ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Zenith CEO Julien Tornare talks about keeping the spirit of innovation alive and well at the manufacture, and that watch firms need to make 21st century watches for 21st century clients.

- Ashok Soman

It takes guts to balance on the sashimi knife edge of what is possible in horology, and that is what Zenith has been doing for a couple of years. Well, to be fair, it has been more than a couple of years, but Zenith is one of those watchmaking brands where it truly is complicated, in that famous Facebook status way.

Most recently, the manufacture promised a revolution in mechanical watchmaking – not an uncommon affair in Swiss watchmaking. Zenith even adopted a bold mantra under the magnetic leadership of Jean-Claude Biver: the future of tradition. Plenty of watchmaking brands dare to talk the talk, but most just quietly walk away from the spotlight. To its credit, Zenith made good on its motto and promises, delivering the first new mechanical escapement since Christiaan Huygens developed the balance spring in the 17th century.

Leading the way is CEO Julien Tornare, a man we have met several times since he took over from Biver in 2017. On this occasion, he was in Singapore to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the El Primero calibre, for which Zenith threw a big party and held an exhibition called “A Star Through Time” that engaged the public as well connoisseurs. Exhibitions like that one at Ngee Ann City are vitally important to let the public get in on the inner workings of watch brands.

With regards to the tagline, Zenith has looked towards the future of watchmaking a few times — you could even look at Charlie Vermot hiding the El Primero equipment as an example of forward thinking. How does Zenith remind the world about this unique legacy?