Zenith Icons: Act II Capsule Collection

During the inaugural RE-Luxury event in Geneva, the world’s first tradeshow dedicated to preowned and vintage luxury goods and collectibles, ZENITH further builds on its HORIZ-ON sustainability initiative by unveiling the long-awaited second act of its ICONS programme of curated certified vintage watches. Contributing towards a circular economy for luxury goods and allowing its most emblematic references to take on new lives, RE-Luxury is the ideal platform to unveil the ZENITH ICONS: ACT II capsule collection. With distinctly space-age designs from the 1970s and additional functions integrated in the El Primero, it introduces collectors to an often overlooked but highly dynamic and daring era for the Manufacture.

Shining a light on the Manufacture’s singular heritage and the impact its watches have had on the trajectory of watchmaking at large, ZENITH not only honours its past, but offers pieces of it to discerning collectors around the world. With the establishment of its ZENITH ICONS programme in 2020, the Manufacture offers rare and sought-after ZENITH pieces from the 1960s and 1970s that have marked their era and become some of the brand’s most emblematic references.

Offered exclusively at ZENITH physical and online boutiques and grouped into capsule collections, ZENITH ICONS pieces are sourced, restored and certified by the Manufacture's Heritage department, which can trace the complete history of any ZENITH watch ever made and ensure that all the components are 100% original. The aim is to offer collectors peace of mind and transparency in the often opaque and inaccessible world of vintage watches.

Taking place from November 4 to 7 at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva, RE-Luxury is open to both industry professionals as well as the public, with around thirty Swiss and international brands and participants. ZENITH’s presence at the groundbreaking fair marks the first time that ZENITH ICONS pieces are offered outside of the brand’s physical and online boutiques, and will allow the brand to meet passionate vintage collectors and introduce them to the ZENITH ICONS and how it’s setting a new standard in manufactures offering certified vintage watches.

On taking part in the RE-Luxury show and presenting the latest ICONS collection, ZENITH CEO Julien Tornare shared, “A mechanical watch is one of the rare few objects that can continue to be worn and enjoyed forever, if it is properly serviced and maintained. More than just inter-generational or heirloom accessories, ZENITH ICONS are pieces of the Manufacture’s history that we’re offering to discerning and passionate collectors around the world. RE-Luxury brings to the table a totally new concept in the world of vintage and pre-owned luxury products, and it’s the perfect setting to launch our latest ICONS capsule collection with sought-after pieces from a daring and experimental period of watch design: the 1970s.”

Zenith Icons: Act II - back to the retro-future

After the first act of ZENITH ICONS, which focused on curating some of the earliest and most emblematic El Primero-equipped watches released from 1969, ICONS: ACT II leaps forward in time to explore the next era of the seminal calibre.

It’s the early 1970s. Man has landed on the moon, and the future is full of exciting new possibilities. Space is no longer a frontier, and gravity is no longer a confinement. But for traditional mechanical watchmaking, this is also a period when its very existence is being challenged by the advent of cheaper quartz watches. As such, the teams at ZENITH know that a radical approach is required.

While the earliest references equipped with the El Primero focused on slim proportions and maintaining an air of elegance, the next generation threw out the playbook entirely and took on entirely new and unprecedented forms, while also incorporating additional functions into the world’s first automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre.

A782

Inaugurating the second generation of ZENITH El Primero automatic chronograph along with the A781 and A783, the A782 fully embraces the space-age designs of the 1970s, marking a new era for mankind and watchmaking unbound by gravity. For the first time, the performance of the El Primero high-frequency automatic chronograph calibre was encapsulated within the rugged features of the DEFY line, serving as its “time safe” in which the El Primero is mounted on suspension.

Made in only 1000 examples in this configuration, the A782 is sought after for its blue gradient dial with striated hour markers and mirror-polished flange ring, its standing barrel-shaped steel case with a fourteen-sided bezel and screw-down crown, and its integrated steel “lobster” bracelet that follows the contours of the case, first made by the famed Gay Frères company.

A788

Implementing along with the A787 and G787 a distinctive new case shape within the ZENITH El Primero’s second generation of chronograph watches, the A788 takes on a space-age aesthetic that defined the 1970s, with an inflated look as if liberating its steel case from gravity.

Confidently futuristic, the A788 stands out with its entirely brushed hexagonal cushion-shaped case with smooth lines and no visible lugs, its galvanic blue dial with contrasting silver chronograph counters and chronograph seconds track, and its pulsometer scale in lieu of the conventional tachymeter scale.

A7817 "ESPADA"

A disruptive addition to the second generation of ZENITH El Primero automatic chronographs, the A7817 is the first model to integrate a complete calendar with moonphase into the seminal calibre, marking the first official model in the "ESPADA" line.

Combining both the El Primero’s high-frequency performance and the rugged features of the DEFY line – known as the “time safe” of ZENITH precision – the A7817 is notable for its standing barrelshaped steel case with a fourteen-sided bezel and screw-down crown, its silver dial with signature galvanic blue counters, tachymeter scale, and striated applied hour markers to which the moonphase and full calendar were added, as well as its second-generation integrated steel “lobster” bracelet.

01.0140.415

Among the rarest of the second-generation of ZENITH El Primero watches, the 01.0140.415 was produced in a single lot of 500 pieces. Embracing the futuristic designs of the era, it takes on a spaceage look with more substantial volumes and seemingly gravity-defying forms – here combined with a blue galvanic fix bezel with tachymeter scale, a feature which radically distinguished it at the time.

Among its distinctive features are the standing barrel-shaped steel case combined here with a blue galvanic fix bezel bearing the tachymeter scale, the deep and brushed galvanic blue dial with a new style of luminescent baton hour markers, and the second-generation integrated steel “lobster” bracelet.

01.0200.415 “TV Screen / Big Blue”

Crowning the ZENITH El Primero’s second generation, the “TV Screen” ref. 01.0200.415 features a one-of-a kind and immediately recognizable design that fully embraces the space-age and distinctly 1970s aesthetic of the era, with a case, dial and patented pusher inspired by the television sets of the time.

An outstanding reference among vintage El Primero steel chronographs, the ref. 01.0200.415 features a rectangular TV-shaped case in steel with patented “toggle” pushers, a metallic deep blue dial with rectangular TV-shaped counters and sloped flange ring, fitted on an integrated three-link steel bracelet signed with the new ZENITH logo used from 1972 onwards.