Zenith plans a 2029 relaunch focused on haute horlogerie
The Le Locle manufacture plans a three-year turnaround and a 2029 relaunch built around haute horlogerie, with fewer watches at far higher prices.
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Zenith is preparing for a big change. The Le Locle manufacture is set to go through a three-year turnaround, with a relaunch planned for 2029 that puts haute horlogerie at the centre. The idea is to make fewer watches and sell them at much higher prices, moving further into ultra-luxury watchmaking and matching output to demand.
The change will cost jobs, both in Le Locle and abroad, and some retail locations are set to close. Le Locle had 196 jobs, and about 100 of them are affected.
For a sense of scale, Zenith made 8,500 watches in 2025, and output in 2029 is likely to be considerably lower, with average prices possibly closer to CHF 50,000.
The work Zenith does for other brands is expected to carry on, so it will keep making movements for names such as Hublot and Bulgari.
The brand's recent watches hint at the direction. The G.F.J. Calibre 135 revival watch, at £45,800, arrived at Watches and Wonders Geneva in April, while the three-hand Chronomaster Solo, at £9,800, followed in September.
