The history of Zenith's pilot watches & review of the Zenith Pilot 1957

Text: Filip Ericsson

Zenith, the venerable Swiss luxury brand that operates a little under the radar, is famous for its connection to aviation, with wristwatches and aircraft instruments for military use during both world wars on its repertoire. Eqotime tells the history of Zenith's pilot watches and at the same time shows off the article author's own Zenith Pilot from 1957.  

Zenith, founded in the watch mecca Le Locle among the Swiss Jura mountains in 1865, has incessantly constituted a kind of connoisseur's brand. At the same time it has constantly gone under the radar, in the shadow of high-profile competitors such as Rolex, Omega and Jaeger-LeCoultre.  

At least in modern times. The company has real high points on its historic repertoire and has always achieved a quality that has not had many superiors within the Swiss watch industry. 

Above all, the brand was a pioneer when it comes to pilot watches and protected the trademark “PILOTE” as early as 1888, with a revision to “Pilot” in 1904. That is why Zenith is still the only brand that is allowed to have the word on a dial. Fascinating!  

Zenith was not, however, first out with a pilot watch. Cartier released its Santos as early as 1904, which they had developed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. 

In 1909 the French engineer and aviation pioneer Louis Blériot flew over the English Channel for the first time ever, in a self-constructed aeroplane with an engine of 23 horsepower. Around his wrist sat a Zenith Special.  

The Zenith Special possessed the attributes that today are typical of classic pilot watches, and the brand was thereby first in the world in that respect: a case that was oversized for the time (40mm), a likewise oversized crown that could be handled with gloves, antimagnetic properties as well as an over-clear dial with large white numerals and hands against a black background.  

Even before the First World War Zenith began delivering aircraft instruments to the British air force, which at the time went under the name Royal Flying Corps (founded in 1912). Within a few years the armed forces of the USA, Germany, Poland and Italy had also begun using Zenith instruments in their aircraft.  

During the Second World War the deliveries of equipment to warplanes continued. In 1939 the company's cockpit instruments found their way into the French air force's machines, with Type 20 certification. Type 20 was a standard for aircraft instruments developed by the French ministry of defence. They had to meet defined requirements regarding dimensions, legibility, power reserve and precision. Breguet also made Type 20 watches.  

Besides aircraft instruments Zenith also delivered pocket watches and wristwatches for British pilots as well as field watches to army soldiers during the First World War, while they supplied the German war machine with wristwatches during the Second World War. Like so many other companies, Zenith too carries a dark history from this time. 

Then a couple of decades passed. Only in 1968 was the pilot chronograph Tipo CP2 presented, intended for the Italian air force. 2500 watches were delivered, of which most went to the military while a smaller number were sold to the public. These watches are much sought after today and of course command high prices. 

After that the pilot watches dried up from Zenith's palette and it would take all the way until 2012 before they took up the thread again. It was then a matter of pure luxury watches with retro design and high prices. Zenith is properly expensive today and perhaps it is an entirely correct strategy considering that quality and refinement have always been up there among the best. 

My Zenith Pilot 

In 1957 Zenith launched a new pilot watch with the simple name Zenith Pilot, plain and simple. It was a more “civilian” format of watch than earlier pilots from the brand, with a design that by today's measure had more the character of a dress watch.  

But do not let the eye be fooled by that; the specifications undeniably met the requirements for a hard-nosed aviator's watch. It was accurate, water resistant and protected against magnetism and shocks. It should be mentioned that tough instrument watches from the 50s as a rule looked precisely like this. The IWC Ingenieur, Omega Seamaster and Rolex Explorer were all cast in this type of dress form. It was the specifications and not the case shape that dictated the terms. 

The Zenith Pilot measures 35mm across the case, a unisex measurement today but classic men's dimensions in the 50s. Note that the contemporary Omega Seamaster and Rolex Oyster measure a mere 34mm. The Zenith also feels a little larger than it is, probably thanks to the long, narrow lugs.  

Caliber 40 

Inside, the Zenith Caliber 40 works undaunted, a hand-wound unit with 17 jewels that beats at a languid 18 000 vibrations/hour and offers a good 46 hours of power reserve. The movement is reportedly said to have been made in 156 000 pieces between 1955 and –63, some with chronometer certification, others without. How things stand with my piece is written in the stars.  

Caliber 40 is that unshakeably bulletproof way that quality movements were back then. And it still ticks on today, 67 years after manufacture. The service history is unknown so we will see how long it runs before it requires a round at the watchmaker's. 

The case seems to have a Calatrava-inspired shape like an old Patek Philippe, timelessly harmonious and self-evidently beautiful. The dial defies description, a wonderful patina has developed through the decades and a warm, slightly dirty gold-shimmering tone has settled in, for want of a better description.  

The dial 

The seconds hand is small, at six o'clock, which further adds beauty to the dial. Applied numerals (not painted) and hands in a gold tone, the Zenith star beneath “12 o'clock” as well as that sought-after word “Pilot” beneath the star, complete the artful preparation. You seem to be able to sit and stare at it for hours, lose yourself in its beauty and depth.  

The crown with its rounded shape is said to be original and also appears so, but the Zenith star has worn down. The crystal is new and otherwise the case too possesses a just right degree of patina that gives a tidy watch but which at the same time you are not afraid to keep wearing.  

A vintage bargain 

And now to the best of the whole thing. The Zenith Pilot proves that it is still possible to make real bargains on the vintage market. As is known, the prices of watches from exclusive brands have shot up in recent years, something that applies to new as well as older watches. Certain brands have not, however, kept up at the same pace, despite being as “fine” as other prestigious brands, and Zenith can probably be described as such a brand. 

The most famous Zenith watches with military history have of course disappeared up into the stratosphere, while lesser known models – such as this Pilot – live completely under the radar. For anyone who wants the highest quality, a stimulating brand, a rich history and successful design, but who does not want to spend the big money, it is just a matter of finding the invisible gold nuggets. And I think I have found one! 

My own Seamaster “Fat lug” from 1958 for example, which is comparable with the Zenith pilot when it comes to quality and specifications, cost me five times as much the other year. A contemporary Rolex Oyster Perpetual, which hardly surpasses the discreet Zenith in quality or refinement either, is at least ten to twelve times as expensive!  

Perhaps the foremost reward of vintage watches, regardless of price level, is incidentally the mystery that surrounds them. I cannot help wondering who bought it new, what led him or her to precisely this watch, where in the world it happened.  

It is dizzying to fantasise about the unknown person who stepped out of a shop with the same watch that I now hold in my hand, into a completely different world from the one we know today. The Soviet Union, the Volvo PV, hats and coats. For me that is exactly what the fascination with old things is, the eternal wondering about what they have been through together with their owners during all these years.