Why customers love Zenith?

For my 29th birthday, my friends wanted to give me a joint birthday present. As always, I wanted a watch. In order to be surprised anyway, I selected 5/6 watches that caught my eye. I had noticed this little Zenith from the 60s, during one of those many moments when I was getting lost on Chrono24. At that time, my tastes for vintage were mixed with my desire to add a brand that I did not have in my collection and certainly with the news of the surge in the price of gold. My partner chose this watch from the list with the vote of my friends. So I received it on the evening of my birthday, I put it on my wrist and I immediately liked it. The next day, having sobered up, I realized that the strap on it was of very poor quality and that it was coming off where one of the two pumps went. I also notice that the minute hand is not original, it does not seem to be gold, it is a very coppery color. The minute hand is, as for it, in very bad condition, twisted and the black paint tracing the center is missing. Finally, the crown is also not original. I then undertake to look for the original hands. Not knowing anything about this area, I hang around on Google, going from site to site. I finally come across a parts site that sells a 2542 movement with dial (very damaged), original hands, original crown, but also the original box. The watch had to be disassembled to melt the gold and this had been done without taking care, hence the completely deformed dial. It was the jackpot for me. €110 and a few days later, I receive all that. With my low-end watchmaking kit from Aliexpress in hand, I managed to swap the hands. But when it came time to remove the original crown from the winding stem, crack! I broke the stem… With my research, I quickly found a new stem for my caliber. Once the watch was reassembled, all I needed was a nice strap. I chose a royal blue crocodile (in the tones of the original box) with a slightly burgundy brown interior from Camille Fournet. And my quest was over… A beautiful original gold buckle could complete the whole thing, but unfortunately the Zenith bracelets of that era were very thin and the price of the buckles is quite prohibitive. I've had this watch for a year and a half, perfect with a suit due to its elegance, its contained diameter of 35mm and its thinness < 9mm. Even if it doesn't spend much time on my wrist, because the Audemars has somewhat replaced it for special occasions; it still gives me so much pleasure. The research, the restoration steps and the feeling of pride felt at the success of all this, make this watch an important piece in my collection. I recommend not only this watch, but especially the process of buying a 60-year-old vintage.

Looking for an el primero for a long time and after multiple searches, I came across this lesser-known version, the 146 heritage. I love its contained diameter, its magnificent sunray blue dial and its two well-proportioned sub-counters. A little extra detail, the small second at 9 o'clock which seems to float on the dial!

I was lucky enough to be given this Zenith Elite HW for my 40th birthday… With Zenith, it’s a long story that began 10 years earlier when I was looking for a watch for my 30th birthday – ultimately the TAG Heuer Séries 6000 Chronometer which will surely be presented on this platform instead of a Zenith El Primero Rainbow – I came across an ad for 800 euros for this ultra-classic Calatrava-type watch… I was hooked by the brand and then little by little by the model… We met up with the seller at the bottom of his office on the Avenue de la Grande Armée in Paris and we did a deal… I had just been bitten by vintage… But it was another passion that fell on me. And yes, my brother was going to give me a custom-made crocodile strap that would make me fall into leather goods! Long story short, this Zenith has become over time my watch for major events. Ultra-flat and discreet, it’s a perfect combo for this kind of event… but I almost always wear it with its homemade red crocodile strap!

What an amazing, simple but honest 70s style watch using a 5hz caliber! This reference 01-0160-346 is in mint condition. Caliber Zenith 34.6, day-date, genuine Zenith strap and buckle. It just ticks like as fast a Zenith El Primero. This vintage style Zenith is just outstanding… 300 bucks for such a piece, can you believe it? When you love those TV dials stuff, you can’t pass your way. 5 stars vintage!

Introduced in 1969, Zenith designed the Defy as a robust watch made for adventure with a water resistance of 300m and an octagonal case topped with a 14-sided bezel that earned it the nickname of a safe. This reissue limited to 250 pieces is powered by the Elite 670 caliber. The work done on the indexes is impressive and we find ourselves playing with the light to make them "flash". The 37mm diameter is ideal for me, sufficiently present on the wrist without falling into ostentation. All with an integrated bracelet three years before the arrival of the first icons designed by Gérald Genta... I love it!

