A Legendary Mid-Century Watch Movement Returns, More Accurate Than Ever

Zenith revived its award-winning caliber 135 movement for a limited-edition 160th-anniversary watch.

the dial, case and crown of a Zenith GFJ watch

Published April 1, 2025

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The dial is a genuine work of art, combining a brick guilloche pattern, lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl, framed by a platinum case
The caliber 135 hand-wound movement beats at 18,000 VpH with a 72-hour power reserve and is Chronometer Certified
It comes with three straps: blue alligator, black calfskin, and blue Saffiano calfskin, plus a platinum bracelet is available for purchase

Zenith is celebrating its 160th birthday with one of the most beautiful dial and case combinations it has ever produced, housing a revived and upgraded version of its most awarded movement. It is named the G.F.J Calibre 135, after Georges Favre-Jacot, who founded the company in 1865, and it is limited to 160 pieces.

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a Zenith watch with a blue dial and steel bracelet — The G.F.J Calibre 135 comes with three leather bands, but a platinum bracelet is available for purchase.

A bit of history

Around the turn of the twentieth century, timekeeping accuracy was crucial to the astronomical work done at observatories. European observatories would hold competitions to judge accuracy and winning them was the most esteemed achievement for watchmakers at the time.

a Zenith watch with a blue dial on a man's wrist — The C.F.J. Calibre 135 is ideally sized at 39 millimeters.

Zenith began participating in observatory competitions in 1897, winning a record 2,333 chronometry prizes over the years. By far, the brand’s most awarded movement was the caliber 135.

The 135 was produced from 149 to 1962, with a commercial variant and an “O” variant produced exclusively for observatory chronometry competitions. It won 235 prizes over that period, which was an all-time record.

Revived and revitalized

Zenith’s new caliber 135 is not just a reproduction of the original, but an innovative elaboration that pushes the boundaries of timekeeping accuracy in the same way the original did half a century ago.

the exhibition case back of a Zenith watch — The C.F.J. Calibre 135 is powered by one of the most advanced movements Zenith has ever created.

The center wheel is now offset to allow for a larger balance wheel, improving both precision and stability. An enlarged barrel has improved the power reserve from 40 hours in the 1950s to 72 hours today.

Falling within the high-beat range with a frequency of 18,000 VpH, the small second hand glides with nearly imperceptible ticks. The balance wheel operates at 2.5Hz, thanks to regulation screws and a Breguet overcoil.

the side and crown of a Zenith watch with a blue dial — The case is only 10 millimeters thick.

A signature feature of the 135-O that remains is the double arrow-shaped regulator, which allows for precise adjustment and a stop-second mechanism has been added to set the time to the exact second.

The new caliber 135 movement is regulated to be accurate within +/-2 seconds per day, which has been authenticated by COSC.

A deep blue dial

The impressive technical achievement of the caliber 135 movement is matched by the artistic design of the C.F.J.’s dial and case. With three concentric circles and the simplest possible hands, the simple layout allows the beautiful natural textures to shine.

a Zenith watch with a blue dial and blue leather strap — The dial contains cut mother of pearl and lapis lazuli and uses 18-karat gold hands and markers.

Starting slightly off-center, the small seconds dial is cut from blue mother of pearl with an 18-karat white gold hand and applied indices. Next, the 18-karat white gold faceted hour and minute hands sit in the center of a circle cut from lapis lazuli.

The hour track is the most elaborate section of the dial, featuring blue guilloché bricks and 18-karat white gold dash indices, which are doubled at three o’clock, nine o’clock and twelve o’clock.

a Zenith watch with a blue dial laying on a table — The C.F.J. has a platinum case.

This masterful arrangement of tonal blues is framed within a platinum case, accented with curved stepped lugs. At 39 millimeters wide and only 10 millimeters thick, it is gracefully understated.

Availability and pricing

The Zenith C.F.J. Calibre 135 will be available in April from Zenith for $49,900. As part of the 160th Anniversary Collection, it is limited to 160 pieces.

The watch comes with a blue alligator leather strap with a platinum pin buckle, a black calfskin leather strap and a blue Saffiano calfskin leather strap. A matching platinum bracelet with a double folding clasp is available for additional purchase.