Benoît de Clerck, CEO of Zenith, winner of the Chronometry Prize 2025

For 160 years, Zenith has pursued a singular ambition: to create the perfect watch. In 1865, Georges Favre-Jacot founded his manufacture with this vision, choosing the name Zenith to evoke the highest point in the sky. Today, the Maison celebrates this milestone with the launch of the G.F.J., a platinum timepiece that revives one of the most celebrated movements in watchmaking history — the legendary calibre 135.

Originally produced between 1949 and 1962, the calibre 135 was designed for chronometry competitions and went on to win an unrivalled 235 prizes, earning five consecutive first-place finishes at the Neuchâtel Observatory from 1950 to 1954. Revived in 2022 in collaboration with Kari Voutilainen, the calibre now returns in a modern re-engineering: the calibre 135-O, faithful to its dimensions yet enriched with contemporary refinements. Enhanced with optimized tooth geometry, a stop-seconds mechanism, and a Breguet overcoil, it delivers a power reserve of 72 hours and precision within ±2 seconds a day, COSC-certified.

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