An Interview with Benoit de Clerck
Zenith CEO Benoît de Clerck reflects on his first year with the brand and the celebrations marking Zenith’s 160th anniversary.
We had our first interview with you in 2024; the year you began your role as CEO at Zenith. How would you sum up your first year in Zenith?
When you arrive in a Maison like ZENITH, the most important thing is not to speak but to listen and observe. I spent a great deal of time inside the Manufacture, simply watching how things are done, how our watchmakers work, how teams collaborate, and where the real challenges lie. This quiet observation taught me far more than any presentation could. It allowed me to understand not only the mechanics of the company, but also its spirit and its roots. For me, that has been the real privilege of this first year: to connect deeply with what makes ZENITH unique, before starting to shape where we want to go next.
Zenith celebrated its 160th anniversary this year. Could you tell us about the novelties in this milestone year?
For such a milestone, we wanted to do more than just look back and create timepieces that express both our heritage and our vision of the future. The strongest statement comes with four very different but complementary creations. At Watches and Wonders, we unveiled a trilogy of chronographs: Chronomaster Sport, Defy Skyline Chronograph, and Pilot Big Date Flyback, all crafted for the first time in a specially developed blue ceramic. Blue has always been part of ZENITH’s identity, connected to the sky and to our founder’s vision of reaching ever higher. Bringing this signature color into our iconic chronographs is a nod to our history, but also a way to give them a fresh, contemporary spirit.
But the most powerful statement is without doubt the launch of the new G.F.J. collection, named after our founder Georges Favre-Jacot. With its platinum case, lapis-lazuli dial, and a reimagined calibre 135, it offers perhaps the most poetic tribute to our roots. It bridges the pioneering spirit of our founder with today’s collectors, showing that true icons never lose their relevance.
Which is your favorite?
I must admit I have a special affection for the G.F.J. There is something truly moving about witnessing the rebirth of such an iconic movement as the Calibre 135, the absolute champion of chronometry competitions. When we unveiled the piece for the first time to collectors, I could feel their emotion and enthusiasm, it was a powerful moment. There was a real sense of transmission, almost like a shared love for watchmaking that may sound poetic but is very present and very real.
How would you describe the DNA of such a rooted watch brand?
ZENITH’s DNA is rooted in a bold idea from our founder: to create the perfect watch by uniting all crafts under one roof, when he established Switzerland’s very first vertically integrated manufacture. That pioneering vision still guides us today. It gave us a singular strength: every ZENITH movement is imagined, developed, and crafted in our Manufacture in Le Locle. This integrated approach gives us the agility to innovate continuously while staying true to our essence. or me, ZENITH’s DNA is exactly this: movements that embody innovation, and designs that express audacity, always anchored in 160 years of heritage.
Could you share with us an anecdote from the Zenith archives that has particularly impressed you?
One story that continues to inspire me is that of Charles Vermot during the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s. At a time when many believed mechanical watchmaking had no future, he chose to defy management’s orders to destroy the tools and plans for the El Primero. Instead, he secretly hid them in the attic of our Manufacture. Thanks to his courage, the El Primero survived and was eventually brought back to life, a movement that even went on to power the Rolex Daytona for many years. What moves me in this story is not only the act of resistance, but the conviction behind it. Vermot believed that true watchmaking would endure, even when the world seemed to turn its back on it. That spirit of resilience and faith in excellence is very much alive at ZENITH today.
You spent a large part of your career in luxury market. What are the main challenges for the watchmaking industry?
I think the main challenge today is relevance. Clients are younger, more informed, and they expect more than just a beautiful object, they want to own something authenticity and meaningful. For our industry, the key is to stay true to our roots while continuing to innovate in ways that feel genuine.
We have already left behind more than half of the year. How would you describe 2025 for Zenith up to this point?
For me, 2025 is less about looking back at 160 years and more about proving how alive and forward-looking ZENITH is. The energy we’ve seen from our teams, our partners, and especially from clients around the world shows that the brand is in a very strong moment, rooted in history, but moving confidently into the future.
U.S. tariffs have recently become a widely discussed topic in the watch industry. Do you think these tariffs will lead to a noticeable shift in the market?
We are closely monitoring the situation, but our commitment to our U.S. clients and retail partners remains unchanged. The United States is an important and dynamic market for ZENITH, and we believe the value and appeal of our watches go well beyond short-term market fluctuations. What matters most is building long-term relationships with American collectors and watch enthusiasts, and we will continue to invest in that connection by creating meaningful experiences around the brand.
This year Zenith introduced models featuring materials such as carbon and ceramic, along with colorful design touches. What can we expect from Zenith in the upcoming year?
What I can say is that we will continue to surprise. Materials and colors will keep playing an important role, but always with purpose and always true to who we are. And of course, there are a few projects in the pipeline that I can’t reveal just yet, but I’m sure they will create a lot of enthusiasm.
