As I mentioned in an earlier post on the Zenith Christoph Colomb Tourbillon (click here to see it), CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour has remade the aesthetics of the brand for the better. There are still a handful of ugly watches in the collection, which are mostly holdovers from previous collections, but no more ghastly ones. The new collection still retains an emphasis on the El Primero (what else?) but the watches are more classical, with a frequent use of a retro 1970s style case. The subsequent follow ups will detail the El Primero Captain, El Primero Rattrapante, Retrotimer, Striking 10th, Elite Ultra-Thin and El Primero Ladies Vintage.

Most notable about the new collection, besides the redesign, is the more realistic pricing. Zenith got steadily more expensive under previous management. Given the standard of movement finish - which is good but not haute horlogerie - the current price point is appropriate. One must also remember the El Primero was not designed to be a top-end movement in the first place, rather it is an honest and clever calibre.

Though I like the case designs, the case finish could be a notch better. It is not poor, but it could be better, mainly in the sharpness edges where different polished finishes meet. 

And to be fair, it must be said a watch collection cannot be made overnight, so some or most or even all of this new collection must have been conceived when Thierry Nataf was still CEO. Perhaps it was a grand plan to veer from one end of the design spectrum to another, which certainly gets the public's attention.

- SJX