Complications
SJX offers a concise yet insightful overview of the Zenith Christophe Colomb Tourbillon, highlighting its unique gimbal-mounted escapement designed to maintain horizontal positioning. This article is crucial for understanding Zenith's innovative approach to combating gravity's effects on timekeeping. SJX also provides context on the watch's development under previous leadership and its current presentation by CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour.
The Zenith Christophe Colomb Tourbillon has the escapement mounted on two gimbals, as on a marine chronometer, to keep the escapement horizontal at all times.The tourbillon cage and gimbals total 166 parts against about 50 for a regular, gravity-affected tourbillon.
The watch was on the wrist of Jean-Frederic Dufour, Zenith's President and CEO. He is a very different personality from his predecessor (click here to see an interview I did with Thierry Nataf), but the right leader for the times as Nataf was for the pre-recession era. Notably, Nataf was proclaimed to me he was Zenith's Chief Designer, in addition to being President and CEO; Mr Dufour seems to have modestly declined that third title.
Above: Jean-Frederic Dufour with Cyndy Lim, General Manager of LVMH Watch and Jewellery for Malaysia and Singapore and one of the rare female senior executives in the watch industry in SE Asia
In theory this eliminates the effects of gravity on the escapement. In practice it just makes for a cool looking mechanism, in my humble opinion. The look of the watch is almost antithetical to its complication. After being inured to extreme complications from the likes of BNB, the simple mind like mine automatically assumes a non-traditional complication will be in a non-traditional case as it was originally intended to be.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
This movement was developed under Nataf's reign and originally unveiled as the provocative Extreme Defy Zero-G but I believe those were never produced. This much more restrained Christoph Colomb is a limited edition of 25 pieces.
For those wondering, the bubble on the back is not apparent if you wear the watch fairly loosely.
Here are a couple more quick and dirty (I didn't wipe the watch) images and a video clip.
- SJX
Just when I needed more info Good timing. Very intriguing design. I hope to see it in person, and I wish it were a bit more affordable and more quantity.... Thanks, Ken
The bubbles might ruin it, but otherwise I love this piece. I'll keep an open mind until I'm lucky enough to see one. Thanks! _john
I hate those Defy series...
I like this watch. I don not like the bubble but probably they had too , I see no other solution or the watch should have been 2.5 cm thick which wouldn't make it more pretty If it were possible without the bubble I would love it !
such a mechanical piece of ART i personally find this one charming more than the G creation this one is a beauty from all angles. Faisal
I love the contrasts : a classic design with a "porthole" . This reminds me of the technology in Jules Verne books . Thank you for these images
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