In the midst of this hectic year we all need some fresh air. We took this years Zenith novelties to a post-quarantine walk in Vienna. Come with us!
Thanks to the Covid-19, 2020 has been an unusual ride. The lives of many people globally have been impacted either directly or indirectly due to the restrictions and the economic slowdown.
Following the first shock, governments have recently started to ease the quarantine. Butterflies in the stomach, yet called out by the summer sun, people have peeped out from their caves searching for relief, as well as cultural and social refreshment. In the aftermath of a lack of intercontinental tourism, the streets here in Vienna have been seeing something rarely experienced: the majority of the pedestrians are residents. Can you imagine the Stephansdom or the Am Graben without tourists? Which practically means no crowds at all… it is refreshing but only as long as its economic impact is not considered.
How did you cope with the quarantine? What was your technique to separate the days and give meaning to each one of them? When things go down, beauty and aesthetics can help me find balance. They provide a certain delight, alleviation and hope. I had been gorging my books and albums of different artists, past and cancelled exhibitions, drew with my goddaughter and even played origami with her online. Many said that this is a time for self development – well, you can have too much of a good thing, if you ask me.
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Vienna Volksgarten in the Innere Stadt first district of Vienna
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Museums, cafes, terraces and bars are now opening, offering a prime milieu to digest your quarantine experience – responsibly of course. Many exhibitions that opened their gates just before the lockdown have been extended, such as the MAK’s Austrian fashion exhibition Show Off, for instance. Albertina Modern’s highly anticipated inauguration in March got postponed to the end of May. The building is fantastic and the initial exhibition is entitled The Beginning. Art in Austria, 1945 to 1980 breathed a unique soul in the walls.
So last week, I fed the lion within with art, elderberry lemonade, street music and horology – this time with Zenith. Following our nice Stadtbummel with Mr. El Primero and Ms. Defy, I went on with their cousins in the Zenith family on this latest mission of mine. Some districts are more lively than others – we took a solid stroll around.
Just like many exhibitions, the three Zenith models were introduced just before the lockdown in Dubai. They arrived in Vienna with the first transports.
Zenith Defy Classic Midnight
I particularly like the Defy collection (Defy Lab proto, Defy Inventor) and last summer we lit up the streets of Vienna with the edgy 41mm all-white Defy Classic ceramic model. This year, Zenith released the Defy Classic Midnight – in the same cool spirit but in a smaller size.
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Zenith Defy Classic Midnight, gradient blue dial
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The new watch has a faceted 36mm stainless steel case with interchangeable straps, I tried the steel one. It comes with an additional strap beyond the metal bracelet and they can be easily swapped without any tools. Check out Zenith’s video about the new strap system below.
The dial has a very nice gradient blue colour and a starry sky pattern. A star motif appears also on the second hand but of course, the brand’s star emblem is the brightest of all. The date indication is at 3 o’clock, all the other hours are marked with 11 VS brilliant-cut diamonds. You can choose to have diamonds on the bezel or just go for the plain version. There are also models with mother-of-pearl dial or gradient grey dial – check out the latter on our Instagram account.
It is equipped with the same automatic Elite 670 SK in-house movement as the Elite Classic. It offers precision and autonomy for 50 hours with a full wind. A star-shaped oscillating weight conveys the start motif on the case-back too.
Zenith Elite Classic & Moonphase
There are watches that never go out of fashion: elegant, timeless and never too harsh. Therefore, there is a good chance that they will be inherited by the next generations. Many watch brands carry models like this in their collections.
Zenith designed the Captain line back in 1952, which was the forerunner of the Elite collection introduced in 2015.
Early 2020, the sleeker Elite arrived in quite a few versions at the LVMH Watch Week in Dubai. The Zenith Elite Classic and Moonphase are available in 40.5mm and 36mm case diameters, in stainless steel or rose gold. Besides the various dial colours, the wearer can choose from a wide choice of straps. The dials feature dauphine hands, the sunray pattern and the colours range from deep blue, to silver-toned and slate-grey.
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Zenith Elite Classic Moonphase
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The Elite Classic models come with in-house calibers. The date models feature the Elite 670 SK with a silicon lever and escape wheel. The moon phase watches, equipped with the Elite caliber 692, show this indication at 6 o’clock. There’s also a small running seconds hand at 9 o’clock.
In the selection below you can see the Elite Classic Steel 36mm diamond-set version with blue dial and a rose gold, diamond-set Moonphase model with silver-toned sunburst-pattern dial and blue jean alligator leather strap. Both are super nice, classy and easy-to-wear.
Photo credits: Loupiosity.com, Fruzsina Jelen for Loupiosity
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