The new Leica ZM Monochrom Edition watches take inspiration from the release of the latest Leica M11 Monochrom camera and honors the most fundamental principles of black and white photography: contrast and light. It takes a deep understanding of the products, years of expertise, and perhaps the right amount of stubbornness to create something that is so understated and yet alive with detail. Remarkable tones and nuances stand out in a symphony of shadows and reflections rich with detail, revealing depth within simplicity and creating harmony between two of Leica's outstanding products.
The Leica ZM Monochrom Edition watch collection consists of two models, both with mechanical manual wound movement developed and produced in-house. The Leica ZM 1 and Leica ZM 2 —a GMT Dual Time Zone—, are now available in the new Monochrom Edition. The “ZM” in the watch collection name stands for “Zeitmesser”, which is the German descriptive word for an instrument that measures and displays the time.
The distinctive design of the Leica ZM Monochrom Edition removes all color and silver tones, except for the red dot, achieving a truly minimalist aesthetic. Beneath the anti-reflective and strongly curved sapphire crystal are the black rhodium-plated, diamond cut, sandblasted indices, and hands.
The dial, including its feet, is milled from a solid block of high-strength aluminum to reinforce its shock resistance. Moreover, the Monochrom Edition watch strap is identical to the texture of the M11 Monochrom camera and made of thick, strong-grained, black calf leather and crafted using a cut-edge construction with hand-stitching to support the sturdy, yet refined look of the Leica ZM Monochrom Edition.
The Leica ZM is unique, even in a highly developed and competitive watch market. It’s different in a Leica way, with its own distinctive design language, paired with unconventional solutions to classic timekeeping functions. The patented push-crown, with a simple push, stops the movement from working, resets the seconds hand to zero, and enables easy time-setting.
The push-crown solves a function used by all watch brands in a completely original way, making the Leica ZM a typical Leica product, though not for taking pictures. The Leica ZM 2 has an additional feature as a GMT dual time zone watch, which together with a day/night indicator allows the wearer to read two time zones with a single set of hands.
The new Leica ZM Monochrom Edition watches will be available from late May 2023 at selected Leica stores worldwide, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Portugal, UK, USA, China, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, and Australia. Both features feature a display case back that allows a full view of the movement.
Sticker Price €11,550 Euro —approximately $12,700 USD— for the ZM 1 and €15,450 Euro —approximately $17,000 USD— for the ZM 2.
