Zenith

But Zenith 2012 was a near miss: At the time of our appointment nobody was available to present the collection to us, and instead of the watches we enjoyed saffron risotto and champagne and left after 1h: 

Nevertheless, your intrepid horological detectives persisted and a second presentation could be arranged. So we paid a second visit to the booth, where a very enthusiastic Claire Ferrier, International Communications Manager, gave us a splendid overview over the novelties:
This message has been edited by Dr No on 2012-04-28 12:19:20

 “I am very satisfied with the Zenith watch, which I usually use, and I cannot recommend it too highly to people who are looking for precision” [Louis Blériot on 19 March 1912]

This message has been edited by Magnus Bosse on 2012-04-14 10:53:33 This message has been edited by Dr No on 2012-04-16 11:45:59

 

Thanks for this post Magnus!

 

I want need that Montre d'Aéronef type 20. The case, dial, hands the look perfect. The movement? No discussion, that IS perfect. The size,? Big but who cares ?

But the Pilot big date and the Doublematic are amzing pieces too. This 'Pilot' line will imo have a lot of succes. IWC ... Watch out !

Dear Oliver and Magnus thank you for another great report..
definitely worth waiting for
Best
Damjan

...the audacity of the revisited Type 20, but much like the Panerai Egiziano, cannot imagine wearing one!    I do like the new pilot chrono, but wish Zenith would've omitted the big date.  Still, it is attractive -- and wearable at 42mm!

I'm loving your write-ups from the fair, BTW!

Cheers,
Daos

For the launch of the new movement Zenith revises a history Espada collection. The novelty features a 40mm case with screw-down crown and a characteristic dial with a bold guilloche pattern for the hour ring and accentuated indices. 

It comes in 8 case/dial/strap variations:

On the wrist it feels like a solid everyday watch that does not impose itself. It’s an unassuming watch with a lot of horological content and credibility.

An easy watch to wear, well proportioned and with a timeless design. It plays on the classical theme like Vacheron-Constantin, albeit at a more affordable price point but with equally high yet very different horological significance. 

The fumé-effect on the dial gives an interesting twist to an otherwise ‘safe’ watch (‘safe’ in terms of risk avoidance).

It is clearly aimed at those who want to enter into the world of manufacture movement or those who just want to have a nice watch – and this is exactly what it is:

must see it irl

I think I'll have to cancel a Panerai  .... Zenith is imo more interesting this year

Certainly beautifully designed and technically appealing, the watches look a bit derivative to us, with a case inspired by Patek Philippe, the hands by De Bethune, and the dial by Roger Dubuis.

Zenith adapted it such that solely the escapement is gimballed, in terms of watchmaking an amazing feat, just consider the flow of energy that has to be ensured, regardless of whether the watch is static or moved heavily:

On the back you can admire the finely finished movement with the equation disc at 1 o’clock:

So the one million dollar question certainly is: how does it wear? The answer has two sides: optically and dimensionally the Christophe Colomb is surprisingly wearable for both smaller and medium sized wrists:

The difference however is when it comes to the backside! Here the bubble matters! It wears only then comfortably if it fits between radius and ulna of your forehand. Which it did in Magnus’ case…

… but not in Oliver’s (you can’t see it but it’s a good excuse to show more pics anyway;-)):

So, this watch is a rare example where actual trying and wearing the watch is essential for two reasons: for aesthetics and comfort!

at the Zenith boutique in HK (causeway bay I think it was) and while it is not for me, it is very very interesting and surprisingly, not uncomfortable to wear.

Dear chaps,

 

Since you have such diametrically challenged wrists, perhaps all wrist reviews should be on the Oli-Mag wrists? 

To assess the aesthetics and comfort..........

 

Regards,

MTF

for the upcoming truckloads of watches that will arrive at our doorsteps. We are also accepting the immense burden that comes with it ;-)

No message body

In what way are the hands flawed? And what was wrong with the subdial design of the Captain Chrono?

