Leica ZM1 and ZM2 Watches: Made in Germany with Bespoke Movements

After showing off various mechanical watch prototypes at the Leitzpark III opening in 2018, Leica spent the next few years further developing and refining these designs, culminating with a limited release of the their new wristwatches last year. And now, after these important first steps, the Leica ZM1 and ZM2 watches are being manufactured in greater numbers and sold more broadly through Leica Stores around the world.

For a first horological foray, the ZM1 and ZM2 are impressive offerings. Many fledgling watch brands use off-the-shelf ETA or Sellita movements and focus solely on case and dial design. Complications are often kept at a minimum. But here, Leica went a very different direction for their debut watches. The hand-wound calibers in the ZM1 and ZM1 are completely bespoke movements, featuring a number of complications, including their innovative, and now patented, push-crown design. New watch brands rarely invest the time and money needed to develop in-house movements. Rarer still to create something truly unique.

Design

Like Leica cameras and lenses, the ZM1 and ZM2 watches exude the same minimalist yet refined mechanical aesthetic. This is no accident. When designing the watches, Leica wanted to echo the clean lines and precision of its core photographic products. So, they turned to Professor Achim Heine, who teaches product design at the Berlin University of the Arts, and who has worked with Leica on recent camera projects to extend its aesthetic to the new watches.

The stainless steel cases measure 41mm across, 14.5mm thick including the domed sapphire crystal, and 48mm lug-to-lug. The 316L stainless steel case features satin sides with polished shoulders and bezel. The milled aluminum dial is clean, with a subtly textured matte black finish. Diamond cut hour indices and hands are plated in polished rhodium, as is the decor ring around the small seconds register at 6 o'oclock, where the red seconds hand provides just a pop of color.

On the backside, a large sapphire glass exhibition back grants viewing of the in-house movement. Understated and a work of mechanical art, the movement lacks the flash and intricate decorations often found on watches in this price range. No côtes de Genève. No perlage. With just a simple sandblasted finish, the mechanism itself is the focus. Precision steel gears and polished screw heads at the perimeter combine beautifully with the golden gear train and balance wheel, and are accented by the ruby bearings. Brushed steel bridges are clean and functional but still add to the overall aesthetic. Just lovely.

Leica Caliber ZM1 and ZM2

Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, the ZM1 and ZM2 hand-wound movements feature a 60-hour power reserve along with some interesting complications. Leica has partnered with Lehmann Präzision, in Germany's Black Forest for the creation and manufacture of the innovative movements. The ZM1 is a time and date only model, while the ZM2 offers a rotating 12-hour inner bezel for tracking a second time zone. A third crown controls the bidirectionally-rotated bezel, which seats smoothly into nice detents at the hour marks. Additionally, there is a subtle day/night indicator at 4 o'clock to provide true GMT functionality.

On both models, the center crown pushes in to start and stop the escapement. When stopping the movement, there's a crisp small seconds hand reset to 12 o'clock and the normally small white dot on the dial at three o'clock flips to red. The hour and minutes will then rotate freely via the crown. Another click on the red enamel end cap of the crown and the watch springs to life once again. Rotating the crown in the running position winds the watch, and filling up the linear white on black power reserve indicator located between 8 and 9 o'clock. The date window at 3 o'clock can be quickset with the upper push button on the side of the case. One click advances the date one day, working in both the stopped and running positions.

Dr. Kaufmann

Behind this initiative, like many of Leica's recent new ventures, is majority owner and chairman Dr. Andreas Kaufmann. He's held fast to his vision for true ‘Made in Germany' craftsmanship across the board and has extended this ethos beyond Leica's core photographic range. For example, he started CW Sonderoptic, since renamed to Leitz Cine Wetzlar, in 2008 to create class-leading cine lenses. The professional cine lens market had traditionally been dominated by a few key players for decades, and breaking in to that market seemed almost insurmountable. But Kaufmann made the investment to create unique, exceptional designs and now, with eight different families of lenses to serve a wide variety of subsegments, Leitz Cine has become a major player in a relatively short amount of time.

For the watches, Kaufmann is taking a similar approach. He started Ernst Leitz Werkstätten in 2018 to pursue that lofty goal of brand extension, engineering and mechanical excellence and staying true to the ‘Made in Germany' mantra. Ultimately, he wanted to create a watch brand that was as deserving of the Leica brand as the company's cameras and lenses. And it looks like Leica is off to an impressive start.

Pricing, Ordering and Availability

The Leica ZM1 and ZM2 are now available at select Leica Stores around the world for $10,000 and $14,000 respectively. If you are interested in ordering one of the Leica Watches, you can do so at Leica Store Miami by clicking the button below, calling 305-921-4433 or sending an email to info@leicastoremiami.com.

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