“George Favre-Jacot”. Remember that name, especially those initialisms; they are gonna come up a lot. At Watches and Wonders, for its 160th anniversary, the ZENITH booth extolled its gratitude to the founder of the brand, George Favre-Jacot. For a solid decade in the 1950s, the Calibre 135-O movement (created by Ephrem Jobin) wasn’t just winning—it was dominating. Created only for the sole purpose of being entered into observatory chronometer trials, the Calibre 135-O crushed the competition. (Side note here: there were two variations of the movement: Calibre 135 was used in commercial watches and the Calibre 135-O was only for the observatory chronometry trials.

It clinched a record 235 prizes.

(It also won five consecutive first prizes in the wristwatch category at the Neuchâtel Observatory, between 1950 to 1954.)

Fast-forward to today, and ZENITH has brought this champion back. The improved Calibre 135 inside the G.F.J. might resemble its mid-century ancestor, but it’s been overhauled for the modern times. It's a complete re-engineering, equipped with contemporary materials, updated energy efficiency, and COSC-certified precision of ±2 seconds per day.

Let’s get technical. The Calibre 135 now beats at 2.5Hz, with a 72-hour power reserve—up from 40 hours back in the day. There’s a stop-seconds function. A Breguet overcoil. Spring-mounted jewel settings. Even the gear train got a facelift for better efficiency. But what really sings here is the oversized balance wheel and that iconic double-arrow regulator—both nods to the original chronometry DNA.

It's the quiet language of refinement; the G.F.J. is a 39mm platinum case with a slim, stepped bezel and curved lugs. It's a very 1950s look but given a modern paint job with the deep, galatic blue dial. Other textures add depth and drama to the dial like the outer ring that's steeped in a “brick” guilloché motif inspired by ZENITH's own brick wall. Lapis Lazuli, flecked with pyrite, fills the middle while at 6 o’clock, a mother-of-pearl subdial ticks away the seconds; 18-ct white gold faceted hands sweep the face.

The G.F.J. comes with, not one, but three straps: a dark blue gator, a black calfskin, and a blue Saffiano leather strap (cross-hatch finish), all paired with a platinum buckle with that same “brick” guilloché motif and engraved with—you guessed it—G.F.J. You can also swap out the leather straps for a seven-row platinum bracelet.

At 160 years, ZENITH continues by seeing itself, not just among the stars, but reaching beyond them. "Heritage” gets tossed around like confetti but the G.F.J. reminds us about ZENITH's historical relevance to the horological world. Let's face it, you can never reach perfection but you'll need to continue to be on the path towards it like how ZENITH is engineering it, one detail at a time.

Limited to 160 pieces, the G.F.J. retails for SGD73,600. For more info on the GFJ and the other novelties (the Pilot Big Date Flyback 160th Anniversary Edition, DEFY Skyline Chronograph 160th Anniversary Edition and the CHRONOMASTER Sport 160th Anniversary Edition), visit ZENITH's website