Zenith

Zenith Christophe Colomb Equation Of Time Watch

Zenith was nice enough to show me the follow-up timepiece to last year's Christophe Colomb - with its almost magical looking gyroscopic-style tourbillon. I am not sure of the name of this new for 2011 watch. It might be the Christophe Colomb 2, or perhaps the Christophe Colomb Equation of Time. That latter guess is because in addition to a new symmetrical dial, it has an equation of time complication which tells you the difference between the solar time and our calendar time. UPDATE: I was correct in my guess. It will be called the Christophe Colomb Equation of Time watch.

I do quite like the new dial. The guilloche machine engraved face frames the three dials nicely, and there is a nice mix between using all the space while the dial doesn't look busy. The movement is still manually wound with about two days of power reserve while the dial has a power reserve indicator, the time, an equation of time hand, and the spacey looking gyroscopically suspended escapement. Should be in 18k white and rose gold. Look out for more details on this impressive Zenith watch soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: christophe colomb, equation of time, watch, zenith

Zenith Captain Dual Time Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

There seems to be a strange nomenclature shift in 2011 to brands preferring to call GMT watches "Dual Time" watches. Why? Really not sure, they are functionally the same. New this year will be a new Zenith Captain collection watch called the Dual Time. It has a new in-house made "Elite" collection calibre movement called the 682, and it is an automatic. The movement is under 4mm thick and has the time (with subsidiary seconds dial), date, and GMT hand. The GMT hand is given a quick adjust pusher at 10 o'clock.

Of course the watch has a retro look to it. The case is in steel and 40mm wide with either a black or silvered dial with machine guilloche engraved decor on them, along with applied hour markers to match the properly sized dauphine hands. The Captain Dual Time is a very functional watch that is also handsome. It is however oddly positioned as it is not quite sexy enough to be a formal watch, but not aggressive looking enough to be a sport watch - nevertheless, I am sure enough people will like it.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: Captain, dual-time, Elite, gmt, watch, Zenith

Unexpected Treasures: CIRCA Evaluates A Reader's Finds

by Unknown (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches

A reader submitted the following letter to Luxist's Unexpected Treasures column and CIRCA agreed to help us evaluate:

Going through some old "junk" chests I had I came upon a few of interesting pieces I thought I would submit.

The first piece is an 18K gold Zenith wristwatch. The watch belonged to my grandfather and I believe it is pre 1930. Upon further inspection (I am a watch aficionado) I believe it uses a Valjoux .22 Calibre Chronograph movement (I could definitely be wrong). The watch does not have a model or serial number as is common with a lot of older timepieces. I have not been able to find much information on the piece online so any help you and circa could provide would be wonderful.

The second piece is a Tiffany's sterling silver bean clutch purse designed by Elsa Peretti. Elsa was a good friend of my mothers and gifted the purse to her in the late 70s or early 80's (as the stamp on the back of the purse suggests.)

The third piece are a pair of Tiffany's earrings made out of palladium(stamped in the back), designed by Paloma Picasso, also gifted to my mother by Elsa.

I would love to see what circa has to say about these pieces and they certainly were an unexpected treasures.

Best Regards,
Federico

Click through for the response from CIRCA...

Tags: circa, circa jewels, elsa perretti, luxist guest post, paloma picasso, tiffany, tiffany and Co, TiffanyAndCo, unexpected treasures, zenith

Continue reading “Unexpected Treasures: CIRCA Evaluates A Reader's Finds”

Zenith Elite Captain Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Ahoy captain! Why I needed to begin with that cheesy, cliche phrase I do not know.. but Zenith calls the watch the "Elite Captain," which sounds just as cheesy. The "Elite" part of the name comes from the collection - which is a mid range of models from the 'reinvented' luxury brand. I believe that most Elite watches have in-house made Zenith movements. At least the Elite Captain does. Zenith has been offering watches with in-house made calibers at prices that are comparatively very reasonable - starting in the $5k - $6k range I believe. Not sure about the price of the Elite Captain, but with its relatively simple three-hand date automatic Caliber Elite 670 movement, it shouldn't be too much.

