Zenith - Avant-Premiere Back to the Roots
WORLDTEMPUS - January 18, 2010
Jean-Frederic Dufour, new CEO of Zenith since June 2009, was visibly pleased to present some pieces from Zenith's brand-new collection eight full weeks before Baselworld opens its doors on March 18. Dufour explained that he was very interested in getting some feedback on the new wristwatches at this point in time.
"We do still have some more surprises for Basel," Dufour explained with a sly grin at the cocktail party given in Geneva in the new timepieces' honor.
The funny thing about these wristwatches is that they present a decided deja vu: some look as if they could have belonged to an original collection from 1969 or so — until you get a good look under the hood. The showpiece of the evening was only available to view virtually, but certainly expresses the high-tech position of the back-to-the-roots collection: an El Primero based chronograph featuring a sweep foudroyante second hand boasting measurements of one-tenth of a second. Unassumingly retro from the outside, the second hand is directly linked to a silicon escape wheel. "I am most proud of this one, actually," Dufour commented.
Praise for the new head
Introducing the evening festivities, Dufour was joined by LVMH colleague and a man he cites a mentor to him: Jean-Claude Biver of Hublot. Biver did not hesitate to praise Dufour's skill in getting this collection together in the space of only six months; nothing in the 2010 collection had been taken over from Dufour's predecessor as head of Zenith, Thierry Nataf. Dufour started completely from scratch in defining his new-old vision of the reputable manufacture. During this period of six months, he also traveled the globe to visit Zenith's various branches and understand customer wishes.
Elite 681
A shining example of the new collection is the Elite 681 Ultra Thin. Clearly drawing on the brand's mechanical heritage, this 18-karat rose gold or stainless steel model is outfitted with the automatic extra-flat Elite caliber 681, which comes in at 3.81 mm in height. Its understated elegance confirms Zenith's future, which is fairly analogue to its past: mechanical and aesthetic purity - particularly at "normal" prices - never go out of style.