Comments:
The beautiful blue box ...
The two special Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20S - Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Editions
Beginning with the Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT ...
The Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Edition is limited to 20 pieces.
Case is 48mm diameter with a combination of titanium and 18K rose gold crown, GMT-pusher and lugs ...and the number-plate too.
Thickness of the case is 15.80mm .
Generous dial opening of 40mm, great legibility with imposing Arabic numerals entirely made of white Superluminova SLN C1 .
On the beautiful blue dial, also studded with the seven-pointed Commonwealth Stars as appear on the Australian flag.
From the illustrative by Manufacture Zenith, the stars also coated with luminescent and glowed with the Arabic hour-markers and hands.
Closer view of the seven-pointed Commonwealth Stars.
The gilted satin-brushed and Superluminova-coated hands stood out with the blue background. The GMT hand is with blue stem and red-tip.
Small-second at location 9H.
From the side, the bezel was gloss-polished and the titanium case-band and the golden lugs were brush-polished.
The gold-plate mounted with two blue screws was sort of the aircraft's registration markings. The letters VH – a reference to Australian civil aviation and to the legendary Southern Cross flown
by Charles Kingsford Smith – followed by the individual serial number.
There's some information about this VH plate on Southern Cross, please click here for more details.
Matched nicely with a brown alligator leather with beige stitching and a titanium pin buckle.
Polished solid 18K rose gold pusher for fast & easy second-timezone adjustment.
Note the raised SuperLuminova Arabic Hour marker ...
Raised sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coated to reduce glare. Specs mentioned both sides coated.
18K rose gold large screw-locked ribbed crown stands out from the matt brush surface of the caseband and lugs.
The large size is also for easy time adjustment even with gloves on... this was the case previously for pilots to wind their watch or to adjust the time without removing their gloves.
Solid caseback with a medallion engraved with the effigy of Charles Kingsford Smith and the inscription “Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 – Zenith Flying Instruments”.
The serial number of the watch was also engraved too.
The Type 20 is rated water-resistance to 100m.
Within consists of the automatic Zenith Elite 693 movement with a 50-hour power reserve, beating at 4Hz.
Second-hand hacks, when crown is pulled to adjust time.
Brush-finished titanium pin-buckle with a polished Zenith Star, well-made, solid and chunky to blend with the robust Type 20.
Couple of wrist-shots on my small hairy wrists.
Though at 48mm diameter, it seats comfortably on my wrist due to the lugs-design.
Under daylight, the blue dial is simply stunning!
Next, the Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon ...
The Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Edition is limited to just 5 pieces.
Case diameter is 48mm by 15.80mm height, same as the GMT Version. It is of a combination of the titanium and 18K rose gold for bezel, crown,
chronograph-pushers and the lugs.
Chronograph pusher at 2H for the start-stop of the chronograph while the pusher at 4H is to reset all the counters and the chronograph second hand.
Asymetrical dial design - tourbillon carriage with date window at 11H.
Dial is also decorated with the seven-pointed Commonwealth Stars as appear on the Australian flag.
Raised Arabic numerals entirely made of white Superluminova SLN C1 like the GMT version.
Subdial at 3H is the chronograph 30-minute counter, and at 6H is the 12-hour totalizer. Chronograph-second-hand is bent and white-tipped for quick and accurate read-out.
The dial design is pretty challenging, and the two large hour-minute-hands tend to block parts of the subdials... perhaps only the tip of the hands to be coated with SuperLuminova, the rest of the stems could be skeletonised to reduce blocking.
The tourbillon cage moves one round in 60 sec, also double-up as the small second.
The patented date display system is innovative, indicating the date around the periphery of the tourbillon carriage, and can be adjusted with the crown.
Read out tends to be challenging for people with hyperopia.
The side of the caseband is also mounted with gold-plate, marked with letters VH – a reference to Australian civil aviation and to the legendary Southern Cross flown by Charles Kingsford Smith – followed by the individual serial number.
The caseback is also solid like the GMT version with similar water resistance rating of 100m / 10ATM.
Within contains the El Primero 4035 D automatic chronograph beating at 5Hz with a power reserve of 50 hours.
Couple of wrist-shots ...
Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon in the box
Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Editions
Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Editions
Salute to Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith !
Understand since it is a tribute to the Australia Hero and Pioneering Aviator, these two editions will only be sold in Australia and should be starting to ship by end of March.
Which do you prefer?
