This year at Watches & Wonders 2023, Zenith presented yet another revamped line of their Pilot watches with less of a steampunk look and with a more contemporary modern look. Honestly, we are not sure we like that the brand keeps redoing its watches without much of a real strategy or thought process behind it. To us, the previous line of Pilot’s watches had a very special look that we liked and that we feel captured the essence and substance of the ‘Montre d’Aeronef Type 20’ that gave Zenith Pilot watches such a special aura. Now those more particular-looking timepieces are long gone and replaced by watches that look more like a DEFY blended in with a round case and round bezel.
The new Pilot Big Date Flyback is nice but it feels far from a Pilot’s watch. While Zenith still maintained an oversized crown as a nod to their previous Pilot’s watches, it also added a modern-looking dial with horizontal grooves and a big date display with two date wheels that advance simultaneously in less than 0.03 seconds. Originally conceived for aviators who wore thick sheepskin gloves, the flyback function allows the chronograph function to be reset to zero and restarted with a single push of a button, but these new watches available in black matte ceramic or in stainless steel are far from what aviators in thick sheepskin gloves would wear back in the days of aviation pioneering.
Things to Know About the Watch
Equipped with a 42.5 mm case in either black ceramic or stainless steel, the new Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback watches are fitted with an oversized crown, paired with a black corrugated dial with horizontal grooves and featuring large luminescent Arabic numerals. While the black ceramic model features a very monochromatic look, the stainless steel counterpart adds a touch of color in a nod to the El Primero Stratos Flyback Rainbow model from 2015. The dial features a nice layout with running seconds at 9 o’clock, a 30-minute chrono register at 3, and a double date wheel aperture at 6 o’clock with the word ‘Pilot’ underneath it.
The Movement
Turning the watches over reveals a sapphire crystal display case back that allows for unobstructed views of the in-house automatic calibre El Primero 3652 with its 303 components and a newly designed oscillating weight that has parted from the usual Zenith star open-worked oscillating weight typically found on Zenith movements.
The El Primero 3652 automatic high-frequency chronograph integrates two functions to the 5Hz —36,000 vph— movement with a patented compliant mechanism that advances and stabilizes the big date’s two wheels in less than 0.03 seconds. This movement provides a power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound.
On the Wrist & Price
On the wrist, the Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback Black Ceramic wears slightly smaller than its actual size because of its all-black look. Meanwhile, the Pilot Big Date Flyback Steel wears true to its size. Both watches are delivered with interchangeable black and khaki cordura-effect rubber straps. The watches feature a new interchangeable strap system that allows the wearer to change straps by pressing a button on the back of the straps. While both new watches are really nice, it feels like Zenith is trying way too hard to revamp previous collections that we feel didn’t need to be reintroduced and trying to make their watches a little bit more conventional.
Sticker Price $13,500 USD for black ceramic and $11,500 USD for stainless steel. For more info on Zenith click here.
