One of the most noteworthy watches that burst in to the scene in 2013 is the Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Watch. Watch lovers are already familiar with the Zenith Christophe Colomb watch that is quite popular among them. Zenith came up with their latest watch design based on the original version of this well-known creation. The Christophe Colomb belongs to the Academy collection of watches from the watchmaker. The watchmaker has already come out with a variety of versions of this complicated watch. Before the arrival of the Christophe Colomb collection, the watchmaker was known for the Defy Xtreme Zero-G Tourbillon. Mr. Dufour who is the current owner of Zenith took the watch collection in to its current position.

Is this watch a true tourbillon? Even the watchmaker would admit that it is not a tourbillon. A real tourbillon revolves around its own axis. Thus, many tourbillon watches that use the term in their names are effectively not tourbillons. In case of the Christophe Colomb, the escapement is placed in a cage and made to stay upright due to the weight on it. Whenever you move or turn the watch, the escapement moves around in a cool manner. It is an extremely complicated feature to create.

Another interesting aspect of the watch is the protruding sapphire crystal that you will notice very easily. This is visible on the watch dial as well as on its case back. This feature is the result of the watchmaker’s attempt to find sufficient space for the escapement to move around in the case. Of course, you may think that the bubble on the case back would be uncomfortable on the wrists. It may look like that; but it does not feel awkward on your wrists while you wear it. The bubble on the top is bigger than the one on the bottom and is likely to hit on things with your hand movement. So, keep this in mind and avoid damage to the watch.

The Christophe Colomb is such a unique creation that it will stay close to your heart even after seeing and wearing it for a long time. The latest version of the model adds to the experience with the addition of certain features typically seen in Breguet creations. Those of you who are familiar with both Zenith and Breguet traditions would agree with me on this assessment. If you look at all the versions of this watch model, the latest version is in a class of its own. It certainly looks and feels like the best one of its class.

The watch case is 45 mm in diameter and is made of rose gold. An in house crafted El Primero caliber 8805 is powering the watch and needs to be manually wound. The watch has a whopping 1112 parts in it making it in to one of the most complicated watches ever to create.

Zenith will produce 25 pieces of this limited edition watch at a price of $ 280,000 each.