Climbing (Again) To The Zenith
August Man SG|Issue 188
Before Julien Tornare joined as CEO in 2017, Zenith was in dire need of a revival. Today, they're back on track and they can't make watches fast enough
JONATHAN HO
Climbing (Again) To The Zenith

IN JUNE OF 2022, Zenith launched a marketing campaign called “Master of Chronographs” to highlight the company’s 157 years of experience creating precision time instruments, most notably the 1969 El Primero, the first self-winding, fully integrated, high-frequency chronograph calibre.

It’s hard to believe that the company nearly went bankrupt when it embraced quartz technology four decades ago. Thankfully, the head watchmaker at Zenith workshop 4, Charles Vermot, had the good sense to disobey his new American owners and hide the dies and punches needed to produce the components of the mechanical marvel behind a wall in a dusty attic.

In the early 1980s, when demand for mechanical watches began to rise again, Zenith began supplying some of its movements to other brands, including Rolex. A 10-year contract later, the first Daytona Chronographs equipped with a Zenith movement were delivered in 1988, allowing the Manufacture to relaunch production.

In the 1990s, following another golden age in mechanical watchmaking, luxury giant LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) came knocking at the end of the decade, taking over the company in 2001 and cementing its positioning in the higher end of the segment with its horological feats. Tourbillons followed, including a gyroscopic version of the gravity-defying escapement, but its call to 21st-century fame lay in the El Primero Striking 10th launched in 2010 featuring the first automatic movement capable of measuring and displaying tenths of a second.

This story is from the Issue 188 edition of August Man SG.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 188 edition of August Man SG.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM AUGUST MAN SGView All
The Future Will Be Pixelated, Probably
August Man SG

The Future Will Be Pixelated, Probably

What are the implications on one's lived experience as online life is rife with meaning and possibilities?

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
PARADISE FOUD
August Man SG

PARADISE FOUD

It's time to give tuning out its due. We all need a break from the group chat(s).

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
Sunday Island Mornings
August Man SG

Sunday Island Mornings

An island cluster so beautiful that Harry Winston made a watch in its honour.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
A Clear Vision Of The Future
August Man SG

A Clear Vision Of The Future

With the proliferation of its Myopia Centres, local eyecare brand W Optics is keeping Singaporeans clear-sighted for the future.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
MAKING INVESTING MORE DELICIOUS
August Man SG

MAKING INVESTING MORE DELICIOUS

FINANCE INDUSTRY VETERAN WALTER DE OUDE IS COMBINING HIS ERUDITION AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE STAR POWER OF HENRY GOLDING TO BRING US AN INVESTMENT PLATFORM THAT'S MUCH SWEETER THAN MOST.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
HOW DOES A HOTEL BRAND BECOME THE BEST IN THE WORLD?
August Man SG

HOW DOES A HOTEL BRAND BECOME THE BEST IN THE WORLD?

Cristiano Rinaldi, president of Capella Hotel Group, shares its recipe for success.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
THE MAN OF MANY TASTES
August Man SG

THE MAN OF MANY TASTES

On the opening day of his longgestating contemporary Italian restaurant Le Pristine in Singapore, the Esteemed chef Sergio Herman gives us a poignant account of why his philosophy of gastronomy is fundamentally inclusive.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
BAPTISM BY FIRE
August Man SG

BAPTISM BY FIRE

Dave Pynt, Chef-Owner of the Burnt Ends Hospitality Group, reflects on the universally resounding success of the eponymous restaurant as well as the recently released book of the same name.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
VROOM VROOM
August Man SG

VROOM VROOM

One of the most memorable moments of the recently concluded Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2024 was when Jack Daniel's and McLaren linked arms.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)
FORGED IN RED
August Man SG

FORGED IN RED

The Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Cortina Limited Edition brings H. Moser & Cie and Cortina Watch together in a bold, exclusive creation for the ages.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 207 (November 2024)