'Manufacture Zenith' ... a visit

[unknown]

Just returned from 2 magnificent days in Le Locle / Neuchatel/ Geneva

We ( 6 people) received an invitation from Maison Degreef in Belgium, an chance to visit la Manufacture Zenith. Being
a watch enthusiast and being a Zenith fan this was very exciting news.Our tour started wednesday at 4 AM in the morning
( I know , way too early LOL). Departure from Brussels at 5.10 AM and arrived not much later in Geneva.


First thing to do was having breakfast. And the Kempinski in Geneva was the perfect place.











Then we went to the Zenith boutique in Geneva. Nice to see a big part of the collection and the food and drinks they offered us were good








Back into our minivan and straight ahead to Hotel Parc Des Eaux Vives to have a great lunch.













In the afternoon we went to METALEM, a dial manufacture. I didn't know what to expect, I've seen more than one manufacture but always watch manufactures.
This one made only dials. If you think a dial is just a tiny, unimportant part in your watch ... think again.
I had no idea how much work went into the dial. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures in this manufacture.
But if you ever get the chance to visit it, DO IT
Oh, did I say they make dials for Audemars Piguet, JLC, Vacheron Constantin, and several others.
They make about 400.000 dials per year. It was nice to see how they make these typical Zenith chronograph dials with 3 colors.


After the visit we went to our hotel Beau Rivage







Some time to relax but not that long because 1 or 2 hours later we were expected in restaurant La Bocca
Known for it's amazing wine cellar. Since I don't drink alcohol I can't tell you much more about the wines but the rest of the group seemd to enjoy it .... a lot.










I can tell you the diner was very nice. I don't drink but I love to eat great food ;-). If you are ever in Neuchatel, La Bocca is the place to be.









Back to the hotel, a few drinks in the bar and time to go to sleep.

The next day we arrived around 9.30 in the Zenith manufacture.







So let's start the tour ...

First the R&D department






As you can see, a Christophe Colomb









Afterwards we met the people who made the tools to make these watches and watch parts













CNC machines at work.















Parts which still need some finishing like bevelling, perlage, côtes de Genève, brushing, polishing etc







Here we saw watchmakers finishing several parts











And, do you like our fancy shoes ?
These blue plastic bags were necessary to keep the dust out of the rooms where they assemble the watches






Putting all the parts together ...





















Afterwards we had some time to see the whole collection and sneak previews for Basel 2013.
Some might already know the succesfull TYPE 20 will have some smaller editions ( 48 mm)
Another thing I heard ... the doublematic in pvd or dlc will not go into production

I have no pictures of all these watches because light circumstances were not good enoug to take macro pics.
But I'll post a link to pics of their magnificent Christopher Colomb, pictures I took some time ago at De Greef

the christopher colomb
http://bruno-wristwatches.blogspot.b...s%20tourbillon



If you're looking for a great watch, a real manufacture. A watch made with passion and not with marketing ... consider Zenith!

I' m sure you will find several pieces in their catalog you like and when you look at the price it will even get more interesting.
No idea how long they will keep them so underpriced ( compared to other similar brands) but today is the time to buy an amazing
watch at a VERY fair and affordable price.

I can tell you one thing, I've seen more than one manufacture. I'm not going to tell you which manufactures I already visited but
I can tell you Zenith was amazing. We saw what we wanted to see and they answered all our questions.


And I have the feeling zenith was 'more special' than the other manufactures I visited. It is a big company but somehow I had the feeling
it is different from other manufactures I visited. I dind't feel like an industrialized mega factory. Everybody I spoke to was full of passion.



And last bu not least .... I want to than Mr Hanus (from Zenith) one again for the wonderfull experience he gave us. And ofcourse
Maison De Degreef ( Arnaud and Joke) in Brussels who invited us for this unforgetable experience.



I hope you enjoyed reading this report.

[steveclocks]

Yes I really did enjoy reading that !!!!
Nice photographs too by the way
Didn't you made a group shot of all six of you? And what was on your wrists?

