Surrounded by the international press and local celebrities, Zenith CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour paid tribute to the pioneers of aviation at a Parisian evening in September focused on the theme of the Pilot collection. An integral part of the permanent exhibition of the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Arts and Crafts Museum), Louis Blériot’s plane hung over the 250 guests. The first man to have flown across the Channel in 1909 had said at the time: “I am very satisfied with the Zenith watch that I generally use and I certainly recommend it to anyone with a concern for precision”. Closer to our own era, Zenith ambassador Felix Baumgartner explained his upcoming challenge to curious guests. Equipped with his El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th, he is aiming for nothing less than to become the first man to cross the sound barrier by jumping out of a capsule from the edge of space at an altitude of over 36.5 km. Guests with their feet firmly on the ground included actress Virginie Ledoyen and actors Richard Berry, Jean-Paul Rouve and Laurent Lafitte, along with Elie Semoun, Estelle Lefébure, Pascal Elbé and Andrea Soldano.