In steel or gold, the Elite captain comes in a few versions. Each in a 40mm wide case with various dial colors. The model here with its swanky looking metal bracelet and sharp dial is my favorite. It is a very handsome watch in a classic sense, quite the direction that Zenith is trying to take. Enough watches like this and they just may succeed. Looking at it again, it is starting to feel like a solid alternative to a basic Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch. What do you think? Look for the new Elite Captain watch soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: Captain, Elite, watch, Zenith

Zenith El Primero Retrotimer Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Zenith has been relatively hush about their 2010 collection of watches. Showing just a few pieces, not allowing photographs, and slowly releasing details. The response to the new collection is mixed. Some people applaud the brand for "returning" to their roots, while others feel as though much of the new collection is uninspired and too much like a re-release of their history effectively bringing Zenith back in time while "forgetting" the last few years . This all comes after the "Nataf years" where Zenith was run by a man with maybe some of the right ideas, just not ones that worked for this particular watch brand.

One new piece is this relatively odd Zenith El Primero Retrotimer watch. It is fitted with the brand's famous (and most valuable asset) in-house made El Primero movement that runs with a high 36,000bph rate. The beloved movement has been used even in some classic Rolex watches, and is a mainstay name of the new Zenith. Here is the Retrotimer watch in its classic looking blackened steel case, which is used on more than one new Zenith watch. The dial in carbon fiber doesn't distract from the hour markers or hands - which is good. Though last I checked, carbon fiber isn't a retro material. The hands and hour markers are pretty and covered in some lume - though they fall short of being a pure classic in design. Zenith describes the watch as being fun, which I guess it is. The rubber strap integrates nicely with the case, and the Zenith star logo is happily present on the strap and two places on the dial.

The watch is fitted with a 30 minute mono-pusher chronograph. There is no seconds hand for the time. A small red marker is placed at 8 minutes on the chronograph subdial. Why? Because it marks how long one should cook a particular type of pasta that the designer of the watch likes, to be al dente. Price is 6,900 Swiss Francs.

Via Europa Star.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com

Tags: el primero, retrotimer, watch, zenith

Zenith Elite 681 Watch Shows Bland New Brand Identity

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Have you ever noticed that a lot of vintage watches look alike. There are like two decades in the 20th century where 90% of the watch looked the same. Just different brands and minor differences. The last decade proved that each watch brand could be unique with lots of interesting and distinctive designs. Sadly, with a new push toward "traditional" styles comes that traditional problem of boring look-alike watches. Not that such designs are inherently boring, but that enough brands have them, so the overall theme makes you want to yawn.

Zenith has had a couple of tough years, and there was a lot of promise with their new CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour. We knew that Zenith was going "back to its roots," but why does it have to be like this? One of their "exciting" new releases is the Elite 681 Ultra-Thin watch. It looks almost identical to other watch brand's retro-esque ultra thin watches. Sure, the 40mm wide gold watch that is about 3.8mm thick and has an automatic movement is decent looking, but just decent looking. Feels like your typical "grandpa watch special" and too much like other brands who are releasing doppelganger watches, and do the style better. So Zenith, you are telling me that your new identity is to be like Vacheron Constantin? Nice watch, yawn-worthy design. Another squatter on the already too full retro bandwagon. I was just sort of expecting more from them. We will see what else Zenith has in store for us soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, 681, automatic, elite, watch, zenith

Zenith Vintage 55 Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

As predicted, here is yet another "vintage" watch model from a popular Swiss luxury watch brand (that is coincidentally French owned). Zenith underwent new direction recently and this may be one of the first models to stem from that change. There are high hopes for the brand that was for the last few years making interesting, but unbuyable watches that lacked soul or clear purpose.

This new model is certainly a change, but I don't think it is for the better. the Zenith Vintage 55 watch has all the right things in the right places but nevertheless feels uninspired. There are better options with a very similar design from brands such as Chopard, Union Glashutte, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and others. The Vintage 55 simply lacks the character that people are looking for when buying a new watch meant to evoke feelings of some amorphous "retro past." At least it is somewhat trendy with a now "in" vintage look and brown dial.

