Around the World: Zenith Celebrates New Pilot Watches

Historical watchJust a couple of weeks ago in Paris, I had the distinct pleasure of joining Zenith at the world famous Muse’e des Arts et Me’tiers in Paris to celebrate the Pilot collection by Zenith. This brand, founded in 1865, accompanied Louis Ble’riot on his flight over the English Channel in 1909 – making him the first man to fly over the channel. At the time, he boasted that his Zenith watch was a satisfactory instrument f r the flight, “and cannot recommend it too highly to people who are looking for precision.”  The plane he made that historic flight in hangs permanently Pilot Doublematicfrom the ceiling at the Muse’e des Arts et

Me’tiers – making this the perfect place for the event. The timepiece worn by Ble’riot on that flight was also on display.

While the 103-year-old watch was a great draw, the newest pieces in the collection also attract a lot of attention. Among them – and having made their way onto the US retail scene:

•  The Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 – with a whopping 57.5mm diameter case crafted in titanium.  The COSC-certified Chronometer mechanical 5011K movement is derived from 1960’s pocket watches by Zenith.
• The Pilot Big Date Special – -geared for a classic look to honor the legendary 1969 El Primero movement.  This 42mm cased watch with chronograph is definitely a watch for enthusiasts.
• The Pilot Doublematic chronograph with an alarm function that is controlled by the pushbutton crown at 8:00. The world timer watch beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour and offers 50 hours of power reserve thanks to the mechanical automatic El Primero Caliber 4046.

In other news, Zenith introduced Felix Baumgartner – its daring ambassador – who this month will be jumping out of a capsule from an altitude of 36.5 kilometers above New Mexico, as part of the Red Bull Stratos mission. He will thus become the first man to cross Pilot Montre d Aeronef Type 20the sound barrier in freefall mode from the edge of space. He will be equipped in his mission by his El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th. Additionally, Atimelyperspective.com toured the Zenith factory and we’ll bring you more about that soon – with original photos. Stay tuned.