During his 26-minute flight over the English Channel, the man nicknamed roi de la casse (king of breakage) was probably wearing a watch by Zenith, of which he was a fervent enthusiast.
One thing’s for sure: his feat made an indelible imprint on aviation history, as indeed did the pilot’s watches the brand with the guiding star has been producing since the beginning of the 20th century. Keen to promote innovation and progress, its founder Georges Favre-Jacot had the visionary idea of registering the French name “Pilote” in 1888, then its English equivalent “Pilot” in 1904, before becoming one of the leading manufacturers of watches and instruments for pilots. A fantastic heritage that has never ceased to delight watch lovers and aviation enthusiasts alike.
Completely redesigned, the Pilot collection, which has been produced by the brand for over a century, continues to write history with a definite sense of panache. Zenith has retained its essential characteristics – with sturdiness, legibility, precision and user-friendliness still the order of the day – yet the Pilot has freed itself from vintage codes. The four last-gen models now boast a contemporary look that is both elegant and sporty.
Sreamlined for flight
The first star model in the new collection, the Pilot Automatic captivates with its slender silhouette brimming with subtle details. Its 40mm steel or black ceramic case boasts an entirely new design, featuring a round bezel with a flat surface topping the 40mm case middle with its softened lines. The opaline black dial featuring horizontal grooves evokes the appearance of the corrugated sheet metal on the fuselage of many vintage aircraft. In a nod to the pilot’s watches produced by Zenith in the early days of aviation, the oversized luminescent numerals appear around the dial in a more modern font ensuring perfect legibility. A small detail appears above the date window at 6 o’clock: a luminescent index taking the form of a white line reminiscent of an aircraft’s “artificial horizon”. This on-board instrument enables the pilot to measure the aircraft’s inclination in relation to the Earth’s horizon. This motif is also visible through the caseback, on the blackened, openworked oscillating weight of the El Primero 3620 high-frequency movement. To secure the watch to the wrists of those who dream of new horizons, Zenith opts for two interchangeable straps with a sporty-chic look: black or khaki Cordura-effect rubber for the ceramic version; and black Cordura-effect rubber or brown calfskin strap for the steel model.
New functions
The Pilot collection would not be complete without a chronograph. To equip the Pilot Big Date Flyback, also offered in steel or 42.5mm black ceramic with an aesthetic faithful to that of the automatic models, Zenith has developed a new version of the El Primero Caliber 3600 with new functions spelled out in its name: a big date and a flyback function. The steel version is inspired by one of the most remarkable El Primero Flyback chronographs, the aptly named “Rainbow Flyback”. The bright orange color of the chronograph sweep-seconds and minutes hands is another nod to the iconic 1997 El Primero Rainbow, while the black ceramic model adopts a more stealth-like approach. The Pilot Big Date Flyback’s oversized date display benefits from a new-generation patented mechanism that moves forward and stabilizes the two disks in less than 0.03 seconds. The El Primero chronograph caliber and its “artificial horizon” rotor can be admired through the transparent caseback. A nod to those who, like the pioneers of aviation, never tire of pursuing their dreams and for whom the sky is definitely the limit!
Pilot automatic
CASE: steel or black bead-blasted ceramic, sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 100m
SIZE: 40mm
MOVEMENT: self-winding El Primero Caliber 3620, high frequency (5 Hz – 36,000 vph), 60h power reserve, special Pilot “artificial horizon” oscillating weigh
FUNCTIONS: hours, minutes, seconds, date at 6 o’clock
DIAL: black with horizontal grooves, Arabic numerals with Super-LumiNova appliques
STRAP: supplied with two interchangeable straps: cordura-effect black rubber and brown calf leather for the steel version; cordura-effect black rubber and cordura-effect khaki rubber for the black ceramic model; triple folding clasp in steel or black PVD steel
Pilot Big Date Flyback
CASE: steel or black bead-blasted ceramic, sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 100m
SIZE: 42.5mm
MOVEMENT: self-winding El Primero Caliber 3652, high frequency (5 Hz – 36,000 vph), 60h power reserve, special Pilot “artificial horizon” oscillating weight
FUNCTIONS: hours, minutes, small seconds, large date at 6 o’clock, flyback chronograph
DIAL: black with horizontal grooves, Arabic numerals with SuperLumiNova appliques
STRAP: supplied with two interchangeable straps: cordura-effect black rubber and brown calf leather for the steel version; cordura-effect black rubber and cordura-effect khaki rubber for the black ceramic model; triple folding clasp in steel or black PVD steel
