Zenith, which has attracted attention with its star shining more than ever lately, has become one of the favorite choices of classic pilot watch enthusiasts with its stylish bronze-case model Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Bronze from its wide product group Pilot Collection.
Until a few years ago, Zenith was not among the brands that immediately came to mind when talking about classic pilot watches. The brand, which has solid experience in this type of model in the past, stands out among the modern representatives of the classic pilot watches with its brand new Pilot Collection that includes 26 different versions in total. The collection consists of three-hand and chronograph models and that are also available in Special Edition versions exclusively designed for different themes.
The model we selected for review from the Zenith Pilot Collection belongs to the Type 20 Extra Special model family. The model, Ref. 29.2430.679 / 21.C753, which comes from the widest sub-group of the collection with 9 different versions, attracts attention with its case made of bronze alloy – the trending alternative material of recent times.
Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Bronze (Ref. 29.2430.679/21.C753) comes in a 45mm x 14.25mm case made of bronze alloy, which suits the classic pilot watch design of the model nicely. Bronze, which has become one of the popular materials of the watchmaking industry, grows a patina depending on the wearer’s lifestyle making each timepiece unique to its user. The case, which is water resistant to 100 meters / 10 bars, is equipped with a scratch-resistant anti-glare coated sapphire crystal, a solid titanium case back with miniature screws and a classic pilot watch’s signature detail – large onion-shaped winding crown.
Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Bronze (Ref. 29.2430.679 / 21.C753) features a simple and functional dial. The dial finished in matt black is accompanied by large Arabic numeral hour markers; all made of Super-LumiNova C3 phosphor material and large gold-plated handles. Offering utmost legibility under any occasion, the dial gets into a sporty character with the Pilot and Extra Special texts.
The model is powered by the manufacture Caliber Elite 679 movement. 27 jewels/126 parts self-winding movement beats at a frequency of 4Hz (28.800vph) and offers up to 50 hours of power when fully wound.
Zenith Pilot Type 20 comes with a complementing brown oily nubuck leather strap with protective rubber lining and a Zenith signed titanium pin buckle.