Kong
This message has been edited by Kong on 2014-03-23 09:51:09
ZENITH Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 - Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Editions
The word 'Pilot' is very closely
associated with the Manufacture Zenith. Since 1930's, the company was
involved in the making of onboard instruments like altimeters and
“montres d’aéronef” ( also known as aircraft watches) intended for
in-flight use for the military as well as to civilian companies. As
their highly legible “montres d’aéronef” were reputed to be reliable,
sturdy, precise and able to meet the demanding requirements -
withstanding large sudden change in pressure and temperature, they met
the tough specifications known as 'Type 20', which was drafted since
1930s. Following, Zenith instruments were labelled " Zenith Type 20 "
and began to appear on the instrument panels of numerous aircraft, as
only a handful of companies could be Type 20' approved to supply this
high-specifications aviation industry.
Continuing with the courageous and daring spirit, Manufacture Zenith, issued two special editions to pay tribute to one of the pioneering aviators, an Australian, Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith aka 'Smithy'.
Charles Edward Kingsford Smith aka 'Smithy'
Smithy earned many record-breaking flights, probably more than anyone in the world, during his lifetime. The one which earned him world-fame, was the 1928's first trans-Pacific flight from United States to Australia in his Fokker F. VIIb/3m, named the 'Southern Cross', weathered terrible storms and conquered huge distances over 10 days to land in Brisbane, Australia, on 9 June 1928 where he was acclaimed as a national hero. The once war-pilot, serving under Australian Imperial Force and Royal Air Force, continue his daring aviation passion, to be also the first to cross the Tasman Sea, flying from Australia to New Zealand and back, the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland, the first flights between Australia and New Zealand, and the first eastward Pacific crossing from Australia to the United States. He also made a flight from Australia to London, setting a new record of 10.5 day.
The two special editions to honour the memory of Charles Edward Kingsford Smith are : a 20-piece limited series of the Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT and a 5-piece limited series of the Pilot Montre d’AéronefType 20 Tourbillon, exclusively available in Australia.
Continuing with the courageous and daring spirit, Manufacture Zenith, issued two special editions to pay tribute to one of the pioneering aviators, an Australian, Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith aka 'Smithy'.
Charles Edward Kingsford Smith aka 'Smithy'
Smithy earned many record-breaking flights, probably more than anyone in the world, during his lifetime. The one which earned him world-fame, was the 1928's first trans-Pacific flight from United States to Australia in his Fokker F. VIIb/3m, named the 'Southern Cross', weathered terrible storms and conquered huge distances over 10 days to land in Brisbane, Australia, on 9 June 1928 where he was acclaimed as a national hero. The once war-pilot, serving under Australian Imperial Force and Royal Air Force, continue his daring aviation passion, to be also the first to cross the Tasman Sea, flying from Australia to New Zealand and back, the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland, the first flights between Australia and New Zealand, and the first eastward Pacific crossing from Australia to the United States. He also made a flight from Australia to London, setting a new record of 10.5 day.
The two special editions to honour the memory of Charles Edward Kingsford Smith are : a 20-piece limited series of the Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT and a 5-piece limited series of the Pilot Montre d’AéronefType 20 Tourbillon, exclusively available in Australia.
The beautiful blue box ...
The two special Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20S - Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Editions
Beginning with the Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT ...
The Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Edition is limited to 20 pieces.
Case is 48mm diameter with a combination of titanium and 18K rose gold crown, GMT-pusher and lugs ...and the number-plate too.
Thickness of the case is 15.80mm .
Generous dial opening of 40mm, great legibility with imposing Arabic numerals entirely made of white Superluminova SLN C1 .
On the beautiful blue dial, also studded with the seven-pointed Commonwealth Stars as appear on the Australian flag.
From the illustrative by Manufacture Zenith, the stars also coated with luminescent and glowed with the Arabic hour-markers and hands.
Closer view of the seven-pointed Commonwealth Stars.
The gilted satin-brushed and Superluminova-coated hands stood out with the blue background. The GMT hand is with blue stem and red-tip.
Small-second at location 9H.
From the side, the bezel was gloss-polished and the titanium case-band and the golden lugs were brush-polished.
The gold-plate mounted with two blue screws was sort of the aircraft's registration markings. The letters VH – a reference to Australian civil aviation and to the legendary Southern Cross flown
by Charles Kingsford Smith – followed by the individual serial number.
There's some information about this VH plate on Southern Cross, please click here for more details.
Matched nicely with a brown alligator leather with beige stitching and a titanium pin buckle.
Polished solid 18K rose gold pusher for fast & easy second-timezone adjustment.
