Zenith

What a start into the new year! Aldo Magada assumed the role of Zenith's CEO exactly only 2.5 years ago, in July 2014. Now again its time to change... Zenith is a brand which deserves and need (!) a CEO with charisma, stamina, technical proficieny and a r...  

Curious to hear from you, whether this was a surprise development or if it was in some ways expected (of course only what is publicly available / your opinion).

many watch industry insiders were predicting Mr Magada's leave, some of them were in fact wondering why it took so long. I am for from being such an insider, but what really stroke me is the sense of disconnect I always felt when I heard Mr Magada talking... 

Looking forward to the new era and hope your first new Zenith is just around the corner

but then again, I guess *that* change you are referring to will soon happen, indeed! Best, Magnus

I may have an idea which one you are referring to

Magnus, Thanks for the announcement. I asked Mr Biver about this possibility last year but then, it was only a "rumour" and it was "business as usual". The Management of Change is a difficult thing (it was my job for many years) so I also wish Jean-Claude...  

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Wasn't JCB the one who chose the former CEO? I agree zenith still lacks some future plan...i think it should be the time to move beyond the glorious El primero.

MTF

And in a way I wish for Zenith to not find a replacement soon until Mr Biver rights its course which I am confident he will, and will do so proficiently as he did for Hublot and Tag Heuer.

Serious question, not facetious. I still think Tag is, for the most part, viewed as a department store watch by most enthusiasts. I'm not sure that perception has changed much since JCB has been at the helm, has it? One thing I think he has done is to bet... 

Granted the Carrera Heuer 01 has a similar appearance to Hublot but it got me into buying another Tag to the collection, with the old model line up it didnt really do much for me. Was fortunate to special order and receive the first Grey Phantom in Canada...  

To the brand. I don't fit the typical profile of the Tag target customer but I surely do appreciate Mr Biver clearly identifying its target customers and aligning the products to go along with it. To me, before and afree its venture into haute homology te... 

As that seems to be the modus operandi.

Don't know if I have the necessary skills but I do have the passion for watches and definitely for that brand ;-)

passion for the brand, its product, the people, are essential. The ensuing commitment to deliver compelling collection is what follows, at least as far as most purists are concerned, who typically buy into better things than what prodcut committees might ... 

and JCB already said it is a big challenge last time we spoke about it... to be honest it is a great brand with a great history, it just needs some spark and fire... if anyone can... JC can. Cheers Andrew

I'm happy and scared at the same time Yours D

I hope JCB doesn't rock the boat too much; but knowing what he's done elsewhere, that's probably not a reasonable expectation...

and was pushing Range Rover and other things, its not like he is moving in fresh faced. Will be interesting to see what happens now... Cheers Andrew

Or is he now the CEO of both Tag Heuer and Zenith??

hublotesque/ Tag cal 02T???

The Plan for all three brands (Hublot, Zenith and TAG Heuer) are already set and clearly shared with PuristS and others. People hear but don't listen. Those who listen but cannot execute, don't stay viz. the last few CEOs at Zenith and TAG-Heuer. Regards,... 

Especially from the 50s till the late 70s. Fantastic designs and movements, along with Rolex, Heuer, Breitling, JLC they created iconic tool sports watches. We need more of that with a vision of incorporating IOT 2.0 and beyond with a balance wheel based ... 

Magada had a lot on his plate when he came aboard, the previous CEO also left abruptly if I recall correctly. JCB will have his hands full but he appears to be the person with the magic touch. All the best to him and the people at Zenith, the times are ch... 

"Zenith is a brand which deserves and need (!) a CEO with charisma, stamina, technical proficieny and a respect for the immense heritage of this brand."--Magnus Nataf had, well, too much charisma, and lasted a decade under a fledgling watch group, which s... 

At the end of his reign, he begun to build the bridge to the vast heritage. But apparently this was to late. On the other hand, I was not a fan of Nataf. At that time he was an arrogant snob... ;-)

One of the things they need to do (imo) is investing in other and different movements. The El Primero is a legend and the Elite is OK. But how many years are many of us screaming for a simple HANDWOUND movement. In a perfect world I would suggest the Cal ... 

nt

I see it exactly the same way!

