BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
In an unexpected direction, Swiss watchmaker Zenith has created a double-signed version of its G.F.J. watch, introduced in 2025 to mark its 160th anniversary. Named after the company founder, Georges Favre-Jacot, G.F.J. is a small, classy and relatively vintage styled dress watch, and again an unexpected move entirely from Zenith at its own launch. This new piece has been signed by Naoya Hida & Co, the Japanese independent making waves in the watch industry, and it looks good, but what’s making them move in this direction?
Naoya Hida
When we talk about watches being double-signed, there’s usually quite a specific meaning. A double-signed watch is a watch that’s been made by the manufacturer, but then sold through a different retailer, usually one that’s very prestigious. The best-known double-signed watches are any Patek Philippe with the Tiffany & Co. name printed on the dial. This occurred through a handshake agreement between Tiffany & Co. and Patek Philippe, dating back to 1851, under which Tiffany & Co. sold Patek Philippe watches in the US and had the right to have its name printed on the dial. There are many different combinations of this. It’s not limited to Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co., Cartier has sold both Rolex and Patek Philippe watches and had its name printed on their dials despite making its own watches, and then there are the various prestigious dealers around the world which have had their names on the dials of watches, such as Gübelin in Switzerland and Asprey in London.
Zenith seems to be taking a different direction with its double-signed watches, which I understand will be a permanent feature of its collection. Instead of working with prestigious retailers and having their names printed on its watches, Zenith is turning to independent watchmakers for inspiration, allowing them to have some level of creativity and direction over the watches Zenith then makes, along with their names put on the watch.
Naoya Hida & Co’s influence is evident on the dial, which is solid silver and in the brand’s distinct style. The Zenith and Naoya Hida & Co names on the dial look great, the blue urushi lacquer in the markers brings harmony to the time-only dial. Behind the dial sits the hand-wound calibre 135, based on the original 1948 design, which was praised for its chronometric accuracy. The modern version has seen a few tweaks, although it remains faithful to the original and includes features such as a particularly large balance wheel beating at quite a slow pace (2.5Hz), yet it still performs within -2/+2s per day. It also has a 70-hour power reserve. Well, nothing on the movement side may have changed for this version of the watch. It is still a very good-looking movement and quite unusual in the watch world, thanks in particular to that larger balance wheel.
All of this is set within a 950 platinum case measuring 39.15mm x 10.5mm and with 50m of water resistance. Each watch is delivered with three straps: an indigo Japanese Kaihara denim strap, an urushi lacquer-finished Himeji Kurozan strap, and a Kyoto-made strap in Wagyu leather.
Prices are set at €58,900, and this is a limited-edition run of just 10 pieces.
Note: All 10 watches have now sold out.
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