Zenith

After the 'big' announcement of the Pilot Type 20 Skeleton (see here), this time now a refined, restrained and quite accomplished timepiece from Zenith's Baselworld 2015 novelties: the Zenith Elite Power Reserve 150th Anniversary Boutique Edition :

Dressed in a case crafted from lightweight 40mm brushed titanium, the watch draws attention immediately thanks to its distinguished velvet blue dial.

It comes with a suede-like surface structure which very tenderly and softly captures the light and appears to let it float over the entire dial area. 

Now, there is one danger with such a design scheme - it creates a relatively staid large area, which in this case is amplified by the comparatively small movement (I come to that further down).

Zenith tackled these stumbling blocks by structuring the dial with bold groves around the indices pane and around the power reserve section. This offers not only more depth but also additional traps for the light to play with. Furthermore, it emphasised the outer rim with a rail track like ring. Did you notice the small roman numerals therein?


The movement is nicely finished as expected from Zenith, very appropriate for the price range (but not sporting a truly hand-applied haute-de-game finishing). 

On the back crystal, however, Zenith perpetuated its ultimate core DNA, the immense and astonishing chronometric record through engraving all the chronometric records the brand ever achieved. Btw., those account to over 1,565 first observatory prizes in chronometry, making it the Swiss brand most rewarded for precision.

At the center Zenith aptly places an engraving of the observatory in Neuchâtel.

Time to take it out for a ride, right? That's what I did, and it was quite a rhapsody in blue:

That blue is a very masculine colour provided refinement is a counted as a manly virtue. In fact, Zenith chose a dial which fits to many lifestyles and attires, be it a grey business stuff or a more colourful casual TGIF outfit. 40mm is normal size these days, and even if the movement would call for smaller cases, however, the layout of the dial in combination with its surface finish make this mismatch disappear.

The watch also sports a date and a power reserve offering both practicality for daily use as well as a complication to delight the aficionado.

As mentioned above, the small movement is a minor fly in the ointment. On the other hand, the Elite movement's cornerstone function in Zenith's racehorse stable (recently reinforced with the introduction of the Elite 6150 movement) as well as its tried and tested timekeeping performance make it a worthy contender for this watch.

Watches like the Zenith Elite Power Reserve 150th Anniversary Boutique Edition  are my kind of homage to a past of excellence and achievement, even more so since the Elite movement itself is know as an extremely precise timepiece. The Elite Boutique Edition is a honest watches in the great chronometric tradition the brand is known for. It pays homage but only very delicately so, undetectable for all but the wearer.

This is the type of watch many Zenith collectors are looking to see. This timepiece, Ref. 95.2120.685/51.C700, comes in a special edition limited to 50 pieces and is only available in Zenith's boutiques worldwide.

Thus, I fear it will be instantly sold out. RUN!

 

More posts: EliteElite 6150Elite Power ReservePilotType 20 Skeleton

  login to reply