The watch is in a 40mm wide 18k rose gold case with matching hands and hour markers. A tasteful subsidiary seconds dial and dauphine hands meld logically with the arrow hour markers that have one of the watch's only unique features - center "cuts" in the indexes. A single Arabic numeral is used for 12 o'clock to orient the dial. Likely the most enticing aspect of the Vintage 55 watch is the Zenith caliber 689 automatic (with 22k gold rotor) in-house made movement that is very thin at just 4mm thick and is COSC chronometer certified. Unless the price for the Zenith Vintage 55 watch is particularly inviting, I just don't see what makes the watch differ from the competition unless you are a "Zenith only" person. As one more possible incentive (or realization on Zenith's behalf), the watch will be as a limited edition of 100 pieces.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 55, brown, chronometer, limited edition, LimitedEdition, rose gold, RoseGold, Vintage, watch, Zenith

Zenith Watches Lays Off 70 Of 250 Employees

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

"Bleak times" at Zenith, LVMH frowns. First they lose some employees, then they lose their CEO Mr. Nataf, and now more employees out the door. 70 to be exactly. Recently, the people at Zenith were informed of the planned layoffs as part of a planned reorganization to assist the troubled watch maker maintain through "the crisis." Zenith of course is not alone during these difficult times where watch and jewelry sales for the entire LVMH group are down about 27% from last year. Zenith didn't provide specific figures for its own annual performance, but all evidence indicates things may be worse for them.

New CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour is expected to make some radical changes, including with the core line of watches - where Nataf's design decisions have been controversial to say the least. Zenith is a proud brand with a great history so I expect that any cleverness injected into a brand revitalization will focus on historical strength and creating a classic style focused line for next year when things should be better for the brand, and the watch market overall. The pictured watch is the Zenith Class Traveler Open El Primero Multicity Alarm.

Via WorldTempus (in French).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com

Tags: downsizing, firings, layoffs, LVMH, watch, zenith

Zenith El Primero New Vintage 1969 Chronograph Watch Collection

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This is my favorite new Zenith watch for 2009 and is the El Primero New Vintage 1969 collection. These watches are called "new vintage" because they are not only a "reissue" of a watch movement from another era (the first El Primero), but share the iconic styling of watches from that time period. The El Primero is a high beat movement operating at 36,0000 bph (beats per hour). This gives it the ability to have a chronograph that measures 1/10 of a second (most mechanical chronographs measure maybe 1/5 of a second). The movement is the automatic Zenith El Primero 469, with a column wheel chronograph and date, with a 50 hour power reserve.

Three versions of the lovely watch will be offered, each being really nice and worth the investment. Which is a blessing and a curse given that the collection will be offered as a limited edition and only in 2009. There is the black titanium model, stainless steel model, and 18k gold model. Each in the 40mm wide classic looking case. The black titanium model features a curious skeletonized dial with markers applied on a sapphire crystal as the dial, while the steel and gold have very cool looking overlapping subsidiary chronograph dials and an easy to read face. The whole collection with its alligator or crocodile straps and retro styled case is quite hip looking - again, one of the best Zenith watch collections this year.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Zenith New Vintage 1969 watches

Tags: 1969, chronograph, el primero, ElPrimero, movement, new vintage, NewVintage, timepiece, watch, zenith

Head Of Zenith Watches Departs: Farwell Thierry Nataf

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Since 2001 the very flamboyant Thierry Nataf has been at the helm of Zenith watches, part of the LVMH luxury group. He has undoubtedly had a profound effect on the brand, though his 'touch' has been controversial, especially in terms of marketing and the focus on extremely niche products for what was supposed to be a more mainstream luxury brand. The recent economic downturn has effectuated in an over 25% decrease in Zenith watch sales - something no one is happy about.

The reason for Nataf's departure from the CEO position at Zenith watches is unclear, and rumors indicate that he will remain at LVMH, but in a different group (who watch brands include Tag Heuer, Hublot, Dior, and Louis Vuitton). The successor who will lead Zenith through this difficult economic period has not yet been announced. It will no doubt take sometime before the new leader's effect on the brand is observable, but I hope that LVMH is wise enough to place someone capable of reinvigorating Zenith's former glory.

Via WorldTempus (in French).

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: ceo, resign, thierry nataf, ThierryNataf, watch, zenith

Zenith Class El Primero Moonphase Watch For 2009

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

A lot of new luxury watch offerings are discernibly more subdued than the flamboyant parade of watches we have come to expect over the last few years. Zenith, who is typically very experimental in design has actually had one of the most conservative line of new models at Baselworld this year. That doesn't mean the watches are boring, but rather refreshingly elegant in their focus on being modern classics. A good example is this Zenith Class El Primero Moonphase watch. The watch features a full annual calendar with a moonphase and a chronograph. The El Primero automatic calibre 4100 movement is the only movement with an annual calendar and column wheel based chronograph complication.

