The maverick at Zenith is turning heads with their latest novelties
This Watches & Wonders 2026, where Zenith unveiled their novelties with the intention to wow us with their new variation of the new classic Zenith G.F.J. Let’s take a closer look at what buzz was all about.
Reinvention of the modern classic
We saw the launch of the award-winning Zenith G.F.J last year, celebrating Zenith’s 160th Anniversary, which walked away at the GPHG 2025 with a “Chronometry Prize”, and it was a beautifully put together timepiece inspired by the company’s most outstanding icon of the 1950s.
This year, Zenith unveiled two exciting variants of the Zenith G.F.J for different sensations: the yellow gold version and the ultra-rare tantalum version. The two timepieces share the same DNA and design, but with totally different treatments.
The 39mm yellow gold case version is a stunning study in a modern classic that need not be ordinary, but it can be just as exciting and precious. The outstanding feature is definitely the dial, which is made of jasper “bloodstone”, which is a speckled green stone with a streak of blood red running across its equator, which is a natural occurrence and making each of them a unique piece, and the flange is decorated with the gorgeous tiles and brick-work guilloche pattern which in themselves a work of art, displaying the skill they had all those century ago, and decorated with applique gold markers. A small seconds mother-of-pearl-tinted green sub-dial sits at six o’clock with a gold indicator. The handsome, timeless timepiece is not only precious, but it is also versatile; you can not only wear it to dinners and cocktails, but it also looks right at home with a business suit in the city.
The second variant is indeed a special one, as its 39mm case is made of Tantalum, a metal that is notoriously known for possessing the “Diva” quality, as it is difficult to work with. Hence its rarely seen on watches. But for its extremely anti-corrosive and high melting point, and it is also quite weighty, and because, of course, for its manufacturing challenge and rarity, one is always willing to give it a go. The G.F.J in Tantalum comes with a dial as black as Mother Nature allows, the onyx, a perfect contrast to the tantalum grey, and a small-seconds sub-dial at six o’clock is made of black-tinted mother-of-pearl. To match its rarity, the hour indexes are set with trapeze-cut diamonds, and not to be outdone, the hours and minutes hands are made of white gold. The luxurious package is extremely seductive not only for its debonair attitude but also for its discreet personality, making it perfect for any occasion you wish to wear it.
These two suave and sophisticated timepieces are powered by the hand-wound in-house Manufacture Calibre 135, re-engineered with technical upgrades where they can. It comes with COSC certification, and it has deployed the super classic Breguet overcoil hairspring with stop-seconds mechanism into its works. The movement is decorated with Cote de Genève with Ruthenium finishing, and it comes with 72 hours of power reserve. If you have a chance, take a peep at the calibre via the sapphire caseback, and be ready to be amazed.
