Zenith Reveals G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed With J.N. Shapiro

Zenith's G.F.J. line is turning into a platform for pairings with independent watchmakers. After a first Double Signed edition with Japan's Naoya Hida & Co., the Swiss manufacture now turns to California for a second, with Los Angeles-based J.N. Shapiro.

According to Monochrome, the watch comes in a 39.15mm rose gold case that is 10.5mm thick and 45.75mm lug to lug. It has a sapphire crystal, an exhibition caseback and 50 metres of water resistance.

The solid silver dial is where Shapiro's hand shows. It was cut in his California atelier on rose-engine and straight-line machines and combines three guilloché patterns. A barleycorn pattern runs around the outer edge, basketweave sits toward the centre, and the small seconds at six o'clock carries his Infinity Weave. Applied 18k rose gold rings, hour markers and hands frame the sections, and an applied rose gold plate carries both signatures with the G.F.J. initials.

Inside is the hand-wound Calibre 135, a movement developed by Ephrem Jobin and introduced in 1948. In its current form it runs at 18,000 vibrations per hour with a 72-hour power reserve. It has a Breguet overcoil, a stop-seconds mechanism and COSC chronometer certification. For this edition Shapiro also decorates the bridges with damaskeening, a mix of Côtes de Genève and guilloché found historically on American pocket watches, finished with rhodium plating.

Three leather straps come with the watch: brown Cordovan, beige nubuck alligator and black calf, each with an 18k rose gold pin buckle engraved with the G.F.J. initials. An 18k rose gold bracelet is available on request.

The Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed J.N. Shapiro is limited to 25 pieces and priced at CHF 68,900, per Monochrome. Zenith has not published the release date in the sources reviewed. Details are on zenith-watches.com.