[unknown]

Originally Posted by steveclocks

Yes I really did enjoy reading that !!!!
Nice photographs too by the way
Didn't you made a group shot of all six of you? And what was on your wrists?

I don't think I have group shots
Most of us had a Zenith on the wrist, others Panerai ...
After seing this they they will buy Zenith LOL

[Psmith]

Fantastic, thanks for sharing this - I love reading about/seeing these manufacture visits. Food looks great too!

[lja1821]

Awesome pics.. Thanks for sharing

[malarky_hk]

I'm sooooo jealous! I would love to have that experience. Can I ask if Zenith provides factory tours normally to the general public or were special strings that needed to be pulled to be able to go on that tour?

OP, what surprized you the most and what specifically at Zenith that stood out more than the other factories you've see?

I would think that factory tours would be invaluable PR for these manufacturers like Zenith which produces all their movements in house.

[gmax]

Fantastic report. Thanks so much.

[TSW]

Looks like a great time!

Was Cedric your tour leader?

[unknown]

Originally Posted by malarky_hk

I'm sooooo jealous! I would love to have that experience. Can I ask if Zenith provides factory tours normally to the general public or were special strings that needed to be pulled to be able to go on that tour?

OP, what surprized you the most and what specifically at Zenith that stood out more than the other factories you've see?

I would think that factory tours would be invaluable PR for these manufacturers like Zenith which produces all their movements in house.

Well, I got the invitation via my AD so I hope for you your AD has similar plans :-)

Like said, for me this was more special like others I visited. It's hard to tell you why but I had the feeling this manufacture looked more like a small family business where they all know each other. Ofcourse it isn't a small family business ( several hundred employees) But I had the impression they all enjoyed their work very much. They shared a passion.

[unknown]

Originally Posted by TSW

Looks like a great time!

Was Cedric your tour leader?

yup, it was Cédric

[iim7v7im7]

I haven't stayed at the Beau Rivage in nearly a decade. I used to visit Neuchatel on business. Thanks for sharing your trip.

[rulessapt]

Originally Posted by unknown

I don't think I have group shots
Most of us had a Zenith on the wrist, others Panerai ...
After seing this they they will buy Zenith LOL

Thanks for sharing.
I have the best of both worlds.
A Panerai 141, the heart of which is a Zenith 680 Elite.
My favourite watch, the thin movement is beautifully decorated and extremely accurate.

cheers,
richard

PS my next watch may well be a Zenith, it's on the radar...

[nick c]

Awesome thanks for sharing

[Java]

Thank you for sharing this with us Bruno.
Great report and a great tour of the wonderful Zenith. I know how much you respect Zenith, as I do myself. This must have been fantastic for you and a very deserved payback for the wonderful posts and incredible photos on various fora and your blog. I take this opportunity to thank you for all of that too.

[unknown]

Originally Posted by Java

Thank you for sharing this with us Bruno.
Great report and a great tour of the wonderful Zenith. I know how much you respect Zenith, as I do myself. This must have been fantastic for you and a very deserved payback for the wonderful posts and incredible photos on various fora and your blog. I take this opportunity to thank you for all of that too.

That's very kind ! Thanks a lot

[paverman]

Thanks for sharing, it seemed to be a awesome experience.

[handsfull]

Awesome post!! thank you!

On a side note.....I'm kinda surprised....You had to wear bunny boots but where are the hairnets on the watchmakers?

[tigerpac]

Amazing, thanks for sharing.

[andromeda160]

that was a great tour, I love zenith and plan on owning one someday, after seeing this makes me want one even more

[unknown]

Saw these new pilot type 20 watches ( 48 mm) and these are great.
Official presentation end of this month at Basel.

[Xenophon]

Fantastic report Bruno. I'd love to visit them and see everything done in-house.

[bde]

Amazing report! Thanks for sharing! I love my Zenith, and your report makes me appreciate it even more.