Two case sizes are available at 40mm and 44mm, with the pictured version being in steel. The dial is handsomely decorated with engravings and applied hour markers. To enhance legibility, Zenith has clustered the complications toward the center of the face allowing for space around the dial to be dedicated to telling the time. With hour and minute hands that are properly sized for the watch, it offers a lot of function with minimal visual distraction. You just can't argue about its solid good looks and handsome demeanor. Look for availability this spring.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: class, el primero, ElPrimero, moonphase, timepiece, watch, zenith

Gandhi's Pocket Watch Goes For Over 2 Million Dollars In Controversial Auction

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

While bidding may still taking place at Antiquroum's March 4-5 auction, the major lot has closed, the Zenith pocket watch and some accompanying items owned by Gandhi. For weeks now the Indian government was trying to halt the auction by legal means. Fearful that the relics would pass to hand away from India, they claimed that the items belonged to the people of India as a whole. While Indian officials were unable to stop the New York City based auction, thankfully for them the Gandhi watch has remained in Indian hands.

'Lot 364' closed way above the estimate price ($20-30k) at 1.8 million dollars. That price increased to $2,096,000 including the buyer's premium (an amount over the final bidding price charged to the buyer). It was by far the highest price a lot for this current auction had reached. The winning bid came from Vijay Mallya, the wealthy owner of King Fisher Beer (and Airlines) of India (is that like having a Budweiser airlines in the US?). His complete plans with the items and pocket watch are unclear. While the Gandhi relics will go on public display, it is unclear whether they will be given to the Indian government or remain in private hands.

Some content via MSN News and Anitquroum.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: antiquorum, auction, gandhi, pocket, vijay mallya, VijayMallya, watch, zenith

Gandhi's Zenith Pocket Watch Up For Auction

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

Mahatma Gandhi was never known as a man of many possessions. Regardless, everyone needs a watch, Gandhi included. As part of Anitqorum's March 4-5 watch auction, Gandhi's Zenith alarm pocket watch will be made available. The circa 1910-1915 pocket watch is not in the best condition, as you can see the subsidiary hands are missing, and the dial needs to be refinished. The new owner will have to decide whether to restore the watch, or leave it as is for display purposes only. Overall, it is amazing that such a watch would ever be available in an auction.

Before Gandhi died, he gave the watch to his grandniece, Abha Gandhi (who was also his assistant for 6 years). From there the watch must have in a private collection or two before being now available - though it possibly could have stayed in the family. Interestingly enough, in the same lot are other Gandhi items including his glasses, sandals, bowl, plate, and letters to authenticate it all. The expected auction yield for the pocket watch itself is between $20,000 and $30,000 dollars.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: antiqorum, auction, gandhi, pocket watch, PocketWatch, Zenith

Zenith Chronomaster Open El Primero Venice

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The latest limited edition watch from Zentih is a love letter to the lovely city of Venice. The watch, which uses the automatic El Primero caliber 4021 movement features the famed Venice lion. The lion appears in the open dial at 10 o'clock showing the heart of the El Primero movement. The griffin is also emblazoned across the dial. The watch has a 45mm 18K rose gold case with front and back sapphire crystals. The watch is a limited edition of 100.

[via Time Zone]

Source

Tags: chronomaster, timepiece, watch, wristwatch, zenith

Zenith ChronoMaster XXT Tourbillon El Primero Concept Watch

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This 45mm monster from Zenith is the new El Primero caliber 4005C Tourbillion Concept chronograph watch. It has 35 jewels, beating at 36,000 bph and with a power reserve of 50 hours. The rotor is done in 22kt gold. The watches has the hour and minutes in the center, date indication positioned around the carriage of the tourbillon positioned at 11 o'clock. THere is a center seconds-hand with 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock and 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock. The case and push bottons are white gold and the hands and indices are 18K black gold. It's gorgeous but there is something about the design that seems off to me. Maybe it's all that unused real estate on the left side of the watch.

Source

Tags: chronomaster, timepiece, tourbillon, wristwatch, zenith

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