Zenith

Probably the quintessential watch for Zenith's 150th Anniversary, the El Primero Georges Favre-Jacot Titanium not only sports a delightful gear train with a constant force-powered 36.000 bph escapement (hence 'El Primero'), but also a very forward looking new case and dial concept, which has the potential to be the bridge between Zenith's past and present, and furthermore, to point to a path towards the brand's future.

I would like to delve deeper and closer (i.e. with many images) into a piece which has caught the attention of watch lovers (and Purists, of course) in a heartbeat:



For me, one of the most striking features of this timepiece lies in the construction of its case, which is crafted from titanium. Titanium is light but at the same time very hard, thus it offers many more degrees of constructional freedom, since weight as well as stability are not that much of an issue.

A side view perfectly demonstrates how well Zenith made use of its artistic liberties:



The entire case is constructed like a tuna-can (a very basic shape!) clamped together by two large closures at each side of the case. The use of titanium allowed for almost completely hollow lugs arranged in a complex construction, with just their inward-facing sides closed. Inside the resulting compartments, one can admire distinct finishes, brushings, matt etc - all very sharply executed.

I counted it myself; there are altogether 19 edges - on one lug!



The beauty of this design is that it appears very smooth and consistent on the front, and adds spice to the sides which usually are a rather simple affair (but with the watch worn on the wirst and under a sleeve, they represent the most common view of a watch).

Thus, I would consider this magnificient new case the Superleggera of watchworld!

From wikipedia:
"Superleggera (translation: "super light") is an automobile coachwork construction technology developed by Felice Bianchi Anderloni of Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. The company was located just north of Milan, near Alfa Romeo, Italian Citroën, and the former Isotta Fraschini plant. The first superleggera bodyworks were naturally made for these companies.

Touring licensed Charles Weymann's system of fabric-covered lightweight frames, which led to Touring’s own superleggera construction.Patented by Carrozzeria Touring in 1936, the superleggera system consists of a structural framework of small-diameter steel tubes that conform to an automobile body's shape and are covered by thin alloy body panels that strengthen the framework. Aside from light weight, the superleggera construction system allows great design and manufacturing flexibility, enabling coachbuilders to quickly construct innovative body shapes."

Note the last two sentences.  Beyond the obvious light weight, there are three additional important code-words: "great design", "manufacturing flexibility" & "innovative body shape"

In the area of thoroughbred cars the superleggera principle saw a breathtaking range of automotive creations become reality. Here are just a few of them (left to right: Pegaso Z102, Lagonda Rapide, Aston Martin DB5):



Can such be realised in watches as well? Well, then, let's see!



Like its classical sibling, the El Primero Georges Favre-Jacot, the new titanium version is clearly dominated by its lovely constant force mechanism. While the former plays the claviature of ancient watchmaking traditions (matte cream-white dial, gilded movement, heat-blued hands), the newcomer is the opposite - a decidedly modern, almost futuristic watch.

Plenty of nuances of grey colour you certainly noted how I did my best to avoid the obvious reference) manage to create a tension which is just too mesmerising to look at.

Depending on light, dark may turn to bright and bright may turn dark (compare the images above and below):

Certainly, prominent mechanical features on the dial need counterbalances. Zenith has perfected this brilliantly and plays on many levels.

1. Firstly, we find the rightly promounced typical modern Zenith indices and hands, with their fairly sculptured shapes.
2. Secondly, generous framing and geometric diversity separate areas and subdials and thereby structures the dial away from the constant force section.
3. Thirdly, there are few cleverly distributed spots of colour: blued screws, and a few red dots.
4. Finally, Zenith has employed the archetypical discipline of fine watchmaking, different types of finshing, to great effect - fine lines of anglage, brushing, sunrays or concentric circles.

Below are few detail shots to illustrate my points:

The central selling point of the watch is certainly the emotionally enthralling and optically simply stupendous force constante mechanism, in watchmaking French called a fusée à chaine . Basically, translated this means the watch possesses an enchained driving gear. In a way, that is quite literally correct:



Composed of a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it (above, right), wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. I explained the technology already extensively in the technically identical classical version (El Primero Georges Favre-Jacot) - just take a look here: click me !

A simple solution to an eminent problem, back then. And a charming one to boot! Advances in material research but particularly the development of the anchor escpement made the timekeeping precision much more indepedent from changes in the driving force, thus eliminating the need for compensating devices such as this.



Above a fine view on the miniscule chain. The techncial details of this component are simply breathtaking:

• Composed of 575 hand-finished parts
• Length: 18cm long
• Strength: despite its proportions, it can carry weights up to 3kg!

The pulley on the opposite end gives a demonstrative impression of the watch's depth. Note also how the entire dial section is a melding point of structures, finishes and colours:

As a last note, the fusée à chaine mechanism provides for a most sensual feeling while winding the watch. I can only encourage you to try it should you have the chance to handle this timepiece!

In the midst all this excellence, the remainder of the movement naturally has to take a backseat. Not that it is bad or uninteresting, but the juice clearly is on the front side. Nevertheless, a few notes as well:

Or in other words: plenty of opportunities... 

