Comments:
Any compelling novelties from Zenith this year?
For me this year, I must say I am a little disappointed with the Zenith novelties.
"Could have been a contender!"
Secondly the masterpiece that is the Type 20 Grand Feu. And as much as I would love to have this in my collection, it would be purely reserved for enjoyment in the privacy of my home as even I would be embarrassed to wear the 60mm behemoth in public.
And finally, the latest version of the El Primero Chronomaster Grande Date in stainless steel with rose gold crown and pushers and a gorgeous chocolate sunray dial.
For me the new Synopsis line fails to incite emotion. The new Lightweight is cool, but I prefer the Striking 10th version of the Lightweight that was released late last year.
But there were three that stood out.
Firstly the new Captain Central Seconds offered a slight refinement in design on the existing versions. It makes for an attractive 40mm package that could have been perfect had they omitted the date window.
"Could have been a contender!"
Secondly the masterpiece that is the Type 20 Grand Feu. And as much as I would love to have this in my collection, it would be purely reserved for enjoyment in the privacy of my home as even I would be embarrassed to wear the 60mm behemoth in public.
A masterpiece, but unwearable in public
And finally, the latest version of the El Primero Chronomaster Grande Date in stainless steel with rose gold crown and pushers and a gorgeous chocolate sunray dial.
Whilst not a fan of the almost iconic Zenith open dials, this one is strangely compelling.
This could be the one!
For me the new Synopsis line fails to incite emotion. The new Lightweight is cool, but I prefer the Striking 10th version of the Lightweight that was released late last year.
Are there any novelties that you find compelling ?
Dean
This message has been edited by Spellbound on 2014-04-07 10:16:07
I really like the Captain Central Seconds ...
And agree that if they would have skipped the date window, it would have been perfect!
Best
Blomman
It was a year of polishing and refining...
with little breakthrough pieces, which is probably the reason why the Type 20 Grand Feu was presented - as a show piece.
Any favourites?
Overall, I liked how Zenith applied little changes and improvements to the collections, particularly to the Captain collection. As Oliver and myself have written previously, you can group them into two categories: The first, comprising of the Power Reserve and the Big Date/Moonphase , where subtle enhancements were made to emphasise the structure of the dial:
What some have been criticising, namely the (to some) odd shaped date aperture on the latter watch is actually a consistent theme in both of them. It serves to 'triangularise' the elements of the dial, again a common theme.
That this can't play with the remaining two watches, and thus was not implemented there, is another token for the care Zenith applied in advancing and improving this entry collection.
Speaking of which, let's have a look at the other two watches, the Central Seconds and the Annual Calendar :
Both of them sport already highly balanced dials, one with a plain one and the other with quite some elements. Emphasising a single one here would be counter-intuitive in both cases. Consequently Zenith opted for a design which imbues elegance and quietness.
As for the simple entry level Captain Central Seconds the question regarding date or not is a continuing issue across all brands. Once they present an entry level watch you can bet that is comes up… However, I have been also consistently told that the market simple demand a date function in this market range.
But its fun to play anD thus I'd like to propose the following:
Any favourites?
Cheers,
Magnus
Polishing and refining
Polishing and refining is all very well if the designs that are being refined are stunning designs that have transformed into the realms of iconic. But the Captain line has always been pleasant, but not achingly desirable.
I just wish Zenith would focus on making the most beautiful watches in the world. How hard is it to design an achingly beautiful 3 hand watch? Laurent Ferrier and H. Moser as well as A Lange & Sohne and ofcourse the larger houses like JLC, IWC all have a beautiful 3 hand watch. One of the ingredients that could work for Zenith would be a domed sapphire crystal to extend right to the outer edge of the bezel. Not practical, but who cares if it makes for a gorgeous watch. I personally think they should scrap the Captain line right now, and start again from scratch, with new designs that have the potential to be iconic rather than bland. They successfully reinvented their pilot line with the Type 20 design which is fast becoming iconic.
Anyway, of the three, definitely the middle for me, although I understand a date window is more in demand. I am not usually critical of date windows, but just do not like the design of this one.
Anyway, I am a tad disappointed this year, but still like the general direction that JFD is steering the ship.
Warmest,
Dean
I think the company is at a turning point.
Zenith's reboot under the post-Nataf management is complete, and I think this year's novelties represented something of a refractory period. Clearly, the initial work of redesigning the models, realigning the collections, and repositioning the watches in the market's price structure is complete.
At this point, I get the feeling that Zenith's leadership is experimenting with a wide range of directions in which to take the company, but JFD hasn't committed to any of them as yet. We have baroque haut-de-gamme with the Grand Feu; we have futuristic materials and techno-appeal with the Lightweights; we have extreme conservatism with the Captain line; we have a tentative re-embrace of Thierry Nataf's greatest success and enduring signature, the open escapements.
