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Old 13 February 2020, 08:59 AM   #1
tesmith2112
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Two Questions on Zenith

1) What are your thoughts on the Zenith brand and where they rank among other Luxury watches?

2) What's the best way to find one of these (see image below)?

I'm looking for this piece, but it was a limited edition, which sold out a couple years ago. I tried eBay, but no luck. I'm sure a "WTB" thread here wouldn't work. Any guidance would be appreciated.


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Old 13 February 2020, 11:00 AM   #2
OrangeKenny
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My thoughts:

1) Zenith make some great movements, and have supplied to many great brands. Since this is the Rolex Forum perhaps the most appropriate to mention is the Rolex Daytona. From about 1988-2000 they we’re powered by a Zenith El Primero movement. They are now owned by the LVMH luxury goods conglomerate, so I presume they supply mostly to other LVMH brands now. But they are absolute a luxury watch in their own right. It’s difficult to rank brands against each other because a lot of it is subjective.
Maybe somewhere below Omega but above Tag Heuer? I don’t know.

2) Chrono24 is always a good starting point. Searching by reference number is easiest, but not all listing have the correct reference and so if it’s a rare watch you might miss the listing. Try filtering by obvious characteristics; brand, color etc. Things that the seller can easily fill out without much effort are more likely to be filled out correctly.
Beyond Chrono24, I use an app called WatchRecon. It aggregates sales listing from various forums, and has an easy to use interface. Try searching by reference number or model name or keyword.

Good luck!
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Old 13 February 2020, 11:21 AM   #3
MichaelFlash
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I like Zenith. Owned a Chronomaster many years ago that I loved. That Defy is stunning.
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Old 13 February 2020, 01:32 PM   #4
tesmith2112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeKenny View Post
My thoughts:

1) Zenith make some great movements, and have supplied to many great brands. Since this is the Rolex Forum perhaps the most appropriate to mention is the Rolex Daytona. From about 1988-2000 they we’re powered by a Zenith El Primero movement. They are now owned by the LVMH luxury goods conglomerate, so I presume they supply mostly to other LVMH brands now. But they are absolute a luxury watch in their own right. It’s difficult to rank brands against each other because a lot of it is subjective.
Maybe somewhere below Omega but above Tag Heuer? I don’t know.

2) Chrono24 is always a good starting point. Searching by reference number is easiest, but not all listing have the correct reference and so if it’s a rare watch you might miss the listing. Try filtering by obvious characteristics; brand, color etc. Things that the seller can easily fill out without much effort are more likely to be filled out correctly.
Beyond Chrono24, I use an app called WatchRecon. It aggregates sales listing from various forums, and has an easy to use interface. Try searching by reference number or model name or keyword.

Good luck!
Great feedback! Thank you so much. I've been eyeing Zenith for a year or so now, and I'm ready to squeeze the trigger on the black-only ceramic because it's readily available, but I'd prefer the orange special edition if I can find it. I'll check out your recommendations now. Thanks so much!
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Old 13 February 2020, 01:33 PM   #5
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I like Zenith. Owned a Chronomaster many years ago that I loved. That Defy is stunning.
Thanks Michael! We have similar taste! I'm really excited about this watch.
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Old 13 February 2020, 10:48 PM   #6
htc8p
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I would rank zenith up there with jaeger le coultre and iwc. They are master makers of super accurate hi beat movements.

Below patek but higher than Rolex.

If you are looking for a discontinued model or limited module, you will have a hard time. They don’t release models left and right like omega


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Old 14 February 2020, 12:37 AM   #7
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Zenith are great watches and equal in quality to many brands like Omega, JLC, Breitling, etc.

I’ve owned a couple and still have a Ltd Edt Blue Wave Defy.
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Old 14 February 2020, 01:20 AM   #8
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I like Zenith. Would have zero hesitation to own one. Currently have been considering a Defy 21 blue.

My only concern is the evil word 'value'. We get spoiled in the Rolex world. I would only buy the Zenith 2nd hand or at a deep discount.
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Old 14 February 2020, 10:04 AM   #9
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I like Zenith. Would have zero hesitation to own one. Currently have been considering a Defy 21 blue.

