Zenith is presenting at Watches and Wonders an unprecedented timepiece that takes inspiration from the world of aviation that the maison has always cherished. And what better way to present it than with a party at the Halles de l’Ile in Lake Geneva, the kind Zenith has accustomed us to by now.
Returning to watches, we are talking about the new Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback which is presented today in two different versions.
Conquering the skies
Over the years we have seen several Zenith models inspired by the world of aviation, an area in which the manufacture has had a great deal of interest for quite some time.
More precisely, this passion dates back to the late 19th century when the founder of the maison, Georges-Favre Jacot, became convinced that man was on the verge of conquering the heavens.
Jacot, therefore, wished to flank the brave pioneers of the skies with his own watches so that they could be an essential tool during flight.
Paying tribute to the pilots of the past and beyond, Zenith now goes to enhance the Pilot collection with a very specific message: follow your dreams, no matter how far or high they may be.
Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback
This new watch with unprecedented functions, made especially for the Pilot collection, features an eye-catching oversize date window placed on the dial at 6 o’clock.
This date display, unlike traditional ones, features a new patented mechanism that animates and stabilizes both discs in less than 0.03 seconds.
In addition to this feature we find the main function for which this watch was designed and which in the past was devised for aviators wearing large leather gloves, namely the flyback function operable through the push of a button.
This chronograph function allows the chronograph to be reset and restarted by pressing the pusher located at 4 o’clock on the case of the new Pilot Big Date Flyback easily allowing the pilot to record consecutive times without stopping and restarting the chronograph.
By means of the button on the case at 2 o’clock, however, the chronograph can be operated and stopped as in a traditional model with the same complication.
The 42.5 mm diameter case, made of matte black ceramic or steel, encloses within it the dial where the continuous seconds counter (at 9 o’clock) and 30-minute chronograph counter (at 3 o’clock) are arranged.
In the ceramic case version, the dial is black with contrasting oversized white numerals (in true Pilot watch style) and white hands.
In the steel case version, the black dial containing the oversized numerals and white hour/minute hands is paired with a red chronograph seconds hand, a red chronograph minute hand as well as a counter rim at 3 o’clock accentuated by three different colors.
Through the sapphire crystal case back it is possible to observe the El Primero 3652 high-frequency automatic chronograph caliber.
Both watches are complemented by two interchangeable straps, which in the version with a matte black ceramic case are one black and the other khaki in “Cordura” effect rubber.
In the Pilot Big Date Flyback with steel case, however, we find one in black, “Cordura” effect rubber, and the other in brown calfskin leather.
List price
The new Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback with a matte black ceramic case is sold at a list price of EUR 14,500.
The version with a steel case, on the other hand, at a list price of EUR 12,300.
To learn more about Zenith, visit their official website.
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