At Baselworld 2016,
Zenith released another watch in their Pilot line. Zenith has, for the last few
years, released some very impressive pilot watches which successfully combine
classic charms with modern functions. Here we have the newest addition to the
line, the Zenith Heritage Pilot Café Racer.
At first glance,
you will notice the huge beige Arabic numerals and the big onion crown. Both
features give the watch a very retro style which is way stronger than previous
editions. But before we go further into the aesthetics of the watch, you may
question : What is a Café Racer?
A café racer is a
super lightweight and minimal motorcycle which is a sheer pursuit of speed.
Motorcyclists remove all unnecessary equipment and optimize their café racers
for speed and handling. These motorcycles feature low-mounted handlebars,
prominent seat cowling and elongated fuel tank, which all recall design cues of
1960s Grand Prix motorcycles. These motorcycle are for quick races over short
distances, very often from one café to another.
Although it might
be awkward for a pilot watch to be closely linked with motorcycles, the watch
does get its vintage design cues from the vintage feeling of café racers. The
watch features a 45mm aged stainless steel case, which may be well why the
watch has Café Racer in its name. The aged stainless case is specially treated
that each case is different. The dial is slate-grey in color which is slightly
grained and it combines with beige hands and numerals for a more textured look.
The sapphire
crystal is domed and there is a Café Racer engraved on the case back. It will
be even better if Zenith has opted for an acrylic crystal to complete the
vintage-inspired look. The small seconds sub-dial is at 9 o’ clock and the
30-minute chronograph sub-dial is at the 3 o’ clock position.
Included with the
watch is a distressed olive strap with a titanium buckle. The movement of the
watch is the El Primero 4069 which beats at
36,000VpH and has 50 hours of power reserve. The retail price is USD$7100.
If
you are looking for a rugged-looking pilot watch, this might well be your
choice. Of course you might choose pilot watches from other manufactures, such
as IWC or even Patek Philippe, but this Zenith offers you a lot at a very
reasonable price. It gives you a lot of wrist presence at 45mm (14.5mm
thickness) and the watch sits high upon the wrist. It is a very stylish and
young choice of a good-looking and hard-to-be-ignored pilot watch.
At HKWF we offer very good discounts on Zenith watches. Please inquire
us if you are interested.
Whatsapp me at +639989811111 or +639175854633
I can deliver to Philippine Zenith Fans by hand.
HK Snob
HK Watch Fever Group
