Zenith’s founder Georges Favre-Jacot, an aviation enthusiast, registered the trademark “PILOTe” (in French) in 1888 and then “PILOT” in 1904, giving the brand the right to use the word on its watch dials.
Determined to revive its storied aviation heritage, the Swiss watchmaker has launched a new generation of PILOT watches.
A standout among these designs is the PILOT Automatic, with a 40mm case crafted from black ceramic that has been microblasted for a matt finish.
Flaunting an oversized crown, the handsome model has a black opaline dial with horizontal grooves reminiscent of the corrugated metal once used to make aircraft fuselages.
Since legibility is key for aviation watches, it also boasts large, Super-LumiNova-coated Arabic numerals which are applied instead of imprinted.
Delivered with interchangeable black and khaki cordura-effect straps, the Zenith PILOT Automatic (RM42,800) is powered by the El Primero 3620 movement, which has a power reserve of 60 hours.
