Zenith is one of those brands that seems to be always paying tribute to their history, even in their most contemporary watches. Can you blame them" They?ve been around since 1865 and at this point can lay claim to several historic references that are household names, as long as your household is full of watch enthusiasts. After a period of time in their recent past where even enormous fans of the brand (myself included) might say that they were muddling along, they?ve hit their stride recently with a series of watches that pay direct homage to the past, while paving the way forward, imagining what a next generation version of Zenith will look like. Of course, this is what most brands with some semblance of heritage are attempting to do, but Zenith, in my opinion, is currently balancing the past and present better than just about anyone. Their newest watch is a surprising three way collaboration that reaches back further into the brand?s history than we?ve seen from recent reissues, and is simultaneously an exciting new endeavor unlike any we?ve seen from Zenith before, and it speaks to the respect the brand has earned from the larger watch community over this most recent stretch.
To understand the new Calibre 135 Observatoire Limited Edition requires a grasp of the watchmaking world as it stood in the 1940s and 50s, specifically the practice of watchmaking companies entering their movements into observatory chronometer competitions. This is truly a bygone era...