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F O C U S
BENOÎT DE CLERCK | CEO ZENITH
To celebrate its 160th anniversary, Zenith
is highlighting legendary movements
within watches dressed in the brand’s sig-
nature blue. “Blue has always been a key
element of Zenith’s identity, symbolising
our connection to the sky and the pioneer-
ing spirit that has driven us for 160 years,”
says CEO Benoît de Clerck.
A visionary watchmaker, Georges Favre-Jacot was
the first to bring all the various horological professions
together under one roof and founded Switzerland’s first
integrated watch manufacture in 1865, at a time when
the etablissage (part-work) model was still the norm. The
name Zenith came later and was first given to a move-
ment of exceptional quality at the start of the 20th cen-
tury. Today, the brand is still based in the same historic
location in Le Locle, a watchmaking hub now listed as
a UNESCO World Heritage site and which Zenith helped
shape and it is celebrating its 160th anniversary in blue,
the brand’s emblematic colour. “Zenith has occupied the
same building for 160 years, which is extremely rare in
our industry,” notes Benoît de Clerck, “This anniversary
is a true tribute to the brand and to its founder, Georges
Favre-Jacot.”
Until the late 1960s, chronometry competitions organ-
ised by observatories played a vital role in building the
reputation of watchmakers. Driven by an unwaver-
ing quest for precision, Zenith distinguished itself by
winning 2,333 chronometry prizes, an all-time record.
Among the award-winning movements was the famous
calibre 135, named for its dimensions: 13 lignes (30 mm
in diameter) and 5 mm thick. Designed by Ephrem Jobin
at the request of technical director Charles Ziegler, the
calibre was produced from 1949 to 1962 and earned 235
distinctions in its 135-O version (the O is for Observatoire).
These competition entries were not standard models
but specially tuned versions, meticulously regulated by
highly skilled watchmakers. At Zenith, the renowned
Charles Fleck and René Gygax, known among horolog-
ical connoisseurs, helped the calibre win five consecu-
tive first prizes at the Neuchâtel Observatory from 1950
to 1954.
In 2022, Zenith enlisted independent watchmaker Kari
Voutilainen to restore and finish a dozen historic calibre
135-O movements, each of which had earned observa-
tory prizes. Housed in custom cases, the watches were
sold exclusively by Phillips in association with Bacs &
Russo. In 2025, a contemporary version of the movement
joins the anniversary celebrations. The new calibre 135
retains the architecture of the original while incorpo-
rating modern upgrades. “We reimagined it to carry the
legacy forward while embracing the standards of con-
temporary watchmaking. Its chronometric performance
has been enhanced beyond the current COSC require-
ments,” says de Clerck. With refined finishing through-
out, the platinum-cased watch is named the G.F.J., after
Georges Favre-Jacot, and its dial features a lapis lazuli
centre flecked with golden pyrite and a small seconds
subdial in mother-of-pearl – a luxurious composition
in true Zenith blue.
Zenith blue
The celebration continues with a trilogy of mono-
chrome chronographs featuring blue cases, dials and
straps with their most distinctive element being the rich
Zenith blue of the ceramic cases. Creating ceramic in a
specific colour is a complex challenge with the final result
depending on a precise mixture of materials, extreme
temperature and time that can take months to perfect.
The anniversary models in Zenith blue ceramic include a
Chronomaster Sport, a Defy Skyline, and a Pilot, all, nat-
urally enough, powered by El Primero movements, mod-
ern iterations of the high-frequency automatic chrono-
graph launched in 1969.
The Chronomaster Sport is driven by the El Primero
3600, which beats at 5Hz (36,000 alternations per hour)
and measures 1/10th of a second intervals via the central
chronograph hand. This hand completes one full rotation
every ten seconds, while the subdials at 3 and 6 o’clock
record elapsed seconds and minutes. The Defy Skyline
Chronograph, a descendant of a bold 1969 model, is also
powered by the El Primero 3600. Meanwhile, the Pilot Big
Date Flyback features the El Primero 3652, designed for a
chronograph that pays tribute to Zenith’s early 20th-cen-
tury pilot watches.
All three anniversary editions, dressed entirely in
Zenith blue ceramic, are limited to 160 pieces each. ■
Éric Dumatin
1. ZENITH Defy Skyline Chronograph 160th Anniversary
Edition. Among the blue ceramic-cased chronographs released
for Zenith’s 160th anniversary is the 42 mm Defy Skyline Chron-
ograph powered by the El Primero 3600 calibre. The dial displays
1/10th second intervals around the perimeter, with seconds at 3,
minutes at 6 and running seconds at 9. Supplied with two inter-
changeable straps, one in blue ceramic, the other in blue rubber,
the watch is limited to 160 pieces.
2. ZENITH G.F.J. Named for Georges Favre-Jacot, Zenith’s founder,
this 39 mm platinum timepiece features a contemporary version
of the legendary calibre 135, once a competition-winning move-
ment. A luxurious dial front and “brick” motif on the caseback
enhance this refined model, which is delivered with three straps:
dark blue alligator, black calfskin and Saffiano blue calfskin. Also
limited to 160 pieces.
Life in blue