Above the mist, the winged Lion dominates St Mark’s Square, testimony to the splendours of the past and symbol of “La Serenissima”. Its mysterious origins – Assyrian according to some, Etruscan or even Chinese according to others – are what one would expect of a magical and cosmopolitan city, birthplace of many talents: diplomatic and commercial, artistic and political.

« I wanted to pay tribute to the people of the lagoon, who, confined to a few tiny islands, lit up the Renaissance and are still fascinating today. That is why I created a limited series of 100 watches, featuring a dial worked in gold thread and representing the lion in St Mark’s Square» says Thierry Nataf, President and Artistic Director of ZENITH International. Guarding the mythical El Primero as it does the famous city of Venice, the outline of the griffin is embossed across the whole of the dial, alongside the Arab numerals; furthermore, this finely sculptured figure in front of the opening for the escapement also celebrates the 36,000 oscillations of the chronograph.

This timepiece, dedicated to the Queen of the Adriatic, is thus the diva of all the rose gold models in the Chronomaster collection: retrograde date, ‘grande date’, or simply Open. From the detail of the execution to the prowess of the high-speed caliber, this aristocratic and refined collection has rewritten a traditional score to a modern tune.

Using the codes of the past and projecting them into the future, the Chronomaster Open Concept combines a century and a half of watchmaking know-how with futuristic materials: the case is made of natural or black titanium, a metal with three times the tensile strength of stainless steel but with only half the weight; the carbon fibre strap can withstand traction of up to 300 kg; the dial is made of TR90, a transparent material resulting from space research, translucent and unbreakable, on which the numerals appear to float. Beyond it, the pearly plate of the 4021J movement can be seen. Sealed for shock resistance, it can be regulated from the outside thanks to the raised cobalt screw.

Playing with light and shadows, this unusual timepiece is a new alchemy of tradition and modernity. The watchmaker’s hand adjusting the angle of a movement or fitting a sword-shaped hand are as much a part of it as the post-modern vibrations of futuristic technology.

Parce que la collection Chronomaster existe en deux tailles -45mm ou 40mm- et parce que les femmes d’aujourd’hui adorent détourner à leur profit des objets destinés initialement aux hommes, la Manufacture ZENITH leur propose de s’approprier cette gamme pourtant typiquement masculine, et justement précisément à cause de cela. Désormais, de New York à Paris, de Milan à Moscou, on peut donc croiser des élégantes qui arborent fièrement une Chronomaster, qu’il s’agisse d’une Open sur acier avec cadran argent, gris, brun ZENITH ou noir, ou même d’une Concept. Et pour que la montre s’ajuste sur un poignet fin, la Manufacture a prévu des bracelets noirs, gris, marrons ou blancs plus étroits et des boucles déployantes plus légères.

Une vision moderne du luxe, qui joue avec les paradoxes, manie avec brio les codes de la féminité et la charte de la virilité, se moque de la frontière des genres et propose à la belle élégante l’alter ego de son credo. Une preuve de plus que la Manufacture ZENITH sait capter l’air du temps et initier les tendances.