My only concern is the evil word 'value'. We get spoiled in the Rolex world. I would only buy the Zenith 2nd hand or at a deep discount.


I purchased my 7.6mm thickness Ultra Thin Zenith below $2500 mint condition, movement is in house. That’s , to me, is value. Zenith is a watchmaker very serious with their movement.


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Old 14 February 2020, 01:36 PM   #10
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Great brand and I love a lot of their catalog. I just still can’t understand the overlapping subdials on their flagship El Primero
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Old 14 February 2020, 03:19 PM   #11
tesmith2112
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You guys sold me! I just bought this one. Should arrive Saturday!

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Old 14 February 2020, 03:59 PM   #12
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Congrats! It’s a watch I owned and admittedly really miss. I had the open worked titanium with bracelet and loved it.
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Old 23 February 2020, 09:41 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by htc8p View Post
I would rank zenith up there with jaeger le coultre and iwc. They are master makers of super accurate hi beat movements.

Below patek but higher than Rolex.

If you are looking for a discontinued model or limited module, you will have a hard time. They don’t release models left and right like omega


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This!!!!!
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Old 23 February 2020, 09:42 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tesmith2112 View Post
You guys sold me! I just bought this one. Should arrive Saturday!

Congrats and welcome to the Zenith Owners Club!
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Old 23 February 2020, 10:47 AM   #15
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great brand... great heritage... superb movements... horrible value retention.
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Old 25 February 2020, 02:28 PM   #16
tesmith2112
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great brand... great heritage... superb movements... horrible value retention.
That's why you should never pay retail!
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Old 25 February 2020, 02:40 PM   #17
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Here's a couple pics of my watch, plus a couple of straps I have in-route to mix things up a bit.





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Old 25 February 2020, 03:52 PM   #18
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great brand...and wonderful quality.the hi-beat movt. is a bit costly to service but oh so sweet to see working correctly.
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Old 26 February 2020, 10:41 AM   #19
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Love it.
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Old 26 February 2020, 10:51 AM   #20
mfer
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I've always like this watch. Never tried it on and if it fit, I think I would buy it.

So, I'm not trying it on.
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Old 26 February 2020, 05:03 PM   #21
OJONES
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How is legibility on this?
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Old 27 February 2020, 11:52 AM   #22
tesmith2112
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How is legibility on this?
Pretty easy in daylight hours. Dim lighting is a challenge for sure.
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Old 27 February 2020, 11:53 AM   #23
tesmith2112
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I've always like this watch. Never tried it on and if it fit, I think I would buy it.

So, I'm not trying it on.
Ha! It's so comfortable. Actually even more comfortable than my aquanaut.
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Old 27 February 2020, 11:54 AM   #24
tesmith2112
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Love it.
Thanks!
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Old 27 February 2020, 12:40 PM   #25
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Ha! It's so comfortable. Actually even more comfortable than my aquanaut.
More comfy that a 5167. Yeah, definitely not trying it on now. ;)
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Old 27 February 2020, 01:23 PM   #26
scarlet knight
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I like the conservative Zeniths.
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Old 27 November 2020, 09:13 PM   #27
Phahrenheit
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Pretty easy in daylight hours. Dim lighting is a challenge for sure.
Hi may I know the accuracy of this model?
Thanks
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Old 27 November 2020, 10:05 PM   #28
mongrelnomoad
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Love the history. Adore the hi-beat movements. Like the design. Don’t like the finishing. Can’t stand the ownership (LVMH is far inferior as a conglomerate to Richemont IMO).

Tl;Dr: I like them, but not enough to buy one.
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Old 28 November 2020, 05:49 AM   #29
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I consider Zenith in at least the same stratum as Rolex and Omega...really top notch. Perhaps a bit of a niche brand at the same time, centering around El Primero and Defy lines these days. Very cool. Happy hunting!
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Old 28 November 2020, 12:17 PM   #30
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IMO it is a top notch brand with some top notch designs and references.
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