Is the large seconds hand on the Doublematic running seconds or for the chrono? So to be able to tell the time somewhere you have to turn the crowns every time?

I like the Pilot Grande Date, buy the date windows look a tad too narrow. Perhaps a large single window would have worked better. One also has to wonder how the blocks of Superluminova will fair over the years.

Nataf seems to have had a better direction for ladies watches, the current collection doesn't convince.

 

 

1. ) Captain chrono - as we have written in the watch's description the dial has a logical flaw: "subdials for permanent seconds and chronograph hour counter same design, chronograph minute counter different – did the designer work on Piguet 1185 movements before?"

On the Captin chrono, it is indeed the minute counter that has the same design as the permanent second, while the hour counter is different. Please note, this is not the Piguet, which has the permanent second at 6. The Captain design makes sense, since classical chronographs have a bi-compax layout, with small seconds at 9 and chrono minutes at 3. Additionally, the subdials are enlarged, to facilitate a good legibility. Giving the hour counter at 6 the same layout would mean colliding subdial outlines, which are prevented by the different look of the hour counter.

Regards,
Marcus

I really couldn't see the logical flaw that Magnus was seeing. The Captain Chrono has the same subdial layout as every other EP. The complain then was that the hour counter doesn't have a ring around it? Like Marcus says, that was probably to give it a certain bi-compax look. If they had given it a ring, the subdial would be smaller than the other two, which we've also seen in EPs before. In the end, a smaller unframed subdial for the hours makes sense. It distinguishes the Captain Chrono from other designs....and most importantly, it avoids the dreaded illogical Dufour subdial overlap. 

ok, I mixed up the hour and the minute counter of the chronograph (thanks Marcus for pointing this out), but that does not change anything substantially regarding the point we wanted to make. The criticism is more conceptual, because the function and design do not correspond; the current dial gives one permanent and one chronograph subdial the same layout wheres the residual chronograph subdial gets another. 

And, finally, Zenith knows how to do it, just take a look at this:

So, its either negligence or ignorance or - in my book 'wrong' priorities that are to be criticised.

I wouldn't call it a design error on Zenith's part. It's very logical- a matter of function. The EPs development follows from pocketwatches, hence the running seconds is opposite the crown and not at an angle as with later movements (JLC/AP/VC/BP). I forget the technical names for these arrangements- lepine? and something else.

The two more commonly used functions are aligned- running seconds and chrono minutes, while the less common one, chrono hours, is offset. Sometimes it helps when they use matching hand colors. You can't really ask Zenith to simply "move" the running seconds to the 6' position just like that. It would require them to engineer a new movement basically. In my view, the 3-6-9 subdial layout is so much more harmonious than the 6-9-12 one. And the current functions and layout is signature El Primero- with the date at 4:30 I might add, for more than 40 years.

where did I ask to relocate the counters and subdials? I also was not criticising that the different subdials are located where they are. This message has been edited by Magnus Bosse on 2012-04-15 23:24:27

So the Doublematic doesn't have a running seconds, right?

After reading your description, the Doublematic seems far less practical than I thought. The hour hand represents time at your site of departure. To tell time at some time zone you are travelling in, your would have to know what location it corresponds to in the standard list of cities. Same once you arrive at your destination. You have to be able to align your destination with some city on the inner bezel and whenever you want to read the time you have to turn crowns. Is that how it is supposed to work?

Thank you for the detailed report and excellent photographs! The only discrepancy has already been addressed by Marcus, that is, the El Primero has the hour subdial at "6" while the FP1185 has the seconds subdial (continuous running) at the same position.

I saw most news at the after-Geneva-Basel exhibition at Türler in Zürich - except the Montre d´ Aéronef Type 20 and the Christoph Colomb.

Thorough, well-organized and with intelligent discussion. Gentlemen, this is head & shoulders above anything available on the 'net to date. Thank you.

Thanks Oliver and Magnus for the report that I finally finished reading this week.

Yes - it took that long!

 

In the last 3 years, Zenith has changed towards another zenith in their history, we hope.

 

Regards,

MTF