Are Zenith watches now as prized as Rolex and Patek Philippe? The LVMH-owned brand’s Chronomaster Sport and Defy Skyline models now have waiting lists as long as the world’s most coveted Swiss timepieces
Customers seeking to buy Zenith brand watch models – including the popular Chronomaster Sport and Defy Skyline – are now having to join waiting lists as sales for the Swiss brand surge.
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The Zenith models join brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe with watches where demand outstrips supply. The manufacturer has revived interest in the brand thanks to newer releases like the Chronomaster Sport and retro pieces including the Chronomaster Original, featuring tricoloured subdials.
“It’s very positive in an environment which is still not perfect,” Tornare said, referring to continued disruptions in China because of Covid-19 lockdowns and concerns of weakening economies in the US and Europe.
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The Chronomaster Sport, a chronograph powered by Zenith’s El Primero movement, sells for about US$11,300 and is the company’s top selling watch model.
The Defy Skyline, another El Primero calibre-powered model, retails for about US$8,700. It was launched earlier this year, taking design cues like the octagonal case from the original watch first introduced in the 1960s.
- Like Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, demand now far outstrips supply for the Swiss luxury watch brand’s latest models, says Zenith CEO Julien Tornare
- Zenith’s El Primero was the world’s first chronograph movement with automatic winding in 1969, now the LVMH-owned brand finds itself out front again
