On Feb, 2, Jean-Frédéric Dufour, President and CEO of Swiss watch manufacturer Zenith, attended the fourth charity gala for, what is now, the Womanity Foundatition. Known previously as the Smiling Children’s Association and founded in 2005, the Womanity Foundation announced its new name at the Feb 2. gala to draw focus to their mission: to empower women and girls to become active members of their societies through education, entrepreneurship and social programs. Zenith watches has a long-standing commitment to charity; they recently served as the presenting sponsor for the Norman Mailer Center benefit gala in November 2011.

CEO Jean-Frédéric du Four (with the new Type 20 Pilot's watch) and Mokobé wearing Zenith watches.

Held at the beautiful Geneva Country Club in Bellevue, Switzerland, the Womanity benefit gala featured international celebrities, performances and games for those who came out to support the foundation. Among the celebrities present were French-Malian rapper Mokobé, French solo singer and loop artist Anaïs Croze, 1999 Victoires de la Musique female artist of the year Axelle Red of Belgium, French singer and actress Arielle Dombasle, American actress Rosanna Arquette and French house group The Supermen Lovers. In appreciation of their support for the Womanity Foundation, Dufour presented each with a Zenith timepiece.

The charity auction was presided over by Swiss art auctioneer and collector Simon de Pury, chairman and chief auctionner of Phillips de Pury & Company. Called by BBC “the man with the golden gavel”, De Pury was the perfect candidate to auction the evening’s unique items, among them Zenith’s Type 20 Pilot’s watch.

The Womanity Foundation's charity auction was moderated by Simon de Pury and raised over $1.5 million.

The Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 watch is a one-of-a-kind timepiece with the engineering sophistication expected from Zenith. The watch is part of Zenith’s tribute to military history and affords the highly-legible functionality of a military pilot’s watch. In fact, the case measures 57.7 mm!  Larger by far than most wristwatches, the Pilot Type 20 actually contains a movement originally designed for pocket watches and dashboard clocks. The watch features a classically styled black face, large white arabic numerals in all positions (except where the nine is partially obscured), prominent hands and a brown genuine leather strap with a titanium pin buckle. Zenith will only produce 250 of the limited edition timepieces, so motivated collectors will have to act fast to secure one.

The Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 was featured in the auction and will be officially released in March.

Zenith’s contribution to the charity auction was a record-breaking sucess. The Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 sold for nearly five times its retail price of €7,800 ($10,300). Overall the gala was very successful, raising over 1,400,000 Swiss francs ($1.5 million) for the Womanity Foundation’s efforts. The Zenith Type 20 Pilot’s watch will be officially presented at the Baselworld exhibit in March.

Beginning Sunday, Jan. 15, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Zenith presented its new models for 2012. The presentation, which continued throughout the week until Jan. 20, was held at the Hotel Kempinski in Geneva, Switzerland. The brand attracted press and retailers from across the globe to herald the year’s new models for the El Primero Collection.

Zenith CEO Mr. Dufour Discusses New 2012 Pieces

The new pieces presented were the Chronomaster Open Grande Date Moon and Sunphases, and the Chronomaster 1969. Both pieces are offspring of the original El Primero, first released in 1969, which achieved fame as one of the first automatic chronograph movements. The watch was introduced with a frequency of 36,000 alternations per hour, a higher accuracy than the typical 28,000 alternations per hour, and perpetuated the brand’s reputation for quality and precision.

The star of the show was the Chronomaster 1969, which represents the brand’s heritage along with its future. The new chronograph has the original colors of the first El Primero of its kind, combining for the first time with the newer dial opening which reveals the “beating heart” of the watch movement, the signature of the Zenith brand.

Showcasing the chronographs was an appropriate decision for this year’s presentation, as Zenith is one of the few remaining Swiss manufacturers that produce their own movements in-house. Known for their durability and accuracy, the chronographs of Zenith are truly some of the most timeless timepieces of its kind.

Some notable guests of the conference included Pascal Zuberbuhler, a retired Swiss soccer player, and Colonel John Blashford-Snell, a previous Zenith ambassador known as a pioneer for the brand’s reputation and reverence.

The week’s celebrations also included a cheese party at the Zenith store in Geneva on Wednesday, Jan. 18. A traditional Swiss atmosphere was achieved as an assortment of wines, cheeses, and cured meats were served to guests throughout the day. All in all, Zenith succeeded in commemorating itself as it marked the beginning of a new year of brand achievement, and reminded the public of its legendary presence in the luxury watch industry.

Zenith 2012 Models at the Hotel Kempinski

The collection is targeted at the businessman who is looking for a discrete luxury watch.  With its elegant dial and flashy face, the typical businessman can shine in the business room or casually sport the time around the town.  There are a few different models to choose from within the Class collection, each offering there own perks.

The first watch within the collection is the Grande Class Open Concept, which puts new meaning into modernity.  From the black titanium to the futuristic materials, this timepiece has set the bar for the future.  The tripod second hand, the counters and the accelerating power apply technology like no other watch prior to it.  Its motor, the 4021 J3 calibre, powers this watch into a new dimension with precise timing.  Everything from the elegance to the futuristic style separates this model from the rest.

The next model is the Grande Class Open Traveller Multicity.  This watch displays a multitude of time zones all because of a rotating disk.  The rotating disk that is powered by the hour hand makes it possible to tell the time in any time zone.  Along with the time zone feature, there is a three-disk patented mechanism that helps display the date without taking too much space. 

The watch is offered in two styles; a classical rose gold as well as the modern stainless steel.  Along with the dial, there is a sapphire glass caseback that lights up the room and an integrated black crocodile strap.

The last model is the Grande Class Tourbillon El Primero.  Much like the first two models, the Tourbillon el Primero is an innovative and elegant watch.  The watchmakers of Zenith were put to the test with this watch and succeeded as they put together the fastest Tourbillon in the world with a 4035 movement.  In the center of the watch the Zenith star shines and the cage on the watch is surrounded by a rotating date disk.

The Class series is a true innovative and futuristic collection in the watch industry.  With discrete elegance and flashy style, Zenith Watches has put together a collection for the ages with the Class series.