Luxury watchmaker Zenith at 160: Still pushing the limit

SINGAPORE – Swiss luxury watchmaker Zenith marks its 160th anniversary in 2025, a milestone that underscores how far the Le Locle-based manufacture has come since its founding in 1865.

When founder Georges Favre-Jacot brought every aspect of watchmaking under one roof, he set in motion a model of production that helped shape modern Swiss horology.

Over the decades, the brand built its reputation on technical precision and steady innovation, earning a trove of chronometry prizes and a loyal following among watch enthusiasts. The introduction of the El Primero in 1969 – one of the first high-frequency automatic chronographs – remains a defining chapter in its history.

To commemorate 160 years, Zenith released a series of special editions that nod to its past while reflecting its present direction.

Zenith Blue Ceramic Chronograph Trilogy 160th Anniversary Edition

You cannot sum up 160 years of watchmaking in three watches, but Zenith’s Blue Ceramic Chronograph Trilogy 160th Anniversary Edition gives it a valiant shot. Each capped at 160 pieces, the trio – the Pilot Big Date Flyback, Defy Skyline Chronograph and Chronomaster Sport – channels the brand’s signature aesthetics and its high-performance El Primero movements.

The Pilot Big Date Flyback pays tribute to Zenith’s early aviation ties, with a corrugated dial, oversized numerals and luminous hands, all driven by the El Primero 3652 with flyback chronograph and a lightning-fast big date jump.

The Defy Skyline Chronograph riffs on the original 1969 Defy with an angular 42mm case, 12-sided bezel, star-patterned dial and quick-change system for swopping between ceramic bracelet and rubber strap.

Rounding things off, the 41mm Chronomaster Sport pairs classic pump pushers and tri‑colour subdials with the El Primero 3600, measuring 1/10th of a second, all framed in a new blue ceramic that nods to Zenith’s celestial roots.

G.F.J.

This revival of one of the most decorated wristwatch movements ever made, the Calibre 135, won Zenith the Chronometry Prize at the 25th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG).

Named G.F.J. after Zenith’s founder, the new collection reinterprets the mid-century competition calibre for modern collectors, keeping its architecture and outsized balance while upgrading almost everything else. Think a 72-hour power reserve instead of 40, a stop-seconds mechanism, COSC certification and regulation to within +/-2 seconds a day.

Housed in a slender 39mm platinum case with stepped bezel and lugs, the G.F.J. flaunts a richly detailed blue dial. Lapis lazuli forms the central section, flecked like a night sky, framed by a “brick” guilloche minute ring and an oversized mother-of-pearl small seconds. Limited to 160 pieces, it is offered on three different straps or an optional platinum bracelet.

Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli

With the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli, Zenith cloaks a signature complication in a cosmic new palette: a deep-blue lapis dial veined with natural gold flecks that glow like a miniature starfield.

A full calendar and moon phase are laid out cleanly: day and month tucked at 11 and 2 o’clock, date at 4.30, and a moon phase nestled inside the 6 o’clock chronograph register. Classic pump pushers, box sapphire crystal and compact proportions nod to the 1969 A386.

Inside, the El Primero 3610 serves up 1/10th-of-a-second timing, a 60-hour power reserve and stop-seconds, visible through a sapphire back with blue column wheel and star-shaped rotor. The watch comes with a blue calf strap and steel bracelet.

Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli

Limited to 50 pieces, the Defy Extreme Lapis Lazuli takes the brand’s most technical 1/100th-of-a-second stopwatch and dresses it in microblasted yellow gold, polished steel and a dial carved from celestial-blue stone.

The 45mm case keeps the Defy Extreme’s trademark angular silhouette, with gold on the bezel and pusher guards playing against cool steel, while flecks of pyrite in the lapis dial ensure every watch is visually unique.

Under the sapphire, the open-worked display reveals the El Primero 9004, still the only serially produced mechanical chronograph able to time to 1/100th of a second. One escapement runs at 5Hz for time, another at a blistering 50Hz for the chronograph, sending the central hand whipping around the dial once per second.

A quick-change system and three supplied options – steel bracelet, black rubber and black Velcro strap – let this lapis-clad beast swing from track-ready to tux-appropriate in seconds.

Defy Zero G

Launched in 2008, Zenith’s Zero G mechanism remains unique in watchmaking: a gimbal-mounted “Gravity Control” escapement that keeps the regulating organ permanently horizontal, correcting positional errors in real time rather than averaging them out like a tourbillon. Inspired by gimballed marine chronometers, the entire system is miniaturised into a wristwatch-sized gyroscope.

For its 160th anniversary, Zenith pushes this spectacle centre stage with two new Defy Zero G sapphire limited editions, each restricted to just 10 pieces. The 46mm cases are hewn from blocks of transparent or deep blue sapphire, exposing the hand-wound El Primero 8812S and its whirling Zero G module at 6 o’clock.

A lapis lazuli sub-dial for the off-centre time display continues the celestial theme, while a 50-hour power reserve, 5Hz escapement and blue integrated alligator strap complete one of the brand’s most technically audacious statements yet.

Defy Chronograph USM

Zenith’s new Defy Chronograph USM rewrites a bit of history, envisioning a 1969 in which the original Defy arrived as an El Primero chronograph. Made with Swiss design pioneer USM Modular Furniture, the 37.3mm steel watch keeps the clean, octagonal geometry of the first Defy while bringing the what-if scenario to life.

The result is a colourful, design-driven spin on vintage Zenith. A 14-sided bezel, pump pushers and a Gay Freres-style ladder bracelet set the retro tone, while the dials come in four USM signature shades – green, pure orange, golden yellow and gentian blue – each limited to 60 pieces. Square, grooved hour markers and silver tri-compax registers echo USM’s modular steel-tube aesthetic.

Inside beats the El Primero 400, a 5Hz automatic column‑wheel chronograph visible through a sapphire back. Each watch is delivered with exclusive USM furniture elements and a custom Haller-style timepiece chest, making this as much design object as chronograph.