HANDS-ON: The Zenith Pilot Type 20 Southern Cross
During a time when planes were more fabric than steel, and I’m sure the phrase “on a wing and a prayer” had a much more literal meaning, Zenith were pioneering the use of pilot watches, with French aviator Louis Blériot wearing a Zenith on his wrist as he made the first ever flight across the English Channel in 1909. In fact, Zenith were so early to reach the skies that they are the only brand that can use the word “Pilot” on a watch dial, thanks to them being marketing-savvy and trademarking the term. All this is a roundabout way of saying that Zenith’s Pilot collection has some serious cred. This year, the well-received bronzed-case Pilot Type 20 Extra Special – which debuted in 2015 – has been given a dose of down under, with the release of an Australian-market-only limited-edition, made for the Australian Watch Forum, a Facebook group, which was created in 2015 by two Aussie watch guys, Nick and Nathan, and now boasts (at the time of writing) more than 3000 members. The AWF, in an effort spearheaded by forum moderator Don, worked with Zenith in Australia to design the brand new Pilot Type 20 Southern Cross.…
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I’m not above admitting it. I’m more than just a bit painful when it comes to painted versus printed dials. “Is this painted or printed?” is a question I’ve asked countless times. Receiving countless eye-rolls, I might add. And, full disclosure, I’ve always assumed that the colour, paint volume and line-perfect proportions of Franck Muller dials are the latter. Printed. But when I attended the Franck Muller ‘chalet’ (such a more appropriate descriptor than ‘manufacture’) for a second time, early in 2017, I asked the question and was met with a very different answer, which also happened to be a question. “They’re painted,” said my soon-to-be nemesis from Franck Muller, Laura Bondi. “Would you like to try painting one yourself?” Sure, but only if she tried to paint one too. The next hour of my life taught me a lot about the extraordinary skill required to make the watches we love — mostly by showing me how ordinary my own skills are in comparison.
Hublot is another one of those brands that polarises watch enthusiasts, and rightfully so. On one hand, the brand is constantly releasing new product with boundary-pushing design, and engaging in partnerships with every industry, charity, and destination one can imagine, eventually pushing us all to the point I lovingly refer to as THS — Total Hublot Saturation. If this was the only trick up their sleeve, this would be a different story, but there’s another side of Hublot that continues to keep them relevant and appreciated by even the most discerning of watch nerds. Year after year the brand unveils beautifully engineered new calibers, innovative alloys and unconventional materials, and simply put – properly geeky timepieces – including their home run from 2016, the Big Bang Meca-10. Upping the ante for 2018, the Meca-10 has arrived in a new casing of blue ceramic, and I can’t help but love it. You may remember my glowing first impressions of the Meca-10 from Baselworld in 2016, where I praised Hublot for both the design and execution of their ingenious new 10-day power reserve caliber, inspired by the design of a Meccano erector set. Adapting its aesthetics to a blue ceramic case, Hublot opted to…