Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Tribute to Felix Baumgartner Bracelet (03.2066.405/69.M2060)

On July 11th 2011, a boutique exclusively dedicated to watches from the Swiss watch manufacturer Zenith has opened on one of Hong Kong's busiest shopping miles, at no. 58 Russell Street, Causeway Bay.

This new concept store is far more than just a boutique; it's a whole universe featuring an interior design that draws visitors into a temple of Swiss watchmaking tradition, the Manufacture Zenith. This legendary firm is still located in the exact spot where its founder Georges Favre-Jacot first established it in 1865. To this very day, it is there that each Zenith timepiece is developed, produced and assembled, benefiting from expertise handed down and enriched for almost one hundred and fifty years.
Enter the world of the Manufacture Zenith
The Zenith brand has been present in Hong Kong since the start of the 20th century. Today more than ever, it is keenly aware of the strategic location of this teeming metropolis. The boutique to be opened at no. 58, Russell Street, a few steps from Times Square, will be the first in the world to feature the new design Zenith has developed for its boutiques. From the outside already, it stands out from the crowd thanks to its geometrical storefront studded with glass panes and framed by two large stone columns - both characteristics directly inspired by the architecture of the historical Zenith headquarters. The frontispiece proudly bears the star, the brand emblem, as well as a reminder of the year the company was founded.

Upon stepping through the doorway, visitors are immediately immersed into the Zenith universe - a discreet world combining subtle expertise and noble materials assembled with a blend of precision and elegance. The interior decoration of the boutique picks up the same play on horizontal and vertical lines as the outside window, interpreting it in displays, counters and exhibition areas. In terms of materials, the dominant theme is wenge wood combined with "Chantilly" stone, creating a refined contrast between a deep chestnut brown and a luminous matt creamy shade.
Manufacture Zenith, a precious gem within the world watchmaking heritage
In Switzerland, a haven of precision horology, only a few rare brands can still boast complete mastery of the production of their own timepieces and thus lay claim to the supreme title of Manufacture. Zenith is one of these, and one can even safely state that its founder, Georges Favre, is the inventor of the concept of a watch Manufacture. It was he who had the idea in 1865 of building spacious and luminous buildings in Le Locle, in the Swiss Jura, where the full range of specialised artisans involved in the making of the various movement parts could be brought together under one roof. Prior to this, these craftsmen worked independently, scattered between various small workshops: uniting them in one place would enable them to coordinate their work in order to improve the accuracy and the reliability of the watch mechanisms.

To this day, the Manufacture is still located in the exact place where the founder built his first workshop, and its buildings are part of an industrial ensemble that UNESCO added to its list of World Heritage sites in 2009 under the title "Watchmaking town planning". This is where all stages involved in production are still performed, which means that anyone acquiring a Zenith timepiece can enjoy the absolute certainty that it has been developed and produced from start to fi nish in the workshops of Le Locle.
The excellence of the Zenith tradition
The Manufacture in Le Locle has considerable technical and creative potential: in its 146 years of existence, it has filed 297 awards and won a vast number of timing competition prizes - 2,333 in all, making it the most titled brand in terms of onboard watches, wristwatches and pocket-watches. Its achievements include the development of the world's most precise series-produced mechanical calibre, beating at a frequency of 10 vibrations per second.

All the Zenith collections will naturally be on hand to be admired, tried on and adopted in the new Hong Kong boutique. Whether the feminine lines (such as the Ultra Thin Lady Moonphase, an ultra-thin model interpreted in versions including some extremely elaborate models falling into the luxury jewellery category), or the masculine models, they are characterised by their innate elegance (Captain, a range encompassing models with a variety of horological complications), by their sporty appeal (Stratos Flyback), or by a technical tradition magnificently represented by the Striking 10th collection offering tenth of a second readoff. Zenith will also offer passionate enthusiasts a number of fine watchmaking models that the Manufacture produces in strictly limited series, such as the recently launched Christophe Colomb, the first wrist chronograph featuring a movement housed within a miniaturised gyroscopic cage in order to neutralise its wearer's movements. All this and more awaits visitors to the brand-new Zenith boutique on Russell Street.