With so many potential directions but so little clarity about which to follow, I wouldn't be surprised if the time between now and Basel 2015 is spent making some hard choices about where to take the Zenith brand for the next decade-plus. Certainly, much of this process could be eased if the public embraces any of the above experiments in emphatic (and lucrative) fashion between now and the next Baselworld.
For my part, I really like the Captain Annual Calendar. I think the multiple features of the annual calendar provide a good counterweight to the Captain line's plain aesthetic, which borders on austerity in too many cases. The annual calendar/chronograph complication has been a favorite of mine since it debuted, and this clean treatment with the Arabic numerals and three-tone dial color scheme is delightful. The dial combines the light silver disc, the gold numerals/chapter rings/hands, and the blue chronograph indicators to create a very elegant impression. Although I loved the original blue/black variant of this complication, the new Captain reference may be tied as my co-favorite.
Best,
Tim
This message has been edited by Tim_M on 2014-04-08 19:29:46
At this point, I get the feeling that Zenith's leadership is experimenting with a wide range of directions in which to take the company, but JFD hasn't committed to any of them as yet. We have baroque haut-de-gamme with the Grand Feu; we have futuristic materials and techno-appeal with the Lightweights; we have extreme conservatism with the Captain line; we have a tentative re-embrace of Thierry Nataf's greatest success and enduring signature, the open escapements.
With so many potential directions but so little clarity about which to follow, I wouldn't be surprised if the time between now and Basel 2015 is spent making some hard choices about where to take the Zenith brand for the next decade-plus. Certainly, much of this process could be eased if the public embraces any of the above experiments in emphatic (and lucrative) fashion between now and the next Baselworld.
For my part, I really like the Captain Annual Calendar. I think the multiple features of the annual calendar provide a good counterweight to the Captain line's plain aesthetic, which borders on austerity in too many cases. The annual calendar/chronograph complication has been a favorite of mine since it debuted, and this clean treatment with the Arabic numerals and three-tone dial color scheme is delightful. The dial combines the light silver disc, the gold numerals/chapter rings/hands, and the blue chronograph indicators to create a very elegant impression. Although I loved the original blue/black variant of this complication, the new Captain reference may be tied as my co-favorite.
Best,
Tim
This message has been edited by Tim_M on 2014-04-08 19:29:46
The Annual Calendar
A very perceptive and accurate commentary Tim as always.
For me, the Annual Calendar, whether in the Type 20, or the Captain, could be improved upon. I have always liked a perfectly balanced dial, so the position of the day/month window at 3:00pm, and the date at 6:00pm does not tickle my fancy for some reason. I would much prefer a day/month sub-dial at 3:00pm if possible, to have back the iconic three sub-dial layout of the classic El Primero's. They do this well in the under-appreciated Perpetual Calendar.But anyway, Zenith must be doing something right as they sales are increasing.
Thanks for chiming in.
Dean
I have to admit I would 'need' a fourth version...
the one on the very left:
I just fear that one would need a new movement…
Cheers,
Magnus
I don't 'understand' Zenith
here you have a company with the 'best' (arguably) auto chrono movement in the world, yet consistently 'odd' or off-beat designs... There is nothing absolutely classic in the line up except the El Primero re-issues, redux's, etc, however they too kind of suffer from design issues which go back to Original, being unable to see a few minutes of the minutes counter due to the overlap of subdials... (annoying, not a serious chrono IMHO). OK, so why not take this legendary movement and make something LEGENDARY with it? Why all these lop-sided design dials? Why do the non El Prim. chronos appear cross-eyes for the cases being too big for the spectacular movement? The execution of ALL Zeniths is nothing short of near-perfection, and the prices are eminently fair... but the design issue plagues the brand IMHO.
Since you asked...
Better still
Maybe a fifth version, a handwound central second with no date. Now, that I would go for without hesitation. Sadly, automatics have been phasing out manual winding for decades now, and I fear it won't be long before they will remain in the domain of just a handful of niche watchmakers.
"the domain of just a handful of niche watchmakers"
that could be a very interesting niche, and a niche that I think would be very profitable to fill. And, Zenith considers itself a watchmaker.
But in order to substantiate this claim the company needs to gear up a bit. The El Primero is four decades old, the Elite two. The only three new movements with wider appeal (not counting the extra special (pun intended) pieces such as minute repeaters and tourbillons) are the El Primero annual calendar (Cal. 4054, in fact a Ludwig Oechslin development with Ochs ind Junior), the time-only (Cal. El Primero 46xx) and the alarm watch (Cal. El Primero 4064). Technically, these are all based on the original El Primero as well.
Is this enough to claim the watchmaker title? Not in my book.
But then, a simple equation puts some smile on my face: 2015-1865=150
Nothing more to say…
Cheers,
Magnus