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<p>Perfectly encapsulating its tagline, “the future of Swiss watchmaking,” the pioneering horology brand Zenith has a rich history that has shaped its success today mainly due to the futuristic mindset that prevails among its watchmakers.</p>



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<p>In fact, the idea for Zenith’s iconic Pilot line emerged back in the late 19th century, even before the first flight, with its founder Georges Favre-Jacot’s belief that humankind would reach the sky one day. With such an outlook and dedication to aviation, the Pilot line was created as one of the first watches for pilots.</p>



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<p>Since then Zenith has continued to hold onto this heritage while simultaneously adapting to contemporary trends to launch a series of Pilot watches through the centuries.</p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-819x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-75953" width="500" height="625" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-scaled-200x250.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-scaled-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-224x280.jpg 224w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-768x960.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_Pilot-Automatic-LS-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>


<p>Newly added to this line is the <strong>Pilot Automatic</strong> with two renditions – stainless steel and ceramic – released at the Watches and Wonders 2023. This newly-designed timepiece is complete with a rounded 40mm case with a black opaline dial with luminescent numbers using the Super-LumiNova technology, a flat-top bezel and an angular large-sized crown.</p>



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<p>While the stainless steel version is vertically satin-brushed and comes with two interchangeable straps in brown calfskin leather and black cordura-effect rubber, the ceramic ones have a matte finish and are accompanied by a black Cordura-effect rubber strap and a khaki cordura-effect rubber strap. The dial also has the words pilot engraved on it, a word that was trademarked by Zenith in 1904.</p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-1_Pilot-Automatic-Ceramic_49.4000.3620.21_4x5-820x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-75954" width="500" height="625" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-1_Pilot-Automatic-Ceramic_49.4000.3620.21_4x5-820x1024.jpg 820w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-1_Pilot-Automatic-Ceramic_49.4000.3620.21_4x5-200x250.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-1_Pilot-Automatic-Ceramic_49.4000.3620.21_4x5-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-1_Pilot-Automatic-Ceramic_49.4000.3620.21_4x5-224x280.jpg 224w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-1_Pilot-Automatic-Ceramic_49.4000.3620.21_4x5-768x960.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-1_Pilot-Automatic-Ceramic_49.4000.3620.21_4x5.jpg 1078w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>


<p>The most notable aspect of the new Pilot Automatic is the 6’o clock mark which is replaced by the date and has a bold white dash on top of it to mimic the artificial horizon instrument seen on aeroplanes thus showing off the horologist’s aviation spirit.</p>



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<p>Beyond its physical aspects, the watch has a winding mechanism that uses an open and blackened oscillating weight similar to the artificial horizon instrument and boasts an El Primero 3620 high-frequency manufacture movement which gives the instrument its 60-hour power reserve when it is wound fully.</p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-819x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-75955" width="500" height="625" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-scaled-200x250.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-scaled-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-224x280.jpg 224w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-768x960.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-1639x2048.jpg 1639w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-PROD-2_Pilot-Big-Date-Flyback-Ceramic_49.4000.3652.21_4x5-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>


<p>Another equally fascinating watch in the Pilot series is the newly-released chronograph timepiece <strong>Pilot Big Date Flyback</strong> which is embedded with a newly-developed version of the El Primero 3600 calibre, the El Primero 3652 calibre which is particularly made with the pilots’ requirements in mind by including two distinctive features – the big date and the flyback function.</p>



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<p>With a dial that is slightly bigger than the Pilot Automatic – precisely 42.5mm, the brand dropped two versions of the Pilot Big Date Flyback also in stainless steel and ceramic. Its watch dial is an ode to the brand’s iconic El Primero Rainbow from 1997 with its bright orange minute and seconds hands and an oversized date display. Similar to the Pilot Automatic, the Big Date Flyback also come with exchangeable watch straps and has a quick-release mechanism too allowing watch wearers to effortlessly change the straps.</p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ZENITH_DEFY-Skyline_49.9300.3620.21.I200_4x5-717x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-75956" width="500" height="625"/></figure></div>


<p>In addition to the Pilot collection, Zenith also launched three other unisex watches – Defy Revival Shadow, Defy Skyline Ceramic and Defy Skyline Skeleton Ceramic – as part of its DEFY Revival line at the Watches and Wonder 2023. The new pieces are a modern revival of the original DEFY model released in 1969.</p>



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<p>The <strong>Defy Skyline Ceramic</strong>, for instance, has a flat top bezel with an octagonal-shaped black ceramic case that gives the watch its bold appeal. The watch’s case and straps – available in rubber and ceramic – are manufactured with metals and alloys that give the watch its unhinged quality which ensures that watch wearers need not worry about scratches or the watch losing its vibrant new look.</p>



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<p>In terms of its technical aspects, the gadget is inbuilt with an automatic high-frequency El Primero 3620 manufacture movement and the first-ever 1/10th of a second indicator.</p>



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<p><em><strong>Click <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.watchesandwonders.com/en/geneva-2023/brands/zenith" target="_blank">here</a> to explore Zenith&#8217;s newest watches, launched at the Watches and Wonders 2023.</strong></em></p>


Zenith Expands its Pilot and Defy Line with the Release of Seven New Watches at the Watches and Wonders 2023

