The Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 pilot from Zenith is not a watch you are going to see very often, no matter how involved you are in watches. These mammoth 57.5mm limited editions live in the watch cases of only the most attention drawing collectors, with only 75 in the world.
When you have the monster in your mitts, an appreciation is quickly gained for the huge power watch. Heads will turn as you walk into a room with this timepiece. At a glance someone might think it is too much, and it is… in a good way. It takes some moxie to throw a high-end gold wheel on and hit the streets. The remainder of us (except for Invicta nuts) will look on with wondering eyes – how do you wear such a large watch!
The movement, as seen in Caliber Corner, takes up most of that case, this is not buffered by a huge spacer and planted in the case to look huge, it truly is just enormous. Funny, the first thing we noticed when we had the watch in hand was you could hear the very strong and pronounced tick of the watch. The tick is so loud you would be questioned from people within a couple feet earshot of you.
I like the piece. The power reserve is a nice touch, keeping the dial relatively clean and still Flieger-friendly. The crown as you can see from the picture is such a big onion you could wind it with your elbow if needed. The long and short is, if you have mad dough and want an attention grabber, this is a great choice. It may drive you mad in a Edgar Allan Poe kind of way because the tick just keeps coming, loud and proud. Hey, it’s not for everyone in the price category, so grab a gold Daytona if it is too much watch or just be a baller! Some days it’s nice for the whole room to reference you for time.
Quick Specs:
- Reference 18.2420.5011/21.C723
- Limited edition to 75 pieces
- 57.5mm 18K solid rose gold case
- 18.35mm thick
- Manual wind caliber 5011K
- Domed sapphire anti-reflective crystal
- Matte black dial with gold hands and SuperLuminova Arabic markers
- Rubber lined calfskin strap with rose gold buckle
- 30m/100ft water resistance