I would love to have the same one in mechanical movement but it is much more expensive and thicker! This Zenith Port Royal chose me during a session on the Swiss site Ricardo. Sold as defective for a few Swiss francs, I immediately said to myself that it had found me. Having in my bag a few sharp watchmakers to operate these obsolete technologies, I was sure to get a good deal. It thus joins my collection of typical 70s models with a very improbable look that has a beefy effect when I wear it. The thing that I like is the gap between the stylistic attributes of the watch (dial, hands, cases) very classic and the presence of a quartz caliber. The marriage of the carp and the rabbit. Its condition is correct but nothing more and would deserve a polishing done by a pro to bring out its absolutely magnificent drawn features. Thank you Zenith

Why this original chronomaster from Zenith? First of all, there is a great love story between Zenith and me. The movement, the different models (including the DEFY that I also own), the simplicity of the brand and the different choices in colors mean that it can only match. After acquiring the DEFY, which absolutely won me over, I could not see myself taking another watch than Zenith. I hesitated for a long time, but the original chronomaster version was the right one. The period during which I bought it coincided with the release of the new original chronomaster models, in particular the triple calendar, but I found the dial too loaded with information, so I chose to go for the "simple" version. So why gold? because yes, the price is much higher than a steel version. There are several reasons, the first is that I wanted to invest in a watch, which, moreover, I like: - the el primero movement - a size adapted to my wrist (not very big) - a chronograph - I like gold watches - a simple bracelet, with a buckle (I like all-steel bracelets much less) In the end, this is what allowed me, after hours of reflection, benchmarking and comparison, to choose this model. Namely that in the competition, there was the speedmaster Moonshine gold dial, but there, it was the size of the dial (and the price) that stopped me.

Passionate about art and watchmaking, as soon as my eyes fell on this Defy 21 x Felipe Pantone I said to myself: I would like to add it to my collection. I have owned this marvel for a little less than 2 years and I still take as much time to wear it and admire it. This watch takes up all the codes of Felipe Pantone's works: lightning-shaped hands, colored indexes, the small seconds counter and the bridge with a hatched texture as well as the rainbow colors in gradients which wonderfully sublimate the skeletonized movement of this watch. As for the technique, the Defy 21 is equipped with the El Primero 9004 automatic caliber with 1/100 second chronograph with a frequency of 36,000 Vph (5hz) and an escapement for the chronograph (360,000 Ali/h - 50hz)

When you decide to own several watches, I think we all make a list of what we would like to have, if only to bring a little reason into this irrational act. For me, very early on, it was obvious to have a Zenith, a chronograph, an El Primero, a moon phase, a full calendar and Roman numerals. If some boxes have been filled over time, it would never have occurred to me that they could all be filled with a single watch. However, that is what happened this summer when I came across this beauty during a walk. I was not looking for anything, I had no budget but I knew that it was useless to try to resist. With it I feel like I am setting foot in another range of watchmaking, like I have opened the door to fine watchmaking. The finishes are incredible, as long as the sun is out, the show is permanent. So yes it is a bit "loaded" but since the calendar is in German it's okay and then it is less than its 40mm. From 2001 it has become vintage and assumes it thanks. I take a mischievous pleasure in letting it stick out more than reason from my shirt sleeve during certain meals and immediately the conversation starts.

After trying the white dial and black dial models, I had the pleasure of putting this sublime piece on my wrist and I had a huge emotion. This watch is simply a joy, the El Primero caliber is fantastic, the details and the care given to this piece make it a reference watch. The green is superbly worked, the sub-counters also with the signature of the 3 Zenith colors. One of the beautiful pieces of my collection without a doubt. If I had to find a weak point it would be the metal bracelet which is not up to the standard of this manufacture. It's simple I replaced it with a rubber