Pilot Automatic

A Zenith aviation legend takes flight again

Taking on many forms over the years in a balancing act between heritage and modernism, the Zenith Pilot is the Swiss maker's most long-standing line, and one that never ceases to beguile seasoned watch aficionados as well as avid aviation enthusiasts. This next-generation Pilot taps into a spirit of modernity and adventure with a redesigned case and dial aesthetic that is at once entirely new, but in keeping with the long traditions of the Zenith Pilot collection.

Zenith's fascination with the world of aviation goes as far back as the late 19th century, when the manufacture’s founder Georges-Favre Jacot believed that mankind was on the verge of finally conquering the skies – and that Zenith should be there alongside the brave pioneers who saw a world of freedom and infinite possibilities far above the horizon. In 1888, Zenith filed a trademark for the French term “Pilote”, followed by the English version “Pilot” in 1904. In the years that followed, Zenith would become one of the preeminent makers of specialized watches and dashboard instruments for pilots.

The Pilot Automatic sets the standard for the collection's visual cues with a silhouette full of subtle details. Crafted in a 40mm case, the Pilot Automatic features an entirely new case design with a distinct flat-top round bezel fixed on top of the rounded case. The oversized crown, a defining feature of Pilot watches, takes on a more modern, angular form, while remaining easy to operate – even with gloves on.

The black opaline dial, with its horizontal grooves, mimics the look of corrugated metal sheets that make up the fuselage of many older aircraft. The oversized luminescent Arabic numerals, a signature feature of Zenith Pilot watches and dashboard instruments since the early 1900s, take on a more modern font and are applied as metal markers filled with white Super-LumiNova. At 6 o’clock above the date window, the luminescent hour marker takes the form of a flat white line, recalling the artificial horizon instrument in plane. Here, it allows the wearer to instantly understand the orientation of the watch and read the time without second-guessing. The dial is signed “Pilot”, as Zenith remains the first and only brand to hold the rights to mark its dials with the term.

Visible through the sapphire display back, the Pilot Automatic is powered by the El Primero 3620 high-frequency manufacture movement, which delivers a power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound. The winding mechanism’s open and blackened oscillating weight recalling the archetypal and essential “artificial horizon” dashboard instrument, which informs the pilot of the aircraft’s orientation relative to the Earth's horizon.

Lastly, the Pilot automatic is supplied with a newly designed Cordura-effect rubber strap with a new folding clasp, developed specifically for the Pilot. The strap may be easily swapped using the quick-release mechanism integrated directly into the back of the straps, requiring no tools to detach from the spring bars holding them in place.