Baselworld 2013: Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT, including Red Baron limited edition (live pictures, specs and price)

Equipped with the Elite automatic movement, the Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT is a dual time zone watch styled like a vintage pilot’s timepiece.

After the surprising success of the enormous 57.5 mm Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 last year, Zenith has created a whole new Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 collection. The new line includes the Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT, a well conceived dual time zone watch. Local time is indicated by cathedral hour and minute hands, while the second time zone uses a large red tipped skeleton hand on a 24 hour scale. This is legible and easy to use, but it is missing a date, which is useful on a travel watch. That being said, a date window would utterly ruin the clean aesthetics of the dial.

Despite the case being 48 mm, it appears smaller on the wrist and wears well thanks to the short and curved lugs. And the serial number of the watch is engraved on the side of the case on a plate secured by twin blued screws.

The back has the Zenith aviation logo in relief, depicting Louis Bleriot’s aircraft which he used to make the first ever flight across the English Channel in 1909 – wearing his Zenith wristwatch of course.

Though this shows the case back of another Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 model, all of them have identical case backs

The Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT is powered by the Elite cal. 693 movement with 50 hours power reserve.  Two versions are available, one in steel on a brown leather strap, which retails for CHF7200 inclusive of 8% Swiss tax (about USD7600). This version looks most like a traditional pilot’s watch.

And the other is the Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT Red Baron, named after Manfred von Richthofen, the legendary German flying ace of the First World War. 

Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT Red Baron

Limited to 500 pieces, the GMT Red Baron has a titanium case coated with DLC, while the case back depicts the Red Baron’s Fokker Dr.I triplane in relief. Retail for this is CHF7800, or about USD8300. – SJX

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