Horological Meandering

Click here to read it. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

You can definitely feel the energy and vivaciousness of Mr. Nataf in your interview. 

Anyone who's interested, there's also another ThePuristS interview with Mr. Nataf from Feb 2003:

thepurists.com


Thanks SJX!

Cheers,
Anthony

and his obvious familiarity with the internet community. I have to say that his explanations of the new concept behind "new Zenith" partly changed my view on the current company. Well done and the right questions asked! Best, Magnus

Even though the watches are not my style at this point.  I believe the company is going in the right direction right now.  Mr. Nataf has a great vision for Zenith.  I wish him the best.
Thanks SJX and Mr. Nataf for this very informative interview!

. . .god knows Zenith has under M. Nataf generated a good deal of controversy I think the points made in this interview are very much to the point- the brand has been reinvented and revitalized.  The newer and more extreme designs may not be to everyone's taste but they are not intended to be and I must say that although I've not been attracted universally to some of them, I am always struck by how well executed the watches are when I've seen them in person.

Congratulations SJX on a great interview and thanks to M. Nataf for this very candid exchange!

Jack

I'm quite surprised at the candor of Mr Nataf, as I've always found him quite full of himself. I am probably too conservative, hence my dislike at the direction the brand has taken (some of these designs are downright hideous in my mind). There is, however, no question he did manage to revive the brand and is a very successful business person in the fashion / luxury industry. I wish he did it differently, though: I almost never wear my Elite Port Royal V anymore for fear of being identified with what the brand has become. Well, considering the commercial success, there has got to be a market for it, so credit to Mr Nataf for finding it. Credit, too, for accepting to go in so much detail in this interview.

Nothing to do with horology, and at the risk of being called a cheap shot: no gentleman worth his salt, and especially not one as concerned with his image as Mr Nataf, would ever be caught wearing short socks that uncover the legs when sitting.

Cheers
Boris

Well interviewed, Jia Xian, if you don't mind me saying so.

Cheers, Dirk

and put Thierry Nataf in charge of the company, ceteris paribus, Zenith would not have survived very long as a commercial enterprise. The 'great marque' would be a piece of history.

but there are other examples of  marques, which have been revived or reanimated and where traditions have been maintained or expanded in a more tasteful fashion. Blancpain, Chopard, GO, Lange, Urban Jürgensen, Moser, UN and Panerai spring to mind.
Commercial success was never an indicator of quality and as an owner of a  pre-LVMH  Zenith,  I feel the marque has been sullied  by the course  of  the last  few  years.  The  German  magazine,  "Armbanduhren"  (wristwatches)  described the  Defy  Xtreme as  grotesque  and a  monstrosity  and I think most  "Purists"  would have to agree.
The concentration of watch companies into conglomerates is regrettable but Richemont, at least, seems to encourage  diversity,  creativity  and  even  competition  among its  brands.  I see few  signs  of  this  (watchmaking) creativity at  LVMH.

I find the "new" Zenith design absolutely impossible. These watches are made for "show-off" people ho don´t like watches but the messages these timepieces allow them to transmit and carry.
In that point Nataf is good because he doesn´t care about the watches but only about the brand
he is in charge of.
I hate when he says "...when I sell my watch...": how can you be so self-sufficient?
The only Zenith I have in my collection is a "pre-Nataf" elegant and fine model and as long
as this brand is being lost in this type of heavy design I will not purchase anything from them.
I prefer to go towards other nice and developping brands like Girard-Perregaux for example.  

Nataf is indeed a gravedigger, and when the Russians (nothing against them though) will stop throwing their money away, Zenith will have to face difficlut times!

Best Regards to all

André