2011 was a really good year for Zenith. 2011 proved to the watch-buying world that 2010 was no fluke, and that high-end complications with simple solutions, just like the incredible Striking Tenth chronograph, an in-house chronograph capable of recording time up to a 1/10th of a second with a retail price of under $12,000, would be part of the Zenith lineup moving forward. This year’s Captain Winsor was also a favorite among those looking for true complications at a practical price point – it is, after all, a true manufacture chronograph with annual calendar, with a retail price of under $10,000 – made possible by a thoughtful partnership with Ludwig Oechslin and the MIH.
The man behind the re-birth of Zenith is Jean-Frédéric Dufour, and we sat down with him recently to chat about what attracted him to Zenith in the first place, why he thinks mechanical watches are special, how he sees Zenith’s price/value offering as different than the rest of the industry, what we can expect from Zenith in 2012 (hint: pilot’s watches!!), and what he thinks of Zenith’s second-hand market. Sit back and enjoy the video interview we’ve prepared for you above.