The Class Elite

Purity of the lines, harmony of the shape, priceless materials… The Class range draws its inspiration from the forties and celebrates time with unrivalled elegance.
The style of the forties did not stretch over a decade like the twenties or thirties. It is the symbol of that pivotal moment when the time has come to draw a synthesis, through which civilisations periodically assimilate their achievements and make them an integral part of tradition.
On the eve of the war, after the creative enthusiasm of the beginning of a century marked by experimental art and the exploration of every possible artistic means of expression, the forties signalled a will to merge legacies. The curves of the Art Nouveau movement, the Art Deco geometry and structure, the frenzied idealistic views of the Surrealists, the birth of design and function… all these trends fused, were purified and developed into an art that reached perfection, timeless and universal. The disastrous events of that age did not entirely defeat this new venture. The austerity imposed by restrictions co-existed with a burning desire to preserve European pre-war elegance and cultural splendour.
Watchmaking of the forties was strongly inspired by this style: watches with balanced shapes, pure lines, exact and fundamental proportions. No ostentation.
Zenith shares this desire to achieve harmony and excellence, obtained after years of research and slow maturation. It will therefore come as no surprise that the manufactory feels at ease with the aesthetic and spirit of the forties. The Class range is the fruit of this union, a balance between a timeless aesthetic and perfect technical mastery.
Fitted with the Elite extra-flat movement, all the elements of the Class range merge to charm the senses of the hedonistic man: shimmering gold, purity of steel, silkiness of the opaline dials, thinness of the hands, discreet quality of the numerals and indexes, elegance of the small seconds-hand at the 9 o'clock position…
The Class line of watches will be integrating new models, faithfully developed in the spirit of the range's characteristic alchemy, between technical perfection and aesthetic sophistication.
The manual Class models - HW and HW power-reserve - are fitted with the extra-flat Elite movement, the most celebrated in its category. A new silver-plated and engine-turned dial imparts a subtle and delicate sophistication. These watches are available in red gold, yellow gold or steel with an alligator skin leather strap.
For still greater elegance, the Class Elite can now be supplied with a metal bracelet, in steel, red gold or yellow gold. The Class El Primero HW for its part adopts a new silver-plated and slightly domed dial.

Class Elite HW power-reserve 18 carat rose gold with leather strap
Class Elite HW 18 carat rose gold with leather strap
Class Elite automatic 18-carat rose gold with rose gold bracelet

Class Elite Automatic in steel with steel bracelet and black dial
Class Elite Automatic in steel with steel bracelet and silver-plated dial
Class Elite HW with leather strap, silver-plated and engine-turned dial
Class Elite HW in steel with power-reserve function and leather strap, silver-plated and engine-turned dial