In January of 2024, Zenith announced the arrival of Benoit de Clerck as its Chief Executive Officer. Benoit brings over 25 years of executive experience in the watchmaking industry, including most recently as the Chief Commercial Officer of Panerai, and previously the North American President of IWC. WatchTime met with him in Geneva.   

What attracted you most about Zenith?   
First of all, I'm very grateful to my previous employer. I've learned a lot, and it was a very good journey. What made me want to change and join Zenith is not necessarily the title, but the scope of the job. When you're CEO, you have the job that encompasses people, marketing, PR, production, supply, sales, and all those parameters that are integrated under one roof. I was lucky, because at Panerai I was very involved. But I was hungry and wanted the whole scope.   

Zenith offers the full scope of the job, number one. Number two is the brand—it is very human. It's not a big brand, it's not a small brand. It's a sizable brand. It has a lot of authenticity, which is amazing, and I'm discovering this every day.   Julien [Tornare] did a fantastic job. Now, I'm lucky, I'm coming into another part of the job and I'm adding another step, if you want. Maybe somebody else will come in and bring another step. That goes with the same philosophy for people, and people are the same and this is how we evolve. Because of the nature of the brand, and because it's human and the authenticity, it allows you to emancipate and to grow. That's why all those leaders that came before at Zenith succeeded. 

What watch did you pick today? 
I picked it not only for today, it's the first watch I picked when I arrived, and I knew exactly what I wanted. Because I love the Grande Date [of the Pilot Big Date Flyback with black ceramic case], the mechanism of the Grande Date. It's very elegant, and very few brands have a Grande Date. Number two, it's a chronograph. Number three, it's a Pilot. I like the Pilot line from my previous heritage, and I found it very interesting because of the dial, it's a little bit leveled. I like the fact that when you look at it, it looks three-dimensional. When I saw it at Watches and Wonders last year, I said to myself, it's a watch I could buy. And then I was patient enough to wait.  

Can you already tell us a little about what we can expect in the future?   
I am very lucky because Julien has done a fantastic job. The foundation of what he has done is great for the brand, and it came at the right time because now it's time to shift gears. I'm not going to create a revolution, that's for sure, because I'm going to continue and follow on the momentum and the traction that the brand has, and the brand has traction. However, I'll definitely add my little touch. I'll add my little spices, not tomorrow, because I want to take time to discover and to know more about the brand. You have no idea the level of richness that the brand has at the manufacture. I spent like two, three days with the heritage team, the museum team, and all these people surrounded me with so many things. The beauty of the brand is that it's very authentic. You don't need to create a story. The story is real, is there. That's a great asset the brand has. A look at the future is definitely continuing the traction, continue to grow the brand, and to make it better every day. I have no intention to triple or quintuple the turnover in five days or six months. That's definitely not what I was hired for. It's a brand that is 160 years old, and my role is to continue on the same line and to keep it for another 160 years. That's the way I look at it.   

Why is now the best moment to buy a Zenith for a collector?  
We are limited in the production, number one. We cannot produce hundreds and thousands of watches. Number two, I believe that Zenith offers a lot of watch for the money. It's a very good, authentic complication with the in-house movement. It has all the parameters for someone looking for something authentic. It's not bits and parts here and there. It is a real authentic movement. It's a watch for people in the know. We have a strong collector environment and we're inviting them to the manufacture. You get a lot of watch for the price. For example, the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar—it's a fantastic watch, and it's a complicated one. It's a watch that was created 54 years ago. They produced a couple of references and models and then [it] was left, kept out in the safe for 40 years. Now the authenticity with the technicality and the technicity of the manufacture, we produce the same watch with all the history, but on the very modern technicality. Today, the watch is performing, and it's not outrageously priced.   When you wear a Zenith you're part of a group, a natural clan. I was taking the train last week and somebody walking by said, "Nice Pilot Zenith." Wow. I called to the guy, "Can we speak?" I was very proud being the CEO of the brand. But the guy didn't say it for that purpose, he did not know who I was. This little thing makes you think, that's cool! He knew the brand, he knew the model, he knew what he was talking about, and he was wearing a Zenith Chronomaster Sport.