Note the raised SuperLuminova Arabic Hour marker ...
Raised sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coated to reduce glare. Specs mentioned both sides coated.
18K rose gold large screw-locked ribbed crown stands out from the matt brush surface of the caseband and lugs.
The large size is also for easy time adjustment even with gloves on... this was the case previously for pilots to wind their watch or to adjust the time without removing their gloves.
Solid caseback with a medallion engraved with the effigy of Charles Kingsford Smith and the inscription “Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 – Zenith Flying Instruments”.
The serial number of the watch was also engraved too.
The Type 20 is rated water-resistance to 100m.
Within consists of the automatic Zenith Elite 693 movement with a 50-hour power reserve, beating at 4Hz.
Second-hand hacks, when crown is pulled to adjust time.
Brush-finished titanium pin-buckle with a polished Zenith Star, well-made, solid and chunky to blend with the robust Type 20.
Couple of wrist-shots on my small hairy wrists.
Though at 48mm diameter, it seats comfortably on my wrist due to the lugs-design.
Under daylight, the blue dial is simply stunning!
Next, the Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon ...
The Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Edition is limited to just 5 pieces.
Case diameter is 48mm by 15.80mm height, same as the GMT Version. It is of a combination of the titanium and 18K rose gold for bezel, crown,
chronograph-pushers and the lugs.
Chronograph pusher at 2H for the start-stop of the chronograph while the pusher at 4H is to reset all the counters and the chronograph second hand.
Asymetrical dial design - tourbillon carriage with date window at 11H.
Dial is also decorated with the seven-pointed Commonwealth Stars as appear on the Australian flag.
Raised Arabic numerals entirely made of white Superluminova SLN C1 like the GMT version.
Subdial at 3H is the chronograph 30-minute counter, and at 6H is the 12-hour totalizer. Chronograph-second-hand is bent and white-tipped for quick and accurate read-out.
The dial design is pretty challenging, and the two large hour-minute-hands tend to block parts of the subdials... perhaps only the tip of the hands to be coated with SuperLuminova, the rest of the stems could be skeletonised to reduce blocking.
The tourbillon cage moves one round in 60 sec, also double-up as the small second.
The patented date display system is innovative, indicating the date around the periphery of the tourbillon carriage, and can be adjusted with the crown.
Read out tends to be challenging for people with hyperopia.
The side of the caseband is also mounted with gold-plate, marked with letters VH – a reference to Australian civil aviation and to the legendary Southern Cross flown by Charles Kingsford Smith – followed by the individual serial number.
The caseback is also solid like the GMT version with similar water resistance rating of 100m / 10ATM.
Within contains the El Primero 4035 D automatic chronograph beating at 5Hz with a power reserve of 50 hours.
Couple of wrist-shots ...
Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon in the box
Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Tourbillon Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Editions
Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 Charles Edward Kingsford Smith Editions
Salute to Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith !
Understand since it is a tribute to the Australia Hero and Pioneering Aviator, these two editions will only be sold in Australia and should be starting to ship by end of March.
Which do you prefer?
Kong
This message has been edited by Kong on 2014-03-23 09:51:09
The Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT is my clear favourite...
for several reasons:
- small complication perfectly matching intention of the watch
- cleaner dial
- more room for the magic blue surface and its mesmerising contrast with the titanium case and the 18K rose gold details
- tool watches with tourbillons and other high complications - no thanks!
Cheers and thanks so much for thanking the time for put together this excellent presentation!
Magnus
+1 for GMTEdition ...
well-said Magnus, but I've mixed feeling with the smaller movement (like Dean) eventhough it could not be seen.
What's your take on that?
Kong
What's your take on that?
Kong
I could live with that...
as it does not immediately bother me. Reason is that the very well designed dial arrangement effectively conceals the discrepancy between case and movement diameter. The way how hands, seconds subdial and the seven-pointed Commonwealth Stars are located relative to each other draws attention away from sheer size issues. Really nicely done!
So, its not a desirable solution but still a very acceptable one!
However - I really think the montre d’aéronef needs a hand wound movement… This goes in line with the emerging feeling I have that Zenith is trying to milk a cash-cow here. The public reaction to the original Type 20 was overwhelming, and this might have - understandably! - induced the brand to create more and more variations of the theme.
I just would hope that Zenith is aware of the dangers of overdoing a concept. There are ample examples of brands succumbing to the allure of flooding the market with countless (limited or not) editions. This is quickly done but does nothing to sustainably and sensibly developing a collection with a long term view.
