{"id":380342,"date":"2026-04-15T08:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T08:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/380342\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T08:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T08:08:11","slug":"the-new-zenith-g-f-j-in-tantalum-and-yellow-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/380342\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Zenith G.F.J. In Tantalum And Yellow Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Zenith<\/a> brought back the legendary Calibre 135<\/a> last year in the G.F.J. collection<\/a>, it was a tribute to its 160-year history. Also, it signalled the return of one of the most celebrated chronometer movements. Now, the brand<\/a> expands the collection with two new G.F.J interpretations: a tantalum<\/a> edition with an onyx dial and diamonds, and a warmer yellow-gold model featuring a striking bloodstone dial.<\/p>\n

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The Calibre 135<\/p>\n

Both watches continue the story of the Calibre 135<\/a>, a movement originally developed in the late 1940s specifically for observatory chronometry competitions. Created by watchmaker Ephrem Jobin, the calibre was designed with a large barrel to deliver stable power and an oversized balance wheel to maximise rate stability and featured an offset centre wheel to free space for the large regulator system. Produced between 1949 and 1962, the calibre 135 existed in both a commercial version and a competition-grade 135-O. The latter became one of the most successful chronometer movements ever produced. Carefully prepared by Zenith\u2019s chronom\u00e9triers Charles Fleck and Ren\u00e9 Gygax, the 135-O won more than 230 observatory prizes and secured five consecutive first places at the Neuch\u00e2tel Observatory from 1950 to 1954, a record that still stands.<\/p>\n

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The new hand-wound Calibre 135, re-engineered for modern production, retains the distinctive construction and 13-ligne diameter, but incorporates contemporary technical improvements. The barrel now delivers a power reserve of approximately 72 hours, the gear train has been optimised for efficiency, and the movement now includes hacking seconds. The oversized balance still beats at 18,000 vibrations\/hour and features regulation screws, a Breguet overcoil hairspring, and the characteristic double-arrow-shaped regulator for fine adjustment. Each movement is COSC-certified and regulated to a daily precision of \u00b12 seconds.<\/p>\n

The G.F.J. in Tantalum<\/p>\n

The most exclusive interpretation of the G.F.J.<\/a> comes in a 39.5mm case made from tantalum, a metal rarely used in watchmaking due to its density and difficulty in machining. With its natural blue-grey tone and soft metallic sheen, tantalum gives the watch a distinctive character, restrained and technical.<\/p>\n

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The dial follows the collection\u2019s established three-part design. A polished black onyx centre creates a deep, mirror-like surface, contrasted by an oversized small-seconds counter in grey mother-of-pearl. Surrounding the dial is the signature brick-pattern guilloch\u00e9 ring inspired by the fa\u00e7ade of the Zenith manufacture in Le Locle. Eleven baguette-cut diamond indices maintain the monochrome look. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the movement features Geneva stripes, hand-chamfered bridges, and a dark ruthenium finish that matches the tone of the tantalum case.<\/p>\n

Quick facts \u2013 39.15mm x 10.5mm tantalum case \u2013 stepped bezel and sculpted lugs \u2013 sapphire crystal front and back \u2013 50m WR \u2013 three-part construction dial \u2013 brick-pattern guilloch\u00e9 outer ring \u2013 black onyx centre \u2013 grey mother-of-pearl small seconds at 6 o\u2019clock \u2013 baguette-cut diamond hour markers \u2013 18k white gold faceted hands \u2013 Zenith Calibre 135 \u2013 manual-winding \u2013 COSC-certified chronometer \u2013 oversized balance with regulation screws \u2013 Breguet overcoil hairspring \u2013 double arrow-shaped regulator \u2013 stop-seconds mechanism \u2013 18,000 vibrations\/hour \u2013 72-hour power reserve \u2013 blue nubuck alligator strap with titanium pin buckle \u2013 additional black alligator strap and grey calfskin strap \u2013 limited edition of 20 pieces \u2013 Ref. 98.1865.0135\/21.C205 \u2013 CHF 73,900.<\/p>\n

The G.F.J. in Yellow Gold<\/p>\n

The second new Zenith G.F.J. model is crafted in 18-carat yellow gold. While the case design remains identical, measuring 39.5mm with a stepped bezel and curved lugs, the gold brings a much warmer feeling to the watch.<\/p>\n

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The dial remains true to the original concept but introduces a new element, a central disc in bloodstone, a form of green jasper with natural red inclusions. An oversized mother-of-pearl small-seconds counter is at six o\u2019clock; the outer sector retains the brick-pattern guilloch\u00e9. Through the sapphire caseback, the re-engineered Calibre 135 reveals a decoration that differs slightly from the earlier anniversary model. Here, the bridges feature broader Geneva stripes, refined hand-chamfering and a dark ruthenium finish with gold-coloured engravings.<\/p>\n

Quick facts \u2013\u00a039.15mm x 10.5mm 18k yellow gold case \u2013 stepped bezel and curved lugs \u2013 sapphire crystal front and back \u2013 50m WR \u2013 dial with brick-pattern guilloch\u00e9 outer ring \u2013 bloodstone (jasper) centre \u2013 mother-of-pearl small seconds at 6 o\u2019clock \u2013 applied yellow-gold indices \u2013 yellow-gold faceted hands \u2013 Zenith Calibre 135 \u2013 manual-winding \u2013 COSC-certified chronometer \u2013 Breguet overcoil hairspring \u2013 stop-seconds mechanism \u2013 18,000 vibrations\/hour \u2013 72-hour power reserve \u2013 beige nubuck alligator strap with yellow-gold pin buckle \u2013 additional green alligator strap and black calfskin strap \u2013 optional yellow-gold bracelet \u2013 limited edition of 161 pieces \u2013 Ref. 30.1865.0135\/56.C216 \u2013 CHF 48,900.<\/p>\n

Both new Zenith G.F.J. watches are available by pre-order only. For more information, please visit Zenith-Watches.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n https:\/\/monochrome-watches.com\/first-look-zenith-gfj-georges-favre-jacot-calibre-135-tantalum-black-onyx-yellow-gold-bloodstone-specs-price-live-pics\/ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Zenith brought back the legendary Calibre 135 last year in the G.F.J. collection, it was a tribute…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2246,15451,2932,111,139,2933,69,145,192924],"class_list":{"0":"post-380342","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-2246","9":"tag-dress-watches","10":"tag-luxury-watches","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-novelty","14":"tag-nz","15":"tag-technology","16":"tag-watches-wonders"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}