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with an integrated bracelet. While the Integral also comes in ceramic, titanium and
rose-gold versions, my favourite has to be the titanium piece with pavé diamonds,
which, for a “bling” watch, is both great value [US$68,400 before taxes] and one
of the best-looking around.
Similarly, I love the energy of the Zenith team helmed by CEO Julien Tornare
and Product Chief Romain Marietta. Together, they’ve made Zenith the new
king of limited editions. Now before you start grumbling that limited editions are
a marketing trick, let me point out that all successful brands work the limitededition
angle masterfully. Yes, that includes when the regular production watch
is both totally ungettable and selling for 2.5 times retail on the secondary market.
The thing with Zenith is that their limited editions have been remarkably good.
(Full disclosure: I launched my own limited-edition A3818 Cover Girl Revival with
them earlier.) Check out the Revival Lupin edition, the Bamford Edge of Space for
Mr Porter, and the A386 editions made for my friend Aurel Bacs at Phillips. One
of the more obscure — but to my mind most stunning — Zenith collaborations is
an albino-dial El Primero Chronomaster for the collectors’ community Collective
Horology. And while the Defy 21 Carl Cox made with the legendary DJ is targeted
to appeal to a very specific customer with its carbon-fiber case interlayered with
luminous material so that it glows in the dark, it’s still very cool. Conversely, I can’t
think of anyone who wouldn’t love the micro-blasted titanium Defy 21 beauty that
is Zenith’s second mashup with Land Rover. My point is that Zenith is winning
over hearts and minds by reaching out and enlarging
their community with these collaborations, and
they’re doing it with some damnably amazing watches.
There is a reason that Bvlgari announced in early
February that it would be pulling out of Baselworld.
Part of it was that they were worried about health
issues related to mounting fears about the COVID-19
pandemic. At the same time, they were clearly saying
that the LVMH Group watch exhibition was so
successful that they felt secure in skipping Baselworld. Of
course, they will probably execute other types of events in
their key markets and, as you can see from the cover of this
magazine, the watches they are launching over the rest of
the year are an indication that they’re in no way letting up
on the acceleration toward defining themselves as the most
innovative watch brand around.
With the creation of the Octo Finissimo, which I
consider to be the single most innovative and important
designs in horology in the last 10 years, Bvlgari have defined
themselves as extraordinary innovators. By continuing
to make incredible ultra-thin, record setting, beautifully
designed and totally unique watches that represent a merger
of competences, including case making, dial making,
movement making and even bracelet making (a real rarity),
they have cemented their reputation as the most innovative
brand around. The inaugural Dubai watch exhibition has
given a huge first-mover advantage to Bvlgari, Hublot and
Zenith, and as a group LVMH have elevated themselves
to be the single most game-changing entity in the
watchmaking today.
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