Ornatus-Mundi[Zenith]
7136
An excellent assessment, Tim, and I like...
Apr 15, 2014,13:27 PM
the way how you put the respective achievements of Mr Nataf and Mr Dufour in perspective. I am myself not sure how I should value Thierry Nataf's period.
He was the right man to reinvigorate the company, without him there would be no Christof Colomb Hurrican and no open worked El Primero escapement. However, I also feel that he lacked a bit of respect for the historical position of Zenith in the watchmaking universe. His œuvre was that of a maniac, a revolutionary artist, a groundbreaker. I am not sure whether this did Zenith good in the long run.
On the other hand - he indeed put the brand back on the map. I had the pleasure of having had a short 15min chance encounter with him (at Basel 2008 perhaps), and I can tell, that was one of the most memorable conversations I ever had. It was like meeting one of a novel's hero himself. Unforgettable!
Jean-Frédéric Dufour built on Nataf's foundation in that he re-framed his iconic designs back is respect to Zenith's heritage. It was like a return to future for Zenith. It is perhaps this what put him on the map of Rolex.
In a way Nataf's creations were more original, whereas the Dufour-era watches are more classic - which ones will be remembered as Zeniths?
I fell what the brand now needs is someone able to tackle the technical side of the manufacture. The brand's mainstay El Primero is now 4 decades old, a fantastic achievement, but for the future the pioneering spirit needs new fuel.
Really exciting times!
Best,
Magnus