Reasons To Be Cheerful: Talking Time with Zenith’s Benoit de Clerck

We love to talk about watches, especially when the conversation is with someone who gets as enthused about the history and heritage of timepieces as we do. That is why we were so happy to chat with the CEO of Zenith Benoit de Clerck.

To be completely candid, we spoke to de Clerck, who was appointed to his current position in January 2024, in June. But there have been so many moves on the business side of things at LVMH (the maison’s corporate parent) that the story started to turn into a tortured think piece.
 

But you know what? We enjoyed talking to de Clerck on a watch-nerd-to-watch-nerd basis.

In fact, it was a bit inspiring for us because, even after 25 years of experience with brands like TAG Heuer and Panerai, he is genuinely enthusiastic about discovering and amplifying Zenith’s unique voice, reminding us that we loved watches before we started agonizing over resale values.

So far in 2024, Zenith has had solid hits with the DEFY Extreme Diver, the DEFY Revival A3648, and the most recent release, the DEFY Skyline Skeleton in White Ceramic.
 

All three are lovely examples of engineering, and the overall impression from enthusiasts is that these timepieces spark joy, with the standout being the DEFY Revival A3648 ($7,700). Superficially a carbon copy of a 1969 model that was one of Zenith’s first dive watches, the DEFY Revival A3648 is perhaps the most fun dive watch of 2024.
 

However, while these launches were in the pipeline before de Clerck’s appointment, connecting them to collectors fell under his purview. So, he had the brand lean into the historical angle because “we know that heritage is a deciding factor of the desirability of the pieces,” de Clerck explained

Along that same vein, one of the greatest privileges of his new position has been learning about Zenith’s history, which goes well beyond the famous hidden El Primero story. In fact, in the brand’s Le Locle headquarters, de Clerck told us that “there’s a mile of archives.”
 

When discussing it, you can hear in his voice that he’s been having fun exploring the minutiae of Zenith’s timeline. He even discovered a hidden water spring on the HQ’s campus.

However, while the brand’s backstory adds to the new launches’ credibility, de Clerck wanted to make it clear that the brand isn’t copying the past blindly. To do this, he cited the brand’s Revival watches, which focus on using heritage design with modern improvements.
 

With the DEFY Revival A3648, for example, a set of engineers came in very early in the design process to ensure that the look of the watch would not compromise the modern mechanism.

Throughout our conversation, de Clerck emphasized the importance of consistency and continuity. That means making the brand better, not necessarily bigger: “Zenith is for people in the know,” the CEO said. “[Because] collectors play an important role in the brand’s story.”
 

Thus, Zenith communicates with a variety of collectors to suss out demand not just for historic products but also for new editions. “The customer has evolved more – they want authenticity,” de Clerck added.

Younger audiences, for example, are looking for different entry points to the brand, so Zenith introduced a more accessibly priced triple calendar. “We see this as an opportunity to reach a new generation,” de Clerck explained.
 

So, while Zenith is planning many surprises for its 160th birthday in 2025, de Clerck isn’t ready to reveal the brand’s hand just yet. “ ‘Continuity’ is the key word,” de Clerck said about the brand’s longevity. “We are amongst a few brands that have survived so many catastrophes. I will not do something just for fireworks.”

What de Clerck is most excited to talk about is Zenith’s Icons program, which features a curated collection of rare and highly sought-after vintage watches that have been sourced, restored, and certified by the manufacturer.

“We send people we call hunters out to contact auction houses and old watchmakers. They ask, ‘What do you have in your vaults?’ We buy then them and bring them to our facility,” de Clerck told us, voice brightening as he outlined the process of sourcing Icons (my ears also perked up because he basically described my dream job).
 

Organized into thematic capsule collections, Zenith Icons makes it possible for you to own a piece of watchmaking history without having to fret over the fragility of a vintage watch. Moreover, there is something very appealing about its resistance to the modern trend of creating tech with built-in obsolescence.

The first capsule collection, launched in January, was built around the brand’s emblematic Pilot collection and consisted of three vintage watches – the TIPO CP-2, the 01-0230-415, and the A3821 – each meticulously restored and certified by the Zenith Manufacture Heritage Department.