When the team at the Zenith Manufacture came across a blueprint of its historical building, it immediately reminded them of the blueprints they had seen of earliest Aeronefs, the earliest aircrafts conceived by the pioneers of flight, most notably Louis Blériot and his Type XI aircraft that he flew across the English Channel. As the preeminent watchmaker that accompanied the earliest aviators, Zenith sought to highlight their ingenuity in a surprising way with the Pilot Type 20 Blueprint.
The designers at the Manufacture sought to highlight this “unseen” aspect of the dial, by incorporating its production plans directly onto it. Unexpected and captivating, the dial is created in two parts: a matte blue base with all technical plans and notes used by the dial-maker, and above it a sapphire crystal and a sapphire crystal layer with the usual markers and logo. This creates a captivatingly deep visual effect, where the various markings cast a slight shadow on the blue base and give the impression that they’re hovering above the blueprint dial.
