Unique Zenith x Voutilainen x Phillips Niobium Cal 135-O Salmon Dial

Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo and ZENITH are pleased to unveil the latest watch from a long-standing collaboration, ahead of The Geneva Watch Auction: XVI. Presented in June 2022, the ZENITH X Voutilainen X Phillips 10-piece limited edition platinum Cal 135-O was an instant hit among discerning collectors, selling out within minutes. Phillips will now offer an 11th yet unique example, cased in Niobium with a striking salmon guilloché dial. All proceeds of the sale will go to the Susan G. Komen® Breast Cancer Foundation. The watch will be included in the highlights tour to New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and London. The auction preview will then open in Geneva on 2 November before the live auction on 5 and 6 November at the Hôtel La Réserve.

Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant, Bacs & Russo and Alexandre Ghotbi, Head of Watches, Continental Europe & Middle East, jointly said, “We are incredibly proud to be continuing our collaborative journey with Zenith and Kari Voutilainen to produce an 11th example of the Cal 135-O, this time uniquely cased in Niobium with a striking salmon dial and a movement finish matching the dial colour. From the beginning, this project has been one of friendship and we couldn’t think of a better way to close the adventure with a unique piece going to such a good cause.”

Julien Tornare, CEO, ZENITH, said, “I'm honoured to come together again with Phillips and Kari Voutilainen for a truly exceptional piece, and for a good cause. The Calibre 135 Observatoire Unique Piece is a highly embellished and invaluable piece of ZENITH history. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the Calibre 135-O Unique Piece will directly be donated to Susan G. Komen®, marking the finishing act to a month when we've been actively rallying behind the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness”.

Kari Voutilainen, said, “This stunning salmon colour dial ZENITH Calibre 135-O, with the unique history behind it, in a unique case, with a unique dial, will be the only one now and forever."

An unprecedented project born out of trust and friendship. Following the launch of two Phillips edition Zenith El Primero models in 2019, the auction house and watch manufacture turned their attention to working with the iconic vintage calibre 135, one of the most renowned ZENITH movement from the golden age of observatory chronometry competitions. ZENITH went a step further by offering a handful of the Calibre 135 “O” variant, which were made solely to take part in chronometry competitions. The movements used in this collaborative come from a very small stock of Cal 135-O from the "serial winning" years, having participated in the prestigious Neuchatel Observatory trials in 1950- 1954 and winning the top awards.

Calibre 135 was designed with Observatory trials in mind and with a 5mm height and a 30mm diameter – the maximum dimension to enter the wristwatch category competition. Its design was based on the idea of having an extremely large 14mm balance wheel to enhance precision and rate stability, and a large barrel to deliver consistent power to the regulator.

The Calibre 135 was produced from 1949 to 1962 in two distinct versions: a commercial variant, and an “O” iteration made solely for observatory chronometry competitions. Never commercialised, the Calibre 135-O received over 230 chronometry prizes, a record in the history of watchmaking. These movements, with Guillaume balance, were prepared for the competitions and fine-tuned yearlong by the ZENITH “chronométriers” Charles Fleck and René Gygax. Each of them was awarded prizes in the first category range.

Observatory movements are competition grade movements and were not made to be cased and sold, as such their overall finish was utilitarian and not aesthetic. Furthermore, the movements having been dormant for over 65 years needed to be disassembled, each component tested, tolerances checked, oiled and reassembled. It was decided that Kari Voutilainen was the master watchmaker best placed to make this dream a reality.

Between June 2020 and June 2022, Voutilainen and his team painstakingly took apart every movement, refurbished them, and made them completely fit to be cased in a wristwatch, adding the signature "Voutilainen" finish along the way. Eleven movements were available but only ten were cased in platinum with a black dial. It was decided from the very beginning that the 11th movement would be used in a unique piece to be sold for charity.

It was decided to case the movement in niobium, a metal rarely if ever used in watchmaking that has a unique sheen. The dial is salmon in colour with guilloché exterior, the movement number is printed in the seconds subdial, and the movement has a pink gold finish (as opposed to the gilt finish of the limited-edition models). The movement used within dates from 1953 and ran in the Neuchatel Observatory trials the same year when it received the highest points.

All proceeds of the sale will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, whose mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.

The Geneva Watch Auction: XVI

Session I: 5 November 2022, 2pm

Session II: 6 November 2022, 2pm

Location: Hôtel La Réserve, Bellevue, Geneva

Technical specifications

Zenith x Voutilainen x Phillips Niobium Cal 135-O

Reference: 13.1350.135/35.C100

Unique piece to be auction on Saturday 5th of November. All the proceeds to be given to Susan G Komen foundation for Breast Cancer research. Unique Niobium case with Salmon guilloche dial and 5N-color movement. Unique Collaboration with renowned watchmaker & restorer Kari Voutilainen

Case

• Material: Niobium
• Diameter: 38 mm
• Thickness: 10.35 mm
• Lug to lug: 46.50 mm
• Lug width: 19 m
• Water-resistant to 30 metres (3 ATM)

Dial and hands

• Sterling silver dial with salmon matte finishing
• Applied indexes and dot markers
• Hour markers: Ruthenium-plated and faceted German silver
• Hands: Ruthenium-plated and faceted Gold hands

Movement

• Calibre 135, Manually wound movement
• Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
• Power reserve approx. 40 hours
• Finishes: Meticulous traditional hand-finishing and decoration on the movement

Functions/Indications

• Hours and minutes in the centre.
• Small seconds at 6 o'clock

Strap and buckle

• Black calfskin leather with titanium pin buckle 

Estimate: CHF 100'000-200'000

For more information, please visit phillips.com