For Zenith, the only way has always been up

Then of course, the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, and alarm bells replaced the sound of minute repeaters and cash registers. Watches and Wonders and Baselworld both announced that they would not be holding physical fairs in 2020, and that has held true for 2021.

Brands have been forced to turbo-charge their digital strategies, from offering watch sales online for the first time, to implementing digital presentations to buyers and collectors around the world in lieu of physical show and tell sessions.

Adapting to change 

2020 watch sales were on a par with 1945, but 2021 is showing signs of recovery. For a brand such as Zenith, poised on the edge of the next chapter in its story, the past 12 months have been an exercise in keeping focussed and adaptable through unsettled times. Thankfully for the aviation-inspired brand, it seems that its pilots are well-versed in steering through turbulence…

“Year after year we’ve focussed on product development and had great results in the years up to 2020. 2020 was poised to be the year in which the brand got to a new level. We started in January 2020 with Dubai’s LVMH Watch Week, which was a success. February was good, and then suddenly the world ground to a halt,” says brand CEO Julien Tornare.

In Dubai to unveil 2021 novelties as part of a whistle-stop, if very curtailed, global tour, the CEO has had to navigate closed borders and lockdowns; not to mention having to adjust strategy swiftly to respond to the biggest crisis facing the watch industry in decades.

Between April and May, sales of Swiss watches hit a low, and continued over the summer, rallying a little by the autumn. For much of this time of course, industries around the world were on lockdown, with factories and offices closed, and only those whose work was primarily digital continuing to work.

Drawing inspiration from vintage aircraft design, Zenith unveils the Pilot Type 20 Chronograph Silver

“The most pressing for me was to react immediately to tell the team not to be discouraged and what we were supposed to do in 2020, we will do in 2021,” he notes.

One of Tornare’s first directives was to instigate a morning meeting to maintain communications within the company.

“I asked my team how they could digitalise their job as best they could. We had been doing well and I wanted to continue this momentum. We rolled out ecommerce swiftly, and were one of the most active brands on social media. It took weeks instead of months to get the ecommerce off the ground.

“Now, the mind-set of the company is so connected and focussed to innovation and creativity. At Zenith, we have 18 different buildings, and it is a bit of a labyrinth, but it was great for isolating groups of people during Covid.

“When we brought the workforce back in early May, it was very safe. We felt the pulse of a comeback and I really didn’t want to lose that dynamic and that mind-set. My job was to make them believe that in 2021 we can rebound.”

Despite the challenges, and having postponed several launches, Zenith in 2021 is looking formidable. The Chronomaster represents perhaps the most high-profile evolution for the brand.

“The Chronomaster Sport sets a new standard of precision, performance and design for the staple Zenith automatic chronograph,” notes Tornare.

The Chronomaster line has been one of Zenith’s most emblematic, referencing the company’s heritage while pushing the boundaries of precision.

An exceptional 1/100th of a second chronograph, the DEFY 21 Urban Jungle stands out with its khaki green tones

Precision timepieces

Zenith’s mastery in high-precision chronographs is a pillar of the brand. In 2021, the Chronomaster Sport is equipped with the newest version of the legendary El Primero 3600 calibre.

With a redesigned aesthetic, it features a refined and legible tri-colour dial, steel bracelet and steel 41mm wide case. A polished black ceramic bezel offers superlative legibility on the dial.

It is a flagship launch for the brand and has been received avidly by fans of Zenith. It’s also been a long time coming for the brand itself, having originally been set for launch in 2020.

“We had originally followed on from 2019 50th anniversary celebrations of the El Primero. The momentum from that had been really great, but in April we decided to postpone the June launch,” explains Tornare.

It made sense – such a significant launch was all but impossible with the world at near-standstill.

Zenith brings back one of the earliest and most emblematic El Primero-equipped chronographs from the earliest days of the revolutionary calibre in the form of a Chronomaster Revival model

“It was one of three major launches that we postponed. I knew we had other interesting things to focus on such as the Shadow, the Defy Midnight, the Zenith Icons…. So I felt we could keep these launches for 2021.

“This year, we had planned to do the Watch Week digitally, which doesn’t replace the face-to-face, but the watch has still got a great reaction. We always knew it would get a great reaction, but not to this extent.

“I knew people were expecting Zenith to bring a casual sports watch, with the inherited history. The expectation was there, but I had not realised the extent and it was amazing. The watch came out at the right time – if you know a lot about watches, and if you don’t, you will say ‘wow’. It can be worn with a suit, casually, it is an easy watch to wear.”

Alongside the Chronomaster, a similarly wearable, though very different piece makes its debut – a chronograph in shades of green. The Defy 21 Urban Jungle unites innovative and high-performance materials paired with ground-breaking manufacture movements; the manufacture has cladded its 1/100th of a second chronograph in a green ceramic for the first time.