Q&AZenith’s CEO Explains How The Brand Truly Is At Its Zenith

Could you give us your perspective on this year’s novelties?

This year is a very strategic year for Zenith. We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the El Primero movement. There are three 50-piece limited edition revival watches based on the 1969 model—in white, yellow and rose gold. We’ve announced that these timepieces will come with a 50-year warranty. This has never been done before. The warranty will cover all the maintenance and service, and will expire the night when we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of the El Primero. I’m 46; I’ll be 96 then. I might be invited to be a living testimonial for what we did 50 years ago (laughs). Otherwise, my successors will manage.

The second big thing this year is the launch of the Defy Inventor. This is a huge deal. We presented the Defy Lab—a totally innovative and crazy watch. It was launched in September 2017, and there were 10 unique pieces. Most people didn’t really believe that we could make this a series. Personally, I don’t like it when we only make prototypes. I want prototypes to give birth to something; otherwise, they are useless. We can all do anything in one watch, three watches, or 10 watches. The difficulty is when you go from prototype to production. I committed to the clients, and I am so happy that, 18 months later, we are able to launch this. It’s such an amazing movement. The oscillating part is in silicon, vibrating very fast, and it replaces all the regulating organs. With no sensitivity to temperature, magnetic fields and with no friction, there is no need for lubrication.

"The second big thing this year is the launch of the Defy Inventor. We presented the Defy Lab in September 2017, and there were 10 unique pieces. Most people didn’t believe we could make this a series."

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"I want prototypes to give birth to something. We can all do anything in one watch. The difficulty is when you go from prototype to production. I committed to the clients, and I am so happy that, we are able to launch this."

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"It’s such an amazing movement. The oscillating part is in silicon, and it replaces all the regulating organs. With no sensitivity to temperature, magnetic fields and with no friction, there is no need for lubrication."

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01

What are the true values of watchmaking in your opinion, and what is the future of the mechanical watch industry?

Today, a lot of people are talking about the newer generation—whether they’re going to be interested in wearing watches, or if they’ll prefer to not wear watches, or if they’re going to only wear a cellphone on their wrists. I think it’s our responsibility. It depends on what we show them. And this is why it’s interesting. Because the new generation lives in the 21st century. Everything is going so fast. We need to show that the industry is creative, innovative and super dynamic—from products and campaigns to social media and events. The Swiss watch industry turns to the past a lot, and even repeats the past. And if we keep doing this, I think there is a risk that it will become a museum industry. And that’s not what we want. At Zenith, we respect our 154 years of history, but we look to the future. Just because we’re over 150 years old doesn’t mean we’ll dress like a grandmother. I will not do that.

What advice would you give to an aspiring watch collector?

You have to make sure you buy something that is really timeless. I talk about authenticity. You don’t want to realise that you are buying a watch for CHF 10,000, with a movement inside that another brand is also using in a watch that they’re selling for CHF 3,000. Think about the inside of what you’re buying. That’s the substance of the product. And then, of course, it’s all about emotion. Buy something that you know will be meaningful to you.

What trends in watches have you observed in the last couple of years that are still strong today?

I think overall, more and more clients are looking at contemporary watchmaking. The very classic is going down at the moment. Believe me, even for the very classical brands, their more contemporary lines are the ones really emerging. I think this will continue. We’ve seen some new materials coming up, like carbon.

Tornare believes that among more contemporary designs, there has been a major move towards interesting new materials in watches, such as carbon, as seen in this Defy El Primero 21 in carbon—a 2019 novelty

How did you decide to do the Pilot Type 20 watch in silver, considering that silver is a soft metal and hardly ever used in the external build of a watch?

We wanted to do something special, and Pilot is a very important line for us. It’s a line that reflects the lifestyle of adventure. It can represent so many different things. We’ve been so successful with the Pilot. Even though it’s been very much on the vintage side for now. I cannot tell you too much about it, but in 2020, Pilot will be very important. It will take centre stage for us next year. Because we own the name Pilot. We’re the only brand allowed to put the name Pilot on the dial. But this category has been explored by other brands. Hence, we must recapture this Pilot environment and what it means for us. It’ll come to the fore strongly next year. The silver Pilot is just a nice little, special piece. And to be honest, I was not very convinced about that watch. Sometimes we make mistakes. And it’s only when I saw the prototype that I was convinced that it has a lot of character. I think of silver as in a silver spoon. Silver gets dark, and it ages and looks dirty. But then my people told me that there is a way now to treat silver so that it doesn’t age like that, and when they showed me the watch, I realised it was gorgeous. But who am I to say! The best test is when you show it to the clients. And we got fantastic comments. We took big orders in Geneva, and even here in Basel. So I’m happy. It’s a little twist—a special product. Nobody does silver.

"The silver Pilot is just a nice, special piece. And to be honest, I was not very convinced about that watch. It’s only when I saw the prototype that I was convinced that it has a lot of character."

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"Silver gets dark, and it ages and looks dirty. But then my people told me that there is a way now to treat silver so that it doesn’t age like that. When they showed me the watch, I realised it was gorgeous."

₹7,31,000

Check Our Selling Price

'Pilot' is incidentally a name only Zenith has the right to use on the dial of a watch. This signature line executes classic design codes of aviation, such as a big crown, with perfection.

₹7,31,000

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01

Mr Jean-Claude Biver said last year that the Defy will become like the Big Bang is for Hublot. Is that true still?

It already represents 50 percent of the brand. It’s huge in a very short amount of time. I love it. I’m so happy. It’s incredible. It’s taking over very strongly. People are loving the Defy, the Defy Classic, and the high-complication piece that we’re launching is taking form now.

What’s next for Zenith in terms of technical enhancement of the Defy collection?

You’ll see next year. We’re working on one super high-complication piece. We’re working on emphasising again the Defy 21. It will have a lot of developments to come, because it’s a watch that people like so much. You know that people don’t really use chronographs to measure things now. But in the Defy 21, when you press the button, it goes so fast that it almost feels like a toy. People press it to show it to others. And that’s important. There’s animation that makes the product fun to look at, and enjoy. These are beautiful watches. People like it when they have watches that can surprise their friends and people around them. That’s not something that we should underestimate. And we will continue to make things that are intriguing.