Coming in the near future.

Friends, I received this night the official statement from Zenith which I would like to share with you: " A CHANGE AT THE HEAD OF ZENITH Mr Aldo Magada is leaving his position as CEO and President of Zenith Mr Jean-Claude Biver, President of the Watches D... 

As JCB has made a fantastic work with Tag Heuer. Let's hope he will be able to do the same with Zenith! A brand for which I have a very soft spot - hope to see some Heritage Models with manual movements in the future! Like the first generation S. 58 Or th...  

Clearly LVMH and JCB have strong view on the direction of the Zenith brand and their belief must be that the execution of that strategy to date has missed the mark. I expect this means that we will see a lot clearer positioning (relative to Tag and Hublot... 

Link to ablogtowatch: www.ablogtowatch.com

Well I guess we will se a lot of surprises this year. I've heared that Kevin Spacey will be the new brand ambassador and maybe you will see this watches on the next season on "House of Cards"... as well I expect the new ElPrimero for this years Baselworld... 

Thanks again for sharing the good news Laurent

I\'ll give Aldo credit for taking Zenith away from the previous disco bling position they occupied. That being said Rolling Stone and Cohiba models were equally bizarre. I think Aldo was doing some good things but the latest Tipo 2 launch was a great exam... 

It was me who referred you to this site ( via Instagram) I agree 95% with your post. The Tips 2 was indeed strange. Just like you I had pictures of that watch a long time ago ( Basel 2016) But for a strong reason they kept it under embargo . This site res... 

But they are (sadly) a loooooooong way from that position. PS Is there any watch company in the Rolex category apart from Rolex itself?

most of the work was already done when Aldo Magada took over after Dufours abrupt departure to Rolex. Aldo Magada continued that path, but I think he needed more time before his vision of Zenith was concluded. The current market situation did not grant th... 

So basically the ships direction had been set and the only thing he had to do was execute. Information Embargo on historic Tipo 2 was an atom bomb execution blunder. As far as relevant launches go .. you might struggle to find a nicer f - up.

of - euphemistically phrased - 'mysterious' product launches, with different embargoes in different regions of the world, and press embargoes although the watches are already on the owner's wrists... So, the Tipo CP2 was proably a masterpiece so far. Magn... 

Dufour was the real man for the job. He did great while being on board and has put Zenith back on track. Aldo's strategy was really weird especially all these bizarre edition (rolling stones and then Range Rover?) seriously guys what are you thinking abou... 

Wasn\'t Dufour the guy that added all the bling and stars and overblown designs to Zenith ? Designs Russian former Disco kings would covet ...WhoeverAldo replaced was taking Zenith straight over the cliff of hell. Zero consistency for any sustained period... 

Dufour drew the way, put the plan and Aldo did nothing new. Instead he came up with these ridiculous SEs that messed everything upside down. I mean seriously? All the fantastic piece we saw the last couple years were executed by Dufour! Let's hope another... 

BTW these watches enjoy a small but dedicated (and growing) group of followers amongst collectors... Magnus ...  

These models don't represent Zeniths legacy at all. Just 2 cents Laurent

I heard wife beaters were thrown in and that helped give provide sales growth.

... I I am ware that he is mostly remembered for weird pieces like the one shown above. Howeer, it was the time of the somtimes bizarre novelties from Concord and many others. However, Nataf must be given credit for investing serious effort and money into... 

indeed, Thierry Nataf really pushed the company forward, much more so than one is inclined to credit him. Funny that he instigated moves which on the technical side are so much appreciated today, whereas his design concepts are mostly rejected (except, as... 

If one gives trust and relative freedom to a valued, long-time watch-industry exec, and that person fails to accomplish the goals you set out, you take it on yourself and show us how it's done. I'm very interested to see how Mr. Biver handles this.... fro... 

Omega launches a special edition Speedmaster first thing in the morning and sells all 2000 plus pieces by dinner time the same day. They do so by targeting their customers on social media. These pieces will never hit retail display cases. I wonder if Aldo...