Synonymous with thorough planning, blueprints may be a product of a bygone era but the technical drawings continue to inspire. When the design team at Zenith came across a blueprint of the brands historic building, it reminded them of blueprints of the earliest airplanes. This initial spark, combined with a review of the blueprints of the Type XI aircraft French aviator Louis Blériot flew across the English Channel in 1909, lead to the new Zenith Pilot Type 20 Blueprint watch.
Limited to just 250 pieces, the latest edition to Zenith’s Pilot Collection features a 45mm steel case and an oversized “onion” shaped crown – a signature of the collection – that allows the time to be adjusted even while wearing flight gloves, as one does. Inside the case, the designers printed the engineering drawings of the blue dial directly onto it. Each dial is created in two parts: a matte blue base with all technical plans and notes used by the dial-maker, and above it a sapphire crystal and a sapphire crystal layer with the usual markers and logo. In another nod to early aviators, the blue calfskin leather used to make the strap recalls classic flight jackets, while the rivets, titanium pin buckle and distinctive tab are reminiscent of a vintage pilot helmet.
Zenith Pilot Type 20 Blueprint ($8,200.00) at zenith.com.