In addition, as an El Primero, the Georges Favre-Jacot watches of course feature a high-beat (36.000 bph) silicon escapement:

Now, let's finally come to the business end og the review: how does it tick?

The entire conceptual design bears the danger that it would look too techy, too cold, too contemporary (or, trendy in the sense that affection might fade out soon) or too much of an attention getter.



But all of these concerns are not warranted. It wears light - light in its literal sense, of course, as the case material really would make any other result difficult to achieve. But it wears light also in the sense that there is an effortlessness that comes with strapping it on - the watch just fits.

The El Primero Georges Favre-Jacot Titanium is surprisingly unassuming and blends nicely into a variety of situations. Business casual (above) - of course! Office attire - certainly (see below)!



It makes a great presence even or (reasonably) smaller wrist like Oliver's below.

After-work party? Bien sure, c'est parfait!

In all the situations above the watch plays the magic game of letting its horological delicacies appear simply as technical attributes - and I believe this is the largest common ground it shares with the superleggera master-cars mentioned at the beginning of this review.

This, dear Zenith team, is a hugely accomplished design!

Now, if I should conclude on this timepiece I am immediately put into a difficult situation. Why? Because right now I cannot finally place it into the strategy of Zenith. Is this the first hint of where the watchmaker intends to go for the future? Is this 'just' a new flavour to attract a certain (young) clientele? An outlier?

I do not know at this time. Basel 2015 was not the eye-opener I hoped it would be. Personally, I was a bit dissappointed when I was presented the novelties. Not that any of the watches were sub-par, no way. But for its 175th anniversary I expected more pacemakers, more guiding lights. With the shaken history in the last decade I expected that a clear message would be given to the audience. It was not. The titanium pieces first and then the totally opposite Elite 6150.

That would speak for the Titanium as an outlier, or at least an add-on. But then the Zenith team also showed a new tourbillon built exactly like this piece here (review to follow in the next installment). This again would support the notion of a way to the future.

Let's be blunt: Zenith needs a new 'face' if it wants to continue being relevant (as opposed to be just a successful market participant). Zenith needs to increasingly focus on where it can contributs to the industry's advancement just in the way it did with the El Primero, and before that with its chronometric legacy. Right now, the brand lives largely on its past achievement, with the El Primero already 45 years in existence.

The El Primero Georges Favre-Jacot Titanium in my view would represent a perfect platform for such a bold move. It blends technical attribute such that they do not stand out, but merely appear as a cogent consequence of a watch's concept.

In other words, the titanium Georges Favre-Jacot concept would strangely force the brand onto a path which leaves no alternative than to reinvigorate the brand's technical leadership in a very consistent way. No need for marketing somersaults to 'write something into existence'.

The idea suggests itself that with the Titanium there is no such choice to start with. Let's call it The Great Conqueror!

....

Having been absorbed in my thoughts, I suddenly noticed that The Great Conqueror shyly - befitting a timepiece - turned - heat-blue... My dear, there is no need for this    !

Thanks for reading,
Magnus

This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2015-11-19 05:56:44

This watch is a great combination of sports & dress IMO.

How's the sound when you manually wind the crown?  Is it noticeable louder than most watches?  And nice tactile feel too?

Cheers,
Anthony

as it has a smooth feel with some regular subtle resistance to it. As for the sound - it totally lacks the fine whirr usually associated with winding.
Best,
Magnus

No message body

As you said, the El Primero movement is nearly 50 years old. This message has been edited by MTF on 2015-11-21 00:39:14

I have no finite answer to your first two questions, but I assume that (i) would be a 'no', and (ii) a 'perhaps'. Rolex had chronographs in its portfolio before, and the non-availability of the El Primero might have simply delayed the introduction of the Daytona.
If (i) would have been answered with 'yes', then I think that - regardless of current availability of the El Primero - the answer is a convinced 'yes'. The El Primero is a great movement still, but in the last decade much has changed and advanced in watchword. Thus, for me the question is not whether or not a successor will come, but merely a 'when?'
An impatient 'when?' if I might add!
Magnus

which speaks out of a deep affection for Zenith.
First, regarding your 'major' design criticism of the movement finish. I guess I am with you here. The 'faux Kevlar' is something I would usually criticise heavily, since mocking a surface (treatment, material, colour) is something I deeply despise. It is simply not 'honest'. Its masquerading.
However, I think in this particular case it has been done as a last minute decision to imbue a special optic to the watch without adding any delay which would threaten the watch's presentation in Basel (again, something up for discussion since the PR concept of Zenith at Basel was 'suboptimal' to use an euphemism, but this is a different topic entirely).
Personally, I would have loved to live without - thus my comment that there is 'opportunity for improvement'.
Secondly, and I think more importantly, are your comments regarding the mid- to long-term strategy of the brand. It is for us (me at least) not quite easily to decipher through either communication and/or products presented.
This is a - if not the - crucial omission I think for their 150th anniversary. The celebrations would have been the optimal stage to describe the path for the future, but unfortunately little has been communicated in this regard.
As for Zenith's position within the range of LVMH's watch brands I guess we have to differentiate between the bona fide watch brands (Hublot, Zenith, TAG Heuer) and those luxury brands which also produce watches (the rest you mentioned). LVMH treats them differently, and the fact that JCB heads 'only' the watch group speaks volume.
Still, there were different signals as to the respective position / market segment of each brand. JCB has recently announced that he intends to devote more of his precious time to Zenith. What does this mean?
I personally hope that the fog will clear soon and, most importantly, Zenith gets a treatment which is truly respectful to the historical excellence of the brand as a reasonable technology innovator in terms of chronometric excellence (timekeeping records) and time measurement (chronographs).
Best,
Magnus

