Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special 45mm Automatic Mens Watch

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Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special 45mm Automatic Mens Watch

Ref. 29.2430.679/21.C753

The Type 20 reaches back to the enormous cockpit instruments that pre-war pilots read at a glance through vibration and poor light — watches built for function so completely that aesthetics were an afterthought. At 45mm this is the distilled, wearable version of that lineage, a deliberate step down from the 57.5mm originals that served as the template, and it carries their visual grammar intact: the cathedral hands in rose gold plate, the screw-in onion crown sized for gloved fingers, and Arabic numerals broad enough to fill with a generous charge of C3 Super-LumiNova that holds its green well into the night. Bronze cases age visibly, and this one is honest about it — the patina that develops is individual to the wearer's skin chemistry and climate, which suits a watch with this kind of historical character. The titanium caseback keeps oxidisation away from the wrist, and it is engraved with a Blériot flying instrument motif that rewards the habit of turning a watch over. The short, downturned lugs pull the 54.3mm lug-to-lug measurement closer to the wrist than the diameter suggests, so the watch sits with more composure than its presence implies. On the wrist it reads as a serious object without being theatrical. The Elite 679 is the quieter part of the story. Introduced in 1994 as Zenith's volume manufacture movement, it winds with unusual smoothness for an automatic of its class and delivers a 50-hour reserve — enough that leaving it on the nightstand for a weekend does not mean resetting it on Monday. The nubuck strap is rubber-backed, which matters on a watch intended to be worn through the kind of days a bronze case implies.

Reference: 29.2430.679/21.C753
Brand: Zenith
Collection: Pilot
Case size: 45mm
Case thickness: 14.25mm
Lug width: 23mm
Case material: Titanium
Case shape: Round
Dial: Black
Crystal: Sapphire
Movement: Automatic
Calibre: Elite 679
Water resistance: 100m
Bracelet / strap: Leather strap
Strap colour: Brown
Clasp: Buckle
Lume: Super-LumiNova
Condition: Ex-display
Retailer: Goldsmiths

Additional specifications

Lug-to-lug: 54.3mm
Power reserve: 50 hours

Learn more about Zenith

Georges Favre-Jacot founded Zenith in Le Locle in 1865, aged twenty-two, with an idea that was radical for the Swiss industry: bring every trade needed to make a watch — movement, case, dial, hands — under one roof and one management. The integrated manufacture was largely his invention, and the Le Locle site he built is still in use.

The approach produced results at observatory trials, where Zenith accumulated more precision awards than any other manufacture. The name itself came from a calibre Favre-Jacot considered the summit of his work.

Its defining achievement is the El Primero of 1969, developed over seven years and announced in the same year as the Heuer-Breitling consortium's Calibre 11 and Seiko's 6139. It was an integrated automatic chronograph beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, allowing measurement to a tenth of a second — a frequency almost nothing else matched for decades.

It nearly did not survive. When American owners ordered the mechanical tooling scrapped during the quartz crisis, a watchmaker named Charles Vermot hid the plans, presses, and cams in a walled-off attic. When demand for mechanical chronographs returned, Zenith could restart production because of him. Rolex used the El Primero in the Daytona from 1988 to 2000.

LVMH acquired Zenith in 1999.

1865: Georges Favre-Jacot founds the integrated manufacture at Le Locle.
1969: The El Primero automatic chronograph debuts at 36,000 vph.
1975: Charles Vermot hides the El Primero tooling from destruction.
1988: Rolex adopts the El Primero for the Daytona.
1999: Acquired by LVMH.

Also in 6 collections

This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,847), Automatic Watches (1,736), Leather Strap Watches (1,049), Watches 44mm and Over (849), Sports Watches (784) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (344).

Manufacturer’s guarantee

Best of 2 retailers

What the specifications mean

A mechanical watch for everyday wear.

Strengths

100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
Luminous hands and markers for low light

Worth knowing

45mm is a large watch with real presence
14.25mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
Leather does not suit regular contact with water

Best forSwimmingFormal wear

Less suited toSmall wristsUnder a shirt cuff

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra alternatives

Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.

Pilot Type 20 Extra Special 45mm Automatic Mens Watch compared with 2 alternatives from other brands
Specification	This watchPilot Type 20 Extra Special 45mm Automatic Mens Watch29.2430.679/21.C753	GrahamSwordfish 46mm Stainless Steel04220000484	BremontJaguar D-Type Jaguar D-TypeJAGUAR D-TYPE
Price	£4,795	£5,495	£4,195
Case size	45mm	46mm	43mm
Water resistance	100m	100m	100m
Movement	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Strap	Leather strap	Rubber strap	Leather strap
Power reserve	50 hours	48 hours	42 hours
	This watch	Costs more	Costs less Wears smaller