A DUO ROOTED IN TIME
This spring, the Geneva-based brand unveiled two novel dive watches boasting a powerful personality thanks to shrewdly chosen colors, materials and finishes.
With its two Grands Fonds 3000 Titanium 2021 vintage variations, ZRC opens an unprecedented chapter in its history where performance makes a date with the esthetically-attractive. In short, the GF50686 model reigns with the matt look of the sandblasted finish of its case and its black ceramic bezel. The ensemble protects a dial fashioned in real carbon fiber. A first-ever! Dashes of blue on the comfortable rubber strap, the minute hand and the tip of the direct-drive highlight this version’s sporty character. The incredibly-solar GF50698 reference combines a case set off with a satin-brushed polished finish with a face adorning a gradient tone, black in the centre veering to blue around the edges. This time round, the bezel dazzles. Yellow stands out on the strap, the minute hand and the can’t-do-without “lollipop”-style central direct-drive.
Both watches offer excellent time data readability under any conditions of light thanks to the presence of Grade X1 white Super-LumiNova® emitting an intense blue glow. Their 42 mm-diameter case, waterproof to depths of 3,000 meters, topped by a 5 mm-thick sapphire crystal, also protects a sophisticated version of the Sellita SW200-1 caliber perfectly. This Swiss Made selfwinding mechanical movement delivers a power reserve of at least 38 hours.
It goes without saying that both timepieces embrace the Easy Clean SystemTM integrated in the bezel which ensures salt doesn’t crystallize and the Crown Protection SystemTM which prevents the strap from being attached and closed if the crown isn’t screwed correctly.
Price: CHF3,990 zrc1904.ch
By Dan Diaconu