Expanding the range of what is possible. Ignoring boundaries. Soaring up to the blue skies where one can look down and see the whole earth. Counting off oceans, cities, forests, mountains and deserts – wonders invented by Man and natural extravaganzas. Having an indomitable spirit and an awareness of the dangers. Believing in the inseparable team one forms with the machine. Being prepared to fight fatigue, hail, mechanical failure, headwinds, sleet, slowed reflexes, geomagnetic currents, blinding sun and, at the same time, night. Dreaming of Phileas Fogg, feeling driven onward by one’s wings. Flying against time. Marking off time zones. And returning to one’s starting point having embraced the whole world.

Pilot Doublematic

Yesterday Cairo, today Tokyo, tomorrow Moscow, always with an updated time zone. A simple operation sends the Pilot Doublematic’s worldtime function through all the time zones, as the crow flies.

Mankind has always wanted to explore new lands and push back the boundaries of the known. In 1924, Americans Smith and Arnold completed the first flight around the world. In 1957, three B-52s made the same trip non-stop.

In 1964, American pilot Geraldine Mock became the first woman to make a solo flight around the world, in the Spirit of Columbus, a Cessna 180.

“A watch is an essential item for navigating in an airplane and adjusting [fuel] consumption. But it has to be a good watch. The Zenith watch is perfect,” said Marcel Brindejonc des Moulinais in 1913. That was the year this famous aviator completed his visits to the European capitals, a 5,000-km tour that earned him the Legion of Honour. He was only 21 years old. One of his navigation instruments was a Zenith.

Mankind has always wanted to explore new places, set new records, confront nature and time. Completing a European tour, like Brindejonc des Moulinais, or a solo round-the-world flight are among the kinds of human and technical challenges that develop and shape the personality. In 1924, American pilots Lowell H. Smith and Leslie P. Arnold flew 44,345 kilometres from Seattle to Seattle, becoming the first to circumnavigate the globe by air.

Today, such trips are commonplace. Time zones are simply and conveniently changed on one’s wrist. Yet it was not until the end of the 19^th century that universal time came into existence. In 1820, a committee of scholars proposed adopting a unit of universal time based on a mean solar day of 86,400 seconds. In 1833, the United States became the first country to use time zones. In 1884, the globe was officially divided into 24 time zones at an international conference in Washington; after acrimonious debate, the prime meridian was set at Greenwich, England. Greenwich mean time was the time standard for the world for much of the 20^th century, before being replaced by universal time (UT) in 1972. Watches with time zone indicators quickly appeared.

In the 1950-60s, long flights became more commonplace and more people gradually came to travel by air. In 1955, the Zenith chronograph showed its pioneering spirit by displaying universal time. At a glance, the wearer could see what time it was anywhere in the world. The watch also had a chronograph function with a sweep seconds hand and 45-minute counter at 3 o’clock, along with a small seconds hand at 9 o’clock. The chapter ring was encircled by a list of world cities and circumnavigated by hands with a vintage feel.

Pilot Doublematic’s hands travel around the globe. Vast though the world may be, this watch’s mechanical heart has a perfect command of world time. Its ease of use makes it an everyday instrument that will faithfully accompany globetrotters in their wanderings.


One disc transferred onto the flange reveals the time in each iconic city, while a second disc indicates day or night. Paired with a chronograph, the Pilot Doublematic watch has two barrels, one of which is devoted to measuring time and the other to an alarm function. The alarm is activated and set by a pushpiece button and crown at 8 o’clock. On the dial, a pierced ruthenium black and red hand shows the time set for the alarm, while an opening at 8:30 confirms that it is turned on. An alarm reserve indicator at 7 o’clock tracks the status of the barrel.



The 30-minute chronograph counter is at 3 o’clock, and is topped by a large date. The sweep seconds hand is accentuated by a Superluminova arrow, while the athletic design of the hour and minute hands dates them as being squarely 21st-century. The chapter ring is set off by luminous numerals that seem to levitate above the silver or sandblasted matt black dial. Readability is excellent. Housed in a 45-mm brushed and polished steel or pink gold case, the mechanical selfwinding El Primero 4046 movement shows its skeletonised rotor ends through the sapphire caseback. This 439-piece watch operates at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour and has an ample 50-hour power reserve.

References	:	Pilot doublematic
Steel version	:	03.2400.4046/21.C721
Pink gold version	:	18.2400.4046/01.C721
Movement	:	El Primero 4046, selfwinding
Total diameter	:	30 mm
Thickness	:	9.05 mm
Parts	:	439
Jewels	:	41
Cadence of the balance	:	36’000 vph
Power reserve	:	50-hour
Functions	:	Worldtimer Central hours and minutes 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock Sweep seconds hand Large date at 2 o’clock Central alarm hand Alarm on/off indicator at 8.30 Alarm power-reserve display at 7 o’clock
Cases	:	Polished and satin-brushed steel or pink gold
Diameter	:	45 mm
Water resistance	:	5 ATM
Caseback	:	Sapphire crystal
Dials	:	Matt black with Superluminova-enhanced hands and numerals or silver-toned with Superluminova-enhanced 5N numerals and hand
Straps	:	Alligator leather with hand-sewn topstitching, 18-carat gold pin buckle or folding clasp