“We are a brand that people either know or don’t know,” says Aldo Magada, the recently minted CEO of Zenith. He was in town for the opening of the Swiss watch manufacture’s first standalone boutique in Singapore this October. “If they know the brand, they immediately say, ‘Ah! El Primero!’”

The El Primero, of course, is the multi-award-winning, high-frequency automatic-chronograph calibre created by Zenith in 1969, and the basis of an entire series of timepieces. The El Primero family and the Academy, Pilot, Captain and Star series are housed in the brand’s store at Marina Bay Sands, alongside limited-edition pieces such as the Calibre 410-powered Singapore Boutique Edition.

Zenith’s niche status may not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, it is one of the watchmaking names respected by industry insiders for its well-priced in-house movements. Says Magada: “Zenith will always be a niche brand, but I think we can be better-known for what we are doing. For me, Zenith is a serious manufacture for smiling people. We want to be happy and we want people to feel great about the brand.”
#B2-200, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.