One of Zenith’s most boldly inspired timepieces in the El Primero semicentennial year of 2019 was a new version of its Pilot Type 20, boasting a rare silver case and a riveted, fuselage-motif dial, (I liked the watch so much, I wore it for the author photo of my upcoming book from Rizzoli, AIR TIME: Watches Inspired by Aviation, Aeronautics, and Pilots.) This year, as part of LVMH Watch Week, Zenith finally follows up that popular limited edition with a chronograph version.

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Chronograph Silver

Like its three-handed predecessor, the Pilot Type 20 Chronograph has a hefty 45-mm case made of 925 silver, a precious metal not commonly found in watchmaking these days. The case is 14.25 mm thick, making for a strong wrist presence, and its big, ratcheted onion-style crown is of the type found on vintage military pilots’ watches from the early 20th century. The case has a wide dial opening (37.8 mm), framing the domed sapphire crystal with double-sided nonreflective coating that covers the dial.
Large chronograph pushers surround the onion-style crown.

The silver-brushed dial on the chronograph version bears the same shiny, riveted motif as the first Type 20 Silver, evoking the look of a World War II-era warplane, and marks the hours with large, vintage-style Arabic hour numerals applied entirely in Super-LumiNova ? the practical idea behind them being maximum brightness and legibility in a dark cockpit. The rhodiumed, central hour and min...