Pioneering spirit, love of challenge, thirst for discovery: the same passion and quest for new horizons that drove Christopher Columbus and Georges Favre-Jacot; the former when he sailed the ocean to open the western route to the Indies, the latter when he founded Zenith in 1865, inventing the first industrial manufacture. Almost a century and a half later, the brand with the star continues to pursue this quest for precision and innovation, evidenced by over 300 patents. But Haute Horlogerie is not limited to mechanisms. In keeping with its tradition of refined cases (in particular its numerous enamelled pocket watches), Zenith is surprising collectors and fans of rare watches by presenting the Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage, a limited edition distinguished from the rest of the collection by its splendid decoration. It was a challenge not only for the craftsmen but also for the watchmakers and engineers, who had to rework the movement, sometimes going to the limits of what was possible, to accommodate these decorations in the same 45 mm diameter pink gold case and under the same domed sapphire crystal, without compromising precision and reliability. A fine example of Zenith's creative audacity and its ability to combine dream mechanics with exceptional decorations, the fruit of the most prestigious crafts. On the dial side, Zenith has chosen to put the watch's technological prowess in the foreground, maintaining an open structure that allows its three novel mechanisms to be admired in action: the chain-driven barrel (at 10:30 and 1:30), the "gravity control" gyroscopic system and the high-frequency regulating organ (at 6 o'clock). This technical and three-dimensional approach does not, however, stand in the way of great aesthetic research and the use of the finest craftsmanship, which Zenith is committed to perpetuating. The three small gold auxiliary dials (hours/minutes at 12 o'clock, small seconds at 9 o'clock, power reserve at 4 o'clock) have been finely guilloché decorated, then enamelled in white and fitted with blued steel hands and screws that recall the great watchmaking tradition. The plate has been completely hollowed out by hand so as to leave only the Zenith logo and a procession of stars in relief; the recessed parts have subsequently been filled with midnight blue lacquer. The counterweight of the gravity control system has also been decorated with poetry and refinement, with a representation of the southern hemisphere in micropainting done entirely by hand. On the caseback side, the Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage holds a great surprise in store, with its marvellous evocation in colour and relief of the exploits of the famous explorer. A veritable miniature table, created by the best experts in artistic crafts, with the help of a sophisticated system of gold appliqués attached to the movement. In the foreground, on the two sides of the mechanism reminiscent of the cardanic suspension of marine chronometers, is a finely hand-engraved portrait of Christopher Columbus and a sextant, the astronomical instrument for calculating latitude. In the background is a depiction of the Santa Maria, Columbus' flagship on his first voyage in 1492. The micro-cutting and hand-engraving depicts the sailing ship with an incredible wealth of detail, especially the rigging and ropes. The sails, made of cloisonné enamel, are decorated with the famous red cross, replaced on one of them by the small Zenith star (a wink to connoisseurs). Behind the ship, the gear deck was chosen to represent the ocean, with small waves engraved in the background, coated with translucent lacquer. In the background, the barrel bridge opens up the horizon, with a micropainting decoration depicting a day and night sky. A refined detail: the Manufacture's watchmakers played with the structure of the movement to make a small gilded gear appear, evoking the sun at sunrise or sunset. Inserting this decoration required an ingenious solution. Fastening points had to be found for the elements to be applied and the thickness of the movement and the spaces between the calibre and the ornaments had to be reduced as much as possible (less than a tenth of a millimetre below the sails). Completely hand-finished by highly skilled craftsmen, the fabulous decorations of the Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage make each watch unique. A true collector's timepiece. In addition to eliminating variations in isochronism (equal duration of oscillations) thanks to the chain transmission device, the Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage neutralises another effect that adversely affects the rate of a mechanical watch, namely the earth's gravity. Based on the principle that keeping the regulating organ in a horizontal position determines the best possible amplitude of the balance and thus the best precision timekeeping, Zenith has created and patented a revolutionary module that enables the heart of the movement and the escapement to be kept constantly in this position. An avant-garde device revealing all the creative audacity of the Manufacture, the "gravity control" is also a tribute to history, as it is inspired by the marine chronometers produced by Zenith in the past. It borrows from these legendary instruments the principle of cardanic suspension, introduced in the 16th century on marine compasses so that they could maintain their horizontal position despite the movements of the ship. Thanks to its self-adjusting gyroscopic mechanism, the "gravity control" system enables the regulating organ to be constantly kept in a horizontal position regardless of the inclination of the wrist, representing the most avant-garde technological innovation in the evolution of the marine chronometer. The star brand is the only Manufacture to be able to boast perfect mastery of this system, perfected after no less than five years of research and awarded a prize in 2011 at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie in Geneva in the category of watches with complications.
Technical specifications
Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage
Movement
El Primero 8805, manual
Original gyroscopic system that enables the regulator to remain perfectly horizontal at all times
Calibre: 16 ½ '' (diameter: 37 mm).
Thickness: 5.85 mm.
Components: 354.
Gyroscopic cage consisting of 173 components
Chain consisting of 585 components
Rubies: 53.
Frequency: 36,000 A/hour - (5 Hz).
Power reserve: min. 50 hours.
Functions
Off-centre hours and minutes at 12 o'clock
Self-adjusting gravity control module at 6 o'clock
Small seconds hand at 9 o'clock
Power reserve display at 3 o'clock
Chain drive under the hour/minute dial
Case, dial and hands
Material: 18-carat rose gold.
Case diameter: 45 mm.
Thickness: 14.80 mm / 21.80 mm (with convex sapphire crystal).
Sapphire crystal and back: sapphire crystal in the same shape as the case with anti-reflective treatment on both sides and domed effect covering the Christophe Colomb module.
Water resistance: 3 ATM.
Dial: 3 enamelled gold dials.
Hour markers: in black lacquer.
Hands: blued steel.
Reference
18.2211.8805/36.C713
Brown alligator leather strap and pink gold triple folding clasp.
Price: 262,000 euros (limited edition of 10 pieces).
