M
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Congratulations to Mr. Dufour, Cautious Optimism for Zenith

I wish the absolute best to Jean-Frederic Dufour.  He's earned this opportunity and proven his range of talent. When I read an interview in which he related that he spends his every waking hour dedicated to Zenith, I realized the extent of the exertion he had made on behalf of Zenith, its employees, and us, the connoisseurs of the marque.  For all of his work restoring and re-imagining the manufacture that's given me such pleasure, he has my lasting gratitude and admiration.  I wish him the absolute best at Rolex, and I look forward to seeing the course he sets aboard his new charge.

As for Zenith, I'm fairly optimistic. If the press is to be believed, JCB hand-selected JFD to run Zenith after Thierry Nataf's long run with the company. Clearly, Jean-Claude understands that each brand has a distinct history, clientele, and appeal.  He understood that at Blancpain, and he understood the same at Hublot, but in a different paradigm. If Dufour's work at Zenith was done with JCB's blessing, we can only assume that the two men are on the same page, and nobody doubts that JFD flat-out nailed the essence of Zenith. 

If anything, the restoration begun by JFD is complete, and Zenith is in search of its next great threads of innovation. This year's Baselworld novelties were... uneven. Several concepts - some ambitious, some too timid - were on display. There was a sense of searching for a new compass. I think the management at LVMH and Zenith are an able group, and they clearly embraced the direction under JFD.

While I personally admire much about Thierry Nataf's work with Zenith, I know that view is not universal. Nevertheless, I would advise concerned devotees of Zenith not to fret about "another Nataf." Thierry Nataf was too unique to duplicate, and I mean that in the most complimentary sense. I'd imagine that no one is able, much less inclined to repeat his flamboyant experiments.

I think a gradual evolution of the basic themes of the current lineup is most likely. The Stratos is contemporary and well received, the Lightweight proves that the manufacture retains all of its technical facilities and mastery of cutting-edge engineering, and the Type 20 Grand Feu proves that the traditional fine arts of high horology are alive and revered.

Like I said, cautiously optimistic ;-)

Best,

Tim
This message has been edited by Tim_M on 2014-04-14 19:00:05