In early June, Zenith collaborated with legendary independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen and Phillips Auctioneers to launch an exclusive vintage watch: the Zenith Caliber 135 Observatoire, one of the most exceptional watch launches of the year.
The limited edition of 10 collaborative pieces includes the original restored case of the Zenith Caliber 135-O, a chronometer-grade movement from the 1950s that won more than 230 chronometer tests, more than any other movement in the history of watchmaking. Zenith and Phillips asked Voutilainen to assist in restoring and decorating these vintage movements and creating a unique case and dial for them. (It is still quite rare for an auction house to be involved in the creation of a rolex swiss replica watches, but Phillips has collaborated on several pieces in the past, including with Laurent Ferrier, Zenith, and most recently, Piaget.)
The Zenith Calibre 135-Observatoire Unique Piece, made in collaboration with Kari Voutilainen and Zenith, will be included in Phillips’ upcoming Geneva watch auction. 5-6 November 2023 Geneva watch auction. The watch has a pre-sale estimate of CHF 100,000-200,000. Photo. Courtesy of Phillips & Co.
The eleventh watch is classic in style, but unique in execution. Zenith and Phillips say that the exact movement used in this unique piece dates back to 1953 and was entered into the Neuchâtel Observatory trials that same year, where it received the highest score of all the movements entered. The changes in the final version are the case, the dial, and the face of the movement. A departure from the platinum case and black dial combination found in the first 10 watches, this unique piece has a salmon-colored dial with a case made of a metal called niobium, which is rarely used in watchmaking.
Niobium is a highly malleable metal with a hardness rating similar to that of titanium, which makes it an ideal material for watch cases. It is quite rare to find niobium-based alloys in commercial products, but it is probably best known for its use in nuclear magnetic resonance machines and superconducting magnets in particle conductors; however, any of us numismatists might recognize this material for its occasional use in commemorative coin issues.
In contrast to the gilt style of the original 10 replica rolex watches, the decoration of the 135 movements within this unique piece features pink gold accents. As previously announced by Phillips and Zenith, all proceeds from the auction of this unique watch will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; an organization Zenith recently supported with the release of the pink dial Chronomaster Original.
A few months ago, I spoke with Phillips’ Aurel Bacs (Senior Advisor) and Alexandre Ghotbi (Head of Europe and Middle East), and Zenith’s Julien Tornare (CEO) and Kari Voutilainen about the background and success of their partnership. As you might imagine, it was difficult to get all these power players together at the same time, so I spoke with Aurel and Alex together, and then had very interesting conversations with Kari and Julien separately, all in one afternoon in Geneva in the summer.
My conversations with them did not disappoint; I came away from my conversations with each partner with a deep understanding not only of the watches themselves, but also of each member’s personal passion for watchmaking, their general corporate business strategy, and the current collector climate at the top of the watch market. The following story ties together their combined experiences and breaks down the collaborative process of making a revival watch of the caliber Zenith 135-O limited edition and unique pieces of this caliber step by step, straight from the source.