One of the top men at Zenith sits down for an exclusive Europa Star interview to discuss the brand’s history and its future potential.

The Swiss watchmaker has a rich history spanning over 150 years. They were one of the first companies to bring all aspects of watchmaking under one roof and even India’s celebrated independence icon Mahatma Ghandi used a Zenith timepiece.

Today the brand certainly has the technology, design acumen and price points to compete with the heavyweights in the industry. They don’t just product their watches in-house, buy they also produce their own tools for watchmaking - what’s known as the “deepness of production”.

Still, less people seem to be familiar with the history of Zenith compared to brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe. According to Alexander Seidl, exclusive distributor of Zenith Austria and Central and Eastern Europe and CEO of Time Media Marketing, the brand hasn’t reached its potential yet.

The objective now is to bring out the brand’s distinguished history. The focus is on heritage and a vintage style in their current proposition, trying to elicit some emotion in their customers.

Leading the line is the vaunted El Primero, one of the most recognisable movements in horology. Originally released in 1969, the name hints at the fact that this was one of the first automatic chronograph movements on the market. Featuring many innovations, it’s still one of the most accurate watches you can buy.

The El Primero continues to be popular today, especially in Eastern Europe, where the distributor has his work cut out for him. For obvious reasons, the markets in Russia and Ukraine have cooled off recently, but Seidl remains optimistic.

“Luxury is luxury” according to Seidl, who is confident that top market segment will always be appreciated. So the brand will continue to follow its vision.

And if you were curious, that vision doesn’t include any connected technology. Admitting that Zenith and other Swiss watchmakers of its caliber come from a “conservative” tradition, making their timepieces connected doesn’t make much sense. For one, they cater to a more established demographic. Two, Zenith watches average at about 9,000 euro and peak at about 60,000 euro – there is no way they could or would bring their price point to about 1,500 euro, the going rate for the most luxurious of smartwatches.