It is in this context where I would like to position my comment regarding the hand wound movement,
Best,
Magnus
very nice !
and for me too the simple GMT
A tourbillon IMO belongs in a simple dress watch and not a 48 mm pilot watch
their pilot watch (type 20 ) is big winner, only a few years old but already a legend
+1 for ...
Type 20 GMT too.
Some fancy sports tourbillons, just need to tailor one of the cuffs to be bigger
Kong
Some fancy sports tourbillons, just need to tailor one of the cuffs to be bigger
Kong
Very nice
I do like the two tone elements on the GMT, it gives a nice vintage vibe.
The only issue I have with the GMTs is that the case, at 48mm is way too big for the movement, at 25.6mm. This is the 5th iteration of this watch, and I am sure there are more to come. No doubt it is a big seller, and given its price point, and quality of the case, as a functional and legible pilot with an easy to use GMT function, it is hard to beat.
The Tourbillon is nice, but prefer the 2013 version.
Dean
Have to agree with you ...
on a small movement in a large case. Perhaps that's one of the reasons, see-though caseback is used, besides, needing space to engrave the effigy.
However, making a new larger movement, is high-cost.
Kong
However, making a new larger movement, is high-cost.
Kong
They could have made a smaller case
The criticism I hear most often with the Type 20 line up is the case size.
Pilots should be bigger, but I think a 42-44mm case would have been more appropriate.
The 2012 Type 20 Specials had to be 57.5mm to accommodate the 50mm movement so that is fine.
The GMT has a 25.6mm movement, and the Annual Calendar a 30mm movement, so there was no justification at all to have a 48mm case for both, and this was a decision based on trend and fashion. They will never make these 48mm Pilots with a display back because it would look terrible.
Hoping we see smaller pilots launched at Basel.
Thanks for the report.
Dean
Last time ...
I always feel the same way too. Over time, I asked how many of the buyers/owners purchase based on the internal or a harmonised 'form & function'? It seems like majority is affected/influenced more by the aesthetic ...we may be a small group of the segmentation. Sometimes it is also hard for the business too - do you produce something for the masses' taste or cater to a smaller group of afficionado?
Let's see if they plan for some of different size, but your inputs is real and some of the executives will definitely pick them up.
Thanks Dean.
Kong
Let's see if they plan for some of different size, but your inputs is real and some of the executives will definitely pick them up.
Thanks Dean.
Kong
An answer of Two Buts
I am partial to chronographs and especially tourbillon chronographs with 12h counters.
Despite the pilotage reference, we accept that the watch is a whimsy and modern aeronautic timekeeping is electronic. Thus, its fine to have a Zenith Type 20 Tourbillon Chronograph.
But, I agree that the hands shoul have been fenestrated and with glowing tips to allow sight of the dial counters.
The Zenith Type 20 GMT adheres closer to the "form follows function" principle and the unusual Ti / rose gold two-toned colour scheme is fetching.
But, it's not a chronograph and Zenith is synonymous with hi-beat short epoch timekeeping.
Therein, lies my Tale of Two Buts.
My ideal would be a Zenith Type 20 Tourbillon Chronograph in Ti/Rose Gold case with skeletonised hands! 
In that glorious commemorative Aussie Southern Sky Blue dial, of course.
Regards,
MTF
The first iterations of the Type 20 were . . .
. . . serious pieces of horological kit, with movements any technically inclined aficionado could appreciate. The follow-ups, though, eschew the movement that justified its appearance, so I tend to consider them subjectively rather than objectively.
They're all (the two that are the subject of this thread in addition to the other EP/Elite movement versions) well executed. A 5011K version would be desirable if I could plausibly wear one, based on my respect for the movement. Without the ultimate chronometer movement, though, we're left with another abnormally large design which exudes a character that isn't driven by necessity. The essence of the watch is its style.
In which case, I'll pass on both. Perhaps there will be a future version based on a Zenith chronometer movement of more amenable size.
Art
Dear Art, I am in 100% agreement with you...
and I hope that the Type 20 will eventually serve as a serious basis - for performance movements, large, sensual and ultimately technical.
Cheers,
Magnus
A proportionally sized cal 135 variant with subsidiary seconds . . .
. . . at 6 would be something to sing about, no? . . .
Edited, please use the Collector's Market.
No message body This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2015-12-25 08:50:15
Watches for sale: please post them in our 'Collectors' Market' - thanks! [nt]
No message body