Campbell Marson: bespoke wooden eyewear
27 October 2020
Bentley Luxury Jewellery Collection
30 October 2020With its elegant blue face and oversized, art deco-inspired numerals, the Zenith Pilot Type 20 Blueprint is a watch with a history.
I ts inspiration lies in the chance discovery of a blueprint of the original building where Zenith Manufacture began making its timepieces back in the early 20th century.
That got minds moving at the present-day firm. 'Those plans look like something,' they thought, before realising there was a similarity between that architect’s drawing and the designs for early aeroplanes, such as the Type XI that Louis Blériot flew across the English Channel in 1909.
Look beyond the colour, the shape of the hands and markers, the typography of the numerals, and you’ll see elements of the original watch design incorporated within the dial (looking a bit like a blueprint, of course).
That in turn set thoughts to Zenith’s early penchant for making the watches that adorned pilots’ wrists, et voilà the Pilot Type 20 Blueprint was on the drawing board.
'Featuring a matte blue base as well as a sapphire crystal and a sapphire crystal layer with the usual markers and logo, the watch provides an interesting visual proposition: the markings casting a slight shadow on the blue base to give the impression they are flying above... Think Blériot’s Type XI on its trip across the Channel.
Limited to 250 pieces, the Pilot Type 20 Blueprint also includes an oversized 'onion'-shaped crown that allows the time to be adjusted even if you were in an open cockpit wearing leather gauntlets (I realise that is probably unlikely), while the blue calfskin strap hints at the leather coats that kept First World Aces warm as they patrolled the skies of the Western Front.
For more details head over to the Zenith website.
zenith-watches.com