STORY

Our Time Journey

160 years of watchmaking history

A watch is always nurtured by the meticulous exigencies of its watchmaker. It embodies the culmination of their will, creativity, rigor, but above all: their perseverance over time to push the limits of their era and thus, endure through the centuries.

Through more than 160 years of watchmaking history, Zeno Watch has proven to be no exception to this rule.

Our Commitment

Contemporary Heritage

Valuing traditional mechanisms through modern designs.

Timeless Quality

A pursuit of durability in every watch.

Excellence for all

Offering horological mastery universally.

MR ZENO

Our Contemporary Sturdiness

In 1965, the Huber family took over the management of the company, entrusting the reins to Felix W. Huber, who would later be kindly named Mr. Zeno by his staff. Under his astute guidance, ZENO watches embraced a new chapter.

Now, Zeno would honor traditional watchmaking mechanisms while welcoming modernity. The new models exhibit a successful union of contemporary aesthetics with mechanisms of excellence, some harking back to a prosperous period marked by the unique plurality of horological initiatives.

The right mechanical movement becomes the priority of each creation, and its design encapsulates the spirit of its era, reflecting the desire to harmonize the past and present in a single timepiece.

Zeno’s History

1868

The story begins in Cerneux-Godat, Switzerland, with Jules Godat-Bouvier establishing his watchmaking workshop. In 1868, he sets up his own workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, marking the beginning of Zeno watch production. He initially specializes in silver pocket watches*.

Silver pocket watches : A silver pocket watch is a portable timepiece whose case is made of silver, a precious metal. It typically features a cover that protects the dial and is carried in a pocket, attached to a chain.

The company grows and shifts towards manufacturing pocket watches for railway staff*.

Pocket watches for railway staff : Pocket watches for railway staff are specially designed to meet the precision and reliability requirements of railway timetables. They often feature characteristics such as easy readability, high accuracy, and robustness suitable for professional use in a railway environment.

1922

André-Charles Eigeldinger takes over the business, focusing on military observation watches*

Military observation watches, also known as B-Uhr in German, were used by military pilots for their high precision and readability. They often feature large dials, luminous indices, and additional functionalities such as chronographs, suited to military operational requirements.

and other types of pocket watches. He registers the ZENO brand in 1922, in tribute to the Greek philosopher Zeno of Citium*.

Zeno of Citium (334/333 - 262/261 BC) was an ancient Stoic philosopher, founder of the Stoic school in Athens. His philosophy advocated self-control and wisdom as means to achieve virtue and harmony with nature.

Over time, production shifts towards wristwatches*.

Wristwatches : portable watches attached to a strap worn around the wrist for easy time-telling, can offer various features such as date display, chronographs, alarms, and sometimes even more complex functions like moon phases, perpetual calendars, and displays of multiple time zones.

1937

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the ZENO brand, innovative watches with new instruments like Telemeter*

The telemeter on a watch is an instrument that measures distance relative to a sound event, using a chronograph combined with a measurement scale on the watch dial. It uses the speed of sound (340 m/s or about 1 km in 3 seconds) to estimate the distance between the observer and the source of the sound event.

are introduced.

1959

Zeno is presented at the prestigious Basel Watch Fair*

Founded in 1917, the Basel Watch Fair, also known as Baselworld, was one of the most important and prestigious watch fairs in the world. Held annually in Basel, Switzerland, this fair brought together manufacturers, distributors, collectors, and watch enthusiasts. It showcased new products and trends in the industry, including watches, jewelry, and precious stones. The Fair was interrupted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

where the first Zeno mechanical pilot watches*

Mechanical aviator watches are watches specifically designed to meet the needs of pilots. They are generally robust, easy to read, and equipped with features useful in flight, such as chronographs, navigation scales, or displays of multiple time zones. The mechanical mechanism of these watches makes them independent of external power sources, an undeniable advantage in the event of an electrical failure in the cockpit.

are introduced. In the following years, they innovate with digital "jump hour" watches*

Jump hour digital watches are watches that display the time using discs with numbers instead of hands. Unlike traditional watches where the hands move continuously, in jump hour watches, the hour number 'jumps' to the next hour as soon as 60 minutes have passed, switching directly from one hour to the next without a visible transition. This movement resembles a jump, hence the term 'jumping'.

and other specific models.

1965

Under the aegis of Felix Huber, watch assembly and after-sales service are transferred to Basel*, the global hub of watchmaking. Perfectly centralized, Felix Huber can continue to work and design his other beloved brands: Catena Suisse, Gio Monaco, Pilot-Instruments, Jaquet-Girard…
An inexhaustible creative, Mr. Zeno was keen to explore with other brands the entirety of his creative horizons, from the most traditional to the most aesthetically daring, picking up the best of their essence to infuse into Zeno models.

1969

Zeno launches its famous "compressor"*

This innovative device combines a case back with a compression spring, so that increasing external pressure pushes the back more firmly against the seal. Thus, the watertightness automatically strengthens as the depth of immersion increases.

watch specially dedicated to divers. Between 1972 and 1978, the renowned "Spaceman" watch is born.

1999

Zeno Watch creates a sensation by presenting its oversized aviator watch collection with a diameter of 47.5 mm: the Aviator Oversize*.

Oversize Aviator Watches are pilot watches larger than the standard size, often with a case diameter exceeding 42 millimeters. These watches are designed for easy readability under all circumstances, thanks to their large dials and luminous numbers. The oversize aesthetic also gives these watches a bold style and strong character, making them a popular choice among watch enthusiasts.

Deeply committed to Swiss watchmaking heritage and fascinated by large pocket watches, Felix Huber brilliantly intuited the adaptation of these majestic dimensions to wristwatches. With this bold creation, Zeno Watch not only presented a new watch: the brand was redefining the aesthetic and technical standards of contemporary watchmaking.

Today

Immutable yet not anchored in the past, the spirit of Zeno Watch is expressed through a constant desire to value traditional mechanisms through modern designs, to seek durability and quality in every watch, and to universally offer horological mastery.