<p>Through the ages, many of the finest watchmakers have frequently sought inspiration from the worlds of art and fashion. Typically, this has led to powerful graphic imagery being incorporated into the delightful dial styles of some of the most memorable high-end precision timepieces. At present, numerous such high-concept horological high points merit particular attention.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-70398 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Chopard_rgb-e1679537686523.jpg" alt="Delightful dial styles" width="500" height="542" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Chopard_rgb-e1679537686523.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Chopard_rgb-e1679537686523-200x217.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>First up, there is the third watch in Chopard’s L.U.C Skull One series, an exclusive collection inspired by Día de los Muertos – Mexico’s infamous Day of the Dead festival. Available as a 25-piece limited edition, its bold, high-concept design embodies the marque’s hallmark creativity and innovation, while also remaining a prime example of horological excellence. Its centrepiece is a vivid, pop art-inspired Mexican calavera &#8211; the annual festival’s unmistakable skull motif &#8211; presented in bright flashes of colour and surrounded by a 40mm black beadblasted, DLC-coated stainless-steel case.</p>
<p>In essence, the L.U.C Skull One Calavera Pop Art is a striking blackened stainless-steel watch powered by an exquisite, hand-finished mechanical movement. Defined by its uncompromising and iridescent homage to the Day of the Dead’s timeless rituals, its dial features a transferred skull motif in punchy hues of blue, red, orange, green and yellow, giving the watch an unashamedly non-conformist, pop-art feel.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-70403 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801.jpg" alt="Delightful dial styles" width="624" height="601" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801.jpg 624w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801-200x193.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801-600x578.jpg 600w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801-291x280.jpg 291w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801-120x116.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801-500x482.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hermes_Timepiece_-_Arceau_Wild_rgb-e1679537824801-400x385.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px" /></p>
<p>Second up is something of a departure for Hermès, with the forefronting of its new Super H brand hero motif akin to a horological Bat-Signal in the sky above a stunning graphic representation of Paris. The timepiece in question – the Slim d’Hermès Minuit au Faubourg – ably fuses the world of pop art with the French capital’s iconic skyline and is available in two limited edition series, each comprising 24 highly distinct, exquisitely wrought watches. The singular style of the range, meanwhile, is largely derived from a celebrated silk scarf designed in 2014 by Dimitri Rybaltchenko, an award-winning French artist.</p>
<p>On its highly distinctive dial, the Eiffel Tower stands out against a sky streaked with clouds and studded with aventurine stars, while a beam of light (fashioned from Super-LumiNova) projects out from the unmistakable monument. It is surrounded by a hand-drawn, micropainted embodiment of Parisian life, with its multi-layered rendering bestowing a grimy canvas-like finish.</p>
<h5>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/rabbit-year-watches/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spring Time – Stylistic Watches are a Motif for all the 365 Days</a></h5>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-70404 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Roger_Dubuis_rgb-e1679537945503.jpg" alt="Delightful dial styles" width="500" height="558" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Roger_Dubuis_rgb-e1679537945503.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Roger_Dubuis_rgb-e1679537945503-200x223.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>Equally enchanting is the fourth iteration of Roger Dubuis’ Urban Culture Tribe collection &#8211; the Excalibur Liu Wei Monotourbillon (MT). Keen to make this edition supremely special, the marque granted renowned sculptor and illustrator Liu Wei access to its fabled inner sanctum &#8211; the Manufacture itself. It was within its venerable walls that the much-admired artist set about reinterpreting the astral signature of the iconic Excalibur MT. Opting for a complex composite of multi-coloured lines, Liu delivered a stylised, bustling, digitised statement piece, which reinvented the original Excalibur MT as a beguiling blend of clashing colours and pulsing lights that uniquely captures the modern urban world.</p>
<p>Building on this, the brand then opted to enhance the hour markers with black SuperLuminova, creating a vivid glow-in-the-dark effect, which is most strikingly apparent under UV light. In a further refinement, the Roger Dubuis and Swiss Made logos have been accentuated with powdered SuperLuminova for the first time, an innovation that sees this element of the timepiece shift through three different colour variants &#8211; silver by day, green by night and blue under UV light.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-70407 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vacheron_Constantin_rgb-e1679538060800.jpg" alt="Delightful dial styles" width="500" height="627" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vacheron_Constantin_rgb-e1679538060800.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Vacheron_Constantin_rgb-e1679538060800-200x251.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>Moving on now to something equally engaging for the lady who loves fine timepieces, the Vacheron Constantin Égérie collection, with its eternally elegant embrace of Haute Couture and Haute Horlogerie, was unashamedly conceived as a paean to discerning femininity.</p>
<p>Daintily engraved in the style of Burano lace, the dial of the Égérie Creative Edition sees five enchanting elements expertly superimposed to create a dial of rare distinction. Re-deploying an ancient decorative technique and executed by the marque’s master guillocheur on venerable 100-year-old equipment, the pleated tapisserie motif sits on a silver base, a fine counterpoint to the black enamel.</p>
<p>Commenting on the inspiration for the piece, Christian Selmoni, the brand’s Style and Heritage Director, said: “During the course of Vacheron Constantin’s long history, many of its finest timepieces have been inspired by embroidery and lace motifs, particularly those drawn from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras. More recently, lace has inspired our Métiers d&#8217;Art Fabuleux Ornements – French lace timepiece combining guilloché work, Grand Feu enamelling and gem-setting.”</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-70399 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cartier_rgb-e1679538133355.jpg" alt="Delightful dial styles" width="500" height="667" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cartier_rgb-e1679538133355.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cartier_rgb-e1679538133355-200x267.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>Finally, for this month, we turn to the Moonphase, Skeleton and Flying Tourbillon Pasha de Cartier watches. Developed and produced at the Cartier Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the first of these features a delicate moon-phase movement in the shape of a circle surrounded by a midnight-blue star-strewn planisphere, a striking contrast to the typically bold design of a Pasha de Cartier watch.</p>
<p><em>(Text: Neil Dolby)</em></p>


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Zenith Expands its Pilot and Defy Line with the Release of Seven New Watches at the Watches and Wonders 2023

Face Time: Delightful dial styles for discerning haute horology investors and collectors