I'm not the man who can express judgements and I beg your pardon in advance if I'll write rubbish. It's not an easy period for swiss-based watch business and everyone, without exception, have to move very carefully.

You've correctly mentioned Jean-Claude Biver. An authentic big. But I wouldn't take for granted he can realize miracles, all alone. Nobody can realize them without adequate supports.

In my opinion, between the brands he directly controls, it's only Hublot that's running like a train. And I think it's interesting to underline that Hublot is having a remarkable technical growth and not only a commercial boom. Sure enough, for Hublot have been allocated important investments to enlarge the production capabilities towards a higher degree of independence.

About Zenith: you've already written...

About Tag Heuer... the alliance with Google and Intel has just barely started. But I'm not so happy with the Brand declassification, both because of its beautiful history and because in recent years they have showed a strong creative verve. It's a pity to waste all of those outputs. Please take note that Jean-Christophe Babin, the CEO responsible for that recent development, in 2013 leaved TAG Heuer for Bulgari. His successor, Stéphane Linder, in 2014 went to Gucci just after Patrick Pruniaux, Vice President Sale and Retail, went to Apple. In the meantime, an important company reorganization (to be understood as "layoffs") and JCB as president ad interim.

And finally: I think it wasn't a good move to exclude Bulgari from the range of LVMH's watch brands. It's a rough underestimation to define Bulgari as "a luxury Brand which also produce watches". They have indeed a big patrimony of haute horlogerie excellences.

Let's wait and see, I sincerely hope that all of this confusion will be reduced in clever decisions, smart products and happy customers!

Ciao,

Elio

re-aligning and streamlining the LVMH watch division. He put Hublot onto track and may have just finished doing so with TAG. Zenith is the next one to get his main attention. I asked Jean-Claude about the other LVMH brands which are in the watch business as well, but the firmly stated that he would only deal with the bona fide watch brands and nothing else.
Thus, I think the division in to watch houses and 'luxury brands which also produce watches' is pretty much up to Jean-Claude's liking.
A final word to TAG (as we are discussing the El Primero Favre-Jacot here...): I am not sure the alliance with Google and Intel on the smart watch is a good one. Like it or not, the luxury buyers are mainly rooted in the Apple iOS ecosystem, and the TAG smartwatch pairs badly with this. There are other reasons why I would be very cautious, but I leave this for a separate discussion (and yes, I am preparing larger article on this ;-)). But one word: I think Apple played the watch card better than the watch industry did with their smart watches... go figure!
And i fully agree with you that the shake-up and stir in LVMH's watch division has to settle some day. Its time to get work done and yield results.
Best,
Magnus

An interesting watch, for sure. Quite possibly a great watch. The dial side is bold aesthetically and it is successful. I couldn't help but notice that the outer scale, with 1/5th second increments, serves no purpose in the absence of an elapsed seconds hand. It is a visual connection to the El Primero caliber on the dial side, but this is not a chronograph.
Related, I think it is time for Zenith to embrace its expertise beyond the famous chronograph movement. The George Favre Jacot watches are impressive, but they allude to Zenith's broader history of developing high quality watches. What does this movement really have to do with the first automatic chronograph movement? It is completely reworked, a distant cousin at most. If the El Primero movement is a duck, this movement is a beautiful swan.

An interesting watch, for sure. Quite possibly one of my favourite Zeniths. The dial side is bold, balanced and legible. I couldn't help but notice that the outer scale, with 1/5th second increments, serves no purpose in the absence of an elapsed seconds hand. It is a visual connection to the El Primero caliber on the dial side, but this is not a chronograph.
Related, I think it is time for Zenith to embrace its expertise beyond the famous chronograph movement. The George Favre Jacot watches are impressive, but they allude to Zenith's broader history of developing high quality watches. What does this movement really have to do with the first automatic chronograph movement? It is completely reworked, a distant cousin at most. If the El Primero movement is a duck, this movement is a beautiful swan.

on the scale (which I missed, probablograp too much lured away by the chain...). The most important point is how Zenith will retain its position in the future. The taks is to develop a successor to the El Primero which basically could redefine the automatic chronograph technically, i.e. without marketing hyperbole just like the original one.That is a huge challenge!

As for the connex: All 36,000 bph movements at Zenith are El Primeros...

Magnus