ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157 Watch Review
While attending Geneva Watch Days 2024, Angus Davies discovered the ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157. Blessed with a distinctive mien, this divers’ watch evoked pleasant childhood memories, prompting the fiftysomething Lancastrian to take a closer look.
ZRC watch
In 1978, my father took delivery of a brand new Citroen GS Basalt, a front-wheel drive, four door car. Dressed in black with red-orange stripes gracing its doors and wings, the limited edition model made a bold statement whenever it cruised the grimy streets of the Lancastrian mill town I once called home.
Conventional cars of the time featured a handbrake positioned between the front seats, but not the GS Basalt. This French fire breather had a grab-handle-style lever emanating from the dashboard, ready to anchor the vehicle on demand. The radio had traded places with the handbrake, residing between said front seats. And, as if to heighten my boyish excitement, there was a three-position lever next to the Blaupunkt stereo that raised the car’s suspension, causing it to magically levitate. It felt so futuristic and unconventional at the time; an era when playground talk was dominated by sci-fi films and cool LED watches.
ZRC at Geneva Watch Days 2024 – my first encounter with the brand
In August, while attending Geneva Watch Days, I discovered the ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157, part of the Swiss brand’s ‘Grands Fonds’ collection. On seeing the period-inspired divers’ watch, I was reminded of my dad’s Citroen.
Instead of the crown residing at the customary 3 o’clock position, ZRC has located it at 6 o’clock, nestling between the lugs. The profile of the housing isn’t round, square or tonneau-shaped but multi-faceted with the case flanks projecting outwards as they near 3 and 9 o’clock.
By breaking with convention, ZRC has imbued its Grande Fonds models with a notable degree of style. But beyond the aesthetic charms of these watches, the unique design language also confers practical wearer benefits. For instance, the unusual location of the crown mitigates the risk of impacts harming the winding stem. It also contributes to the impressive ergonomic relationship between the watch and the wrist. Moreover, having handled various references within the collection, I can attest that ZRC Grande Fonds models feel solidly constructed.
Before I delve further into the specification of the ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157, I feel it is incumbent upon me to say a little more about the Swiss marque.
ZRC depuis 1904
Founded in Geneva, the birthplace of Swiss watchmaking, ZRC was the brainchild of Edmond Zuccolo and Joseph Rochet. The company began life in 1904 as a manufacturer of chains for pocket watches before specialising in the making of ‘claw’ bracelets. This innovative product, a world-first, provided a means of affixing a pocket watch to the wrist. Evidently an inventive company, it went on to develop the ‘first-ever extendable metal bracelet’ (1917).
Later, the company became known as a ‘turning-machine specialist’, creating waterproof cases for divers’ watches. According to the brand, ‘In 1958, during a casual conversation between Mr Yves Pastre, watchmaker for the Navy, and Mr Bourdarian, the brand’s Commercial Director at the time, management was informed about a bid for tender from the French National Navy. With Louis Brunet at the helm, the firm embarked on its ZRC Grands Fonds adventure. And, ZRC would equip clearance divers until 1995.’
In 2015, some 50 years after the release of the inaugural Grands Fonds 300, while under the stewardship of George and Charles Brunet (great-grandsons of Joseph Rochet), ZRC ‘reissued the GF300’.
This year, to coincide with its 120th anniversary, ZRC has unveiled the Limited Edition Phénix Q157. Subscribing to the historical GF300 design and limited to 200 pieces, the name of the model refers to a French Navy Submarine that disappeared on 15 June 1939. Now the Swiss marque is supporting a team of divers seeking to find the wreck that’s believed to be in Cam Rahn Bay, a deepwater inlet in the South China Sea, just off the coast of Vietnam.
ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157 – case
The case is predominantly brushed but with some polished accents that serve to augment the perception of luxury. The aforementioned crown benefits from the brand’s ‘Crown Protection System’ (CPS), an ingenious fail-safe design that ensures the crown is fully screwed down, preventing accidental water ingress.
Formed of 316L stainless steel, the case measures 41.5 mm in diameter and is antimagnetic up to 4800 A/m (ISO764). Most pertinently for a divers’ watch, the ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157 is also guaranteed water resistant to 1000 metres, albeit the brand states that it actually tests the watch up to 1500 metres.
The Limited Edition Phénix Q157 is a highly practical watch. The unidirectional bezel incorporates the brand’s patented ‘Easy Clean System’, allowing the wearer to rinse the inside of the bezel, washing away any potential build up of sea salt. The bezel also incorporates a ceramic insert, a feature that promises scratch-resistance and a fade-free future.
ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157- other details
Luminescent treatment abounds, aiding readability in restricted light. Fulsome hour and minute hands straddle the deep blue abyss-like dial, kissing the hour markers to impart meaning. A centre seconds hand with a lollipop near its tip completes the inventory of functions.
A Sellita SW300, a self-winding movement, sits at the heart of the watch. The frequency of the balance is 28,800 vph (4 Hz) and, assuming the mainspring is fully tensioned, the watch will run autonomously for 56 hours.
ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157 – closing remarks
The ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157 looks different from most other divers’ watches on the market. However, the Geneva-based marque has not sacrificed practicality on the altar of style. On the contrary, many of the distinctive characteristics found on this watch are rooted in subaquatic functionality. For example, the position of the crown aids comfort and mitigates harm to the winding stem. Meanwhile, the brand’s CPS system prevents the wearer diving with the crown unscrewed.
I have no doubt that the ZRC Limited Edition Phénix will fulfil the underwater needs of most intrepid types, but it will also prove eminently practical for life on terra firma. But this watch, like my father’s Citroen GS, elicits a broad smile of appreciation. Indeed, in a world where many watches appear samey, the unconventional arrangement of features and the added functionality these confer makes this watch very memorable.
Further reading
Technical specification
- Model: ZRC Limited Edition Phénix Q157
- Reference: GF42168PH
- Case: 316L stainless steel, diameter 41.5 mm, water resistance 100 ATM (1000 m), sapphire crystal to the front and solid case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, centre seconds
- Movement: Sellita SW300, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800vph (4Hz), power reserve (fully wound) = 56 hours
- Strap: blue FKM rubber strap paired with a stainless steel buckle
- Price: €3,790 (RRP as of 27.11.2024)