Zenith experiences?

woodcut

I've been looking at purchasing another watch with budget of up to 5k.  Of course, now I've started looking, I've been tempted by watches well over that budget!  There are a few Zenith watches that tempt me but I'm not really sure about the brand, particularly as most of their watches retail well over 5k.  Has anyone had good/bad experiences?  I'm not really sure where the brand sit in comparison with GS, Omega, Rolex etc.

#general #zenith
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watchdawg
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I bought this watch back in 2006, and it is very precise and I love wearing it. The El Primero is a flagship movement from Zenith, and it was used in Rolex Daytona for a long long time. Take a look at the Zenith Defy Skyline https://www.zenith-watches.com/en_us/defy-skyline its really awesome. 

Now having said all that, Zenith SUCKS in after sales service. The NJ service center is known to cause damage to watches serviced there. Zenith does not sell 3rd party service shops parts so you won't find very many independent shops servicing your watch in the US. I had a rant on this here   https://www.watchcrunch.com/onlinemails/posts/zenith-service-center-in-us-not-lvmh-nj-3075 

But, yes, Zenith makes really nice pieces. Have you looked at JLC? JLC has after sales service is truly amazing, they turned around my watch after service in 8 weeks in awesome condition in a beautiful box. I filled out an online service request and they sent me shipping boxes to ship the watch in by Fedex, where as Zenith asked me to bubble wrap my watch and mail it them, and leave a note saying I need service. For service JLC is the way to go, and they make awesome watches. 

woodcut
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watchdawg
Image

I bought this watch back in 2006, and it is very precise and I love wearing it. The El Primero is a flagship movement from Zenith, and it was used in Rolex Daytona for a long long time. Take a look at the Zenith Defy Skyline https://www.zenith-watches.com/en_us/defy-skyline its really awesome. 

Now having said all that, Zenith SUCKS in after sales service. The NJ service center is known to cause damage to watches serviced there. Zenith does not sell 3rd party service shops parts so you won't find very many independent shops servicing your watch in the US. I had a rant on this here   https://www.watchcrunch.com/onlinemails/posts/zenith-service-center-in-us-not-lvmh-nj-3075 

But, yes, Zenith makes really nice pieces. Have you looked at JLC? JLC has after sales service is truly amazing, they turned around my watch after service in 8 weeks in awesome condition in a beautiful box. I filled out an online service request and they sent me shipping boxes to ship the watch in by Fedex, where as Zenith asked me to bubble wrap my watch and mail it them, and leave a note saying I need service. For service JLC is the way to go, and they make awesome watches. 

Thanks, stunning watch by the way... Didn't realise their customer service had issues. It really is the El Primero attracting me to them and a couple of their older pieces too.

Minster
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I have 1 zenith (el Primero). It is fantastic. Absolutely perfect time keeping. Zenith is great

NightSurfer
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I have seven. Five with various iterations of the El-P movement. The other two have the Elite movement. I also have a Sub, Explorer, and Explorer 2.

I have never had any issues with any of my Zenith's. Personally I feel the build quality is better than Rolex. That of course is subjective. It might be because they have open case backs so it might skew things. Either way I would not hesitate to buy one. Get what you want, not what social media tells you to get. 

If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a DM.

Ryan2vs
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I always loved the brand and the history of the El Primero.   I'm a little over one month in with my Chronomaster Original and am loving it as a daily wear so far.      

My favorite telling of the Charles Vermot story is C&B's hidden gem: 
https://youtu.be/ZIRhw8L3IfI