Zenith has officially unveiled one of the year’s most quietly significant releases: the G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed with Naoya Hida & Co. Launching on 2 June 2026, limited to just 10 examples and priced at $75,000 (around AED 275,000), it’s a watch built for serious collectors — and a fitting one to land in a market like the UAE. It also marks the debut of Zenith’s new “Double Signed Program” — reviving the vintage tradition of retailer- or partner-signed dials, a heritage also shared by co-signed Patek Philippe and Rolex Tiffany pieces — and Zenith has already confirmed further co-signed collaborations are in the pipeline, making this debut piece one to watch.
What is Zenith’s Double Signed Program?
The programme revives a golden-age tradition: watchmakers co-signing a masterpiece as a seal of shared heritage. For this inaugural release, the Swiss Maison has partnered with independent Japanese brand Naoya Hida & Co., a name revered among enthusiasts for its meticulous sense of proportion and its deep respect for mid-century mechanical watchmaking. The Calibre 135 itself has serious pedigree: originally developed by Ephrem Jobin in 1948 purely for observatory chronometry competitions, it went on to win more than 230 observatory prizes, including five consecutive victories at the Neuchâtel Observatory between 1950 and 1954 — making it, by Zenith’s own account, the most awarded movement of its kind.
The collaboration grew from a genuine connection between Zenith’s Chief Product Officer, Romain Marietta and founder Naoya Hida, who has admired the legendary Calibre 135 since the 1990s. The result is a watch that reads as a conversation between Swiss horological precision and Japanese artisanal craft, rather than a logo exercise—a unique dynamic embodied by the G.F.J. Calibre 135 partnership.
The watch: dial, case and movement
Housed in a 39mm platinum case, the timepiece centres on a solid silver dial with hand-engraved indications filled with deep blue Japanese Urushi lacquer — the kind of detail that rewards a close look — and dual signatures from both Zenith and Naoya Hida & Co. All of that engraving — both signatures, the indices and the text — is done by hand by master engraver Keisuke Kano, giving the dial a depth that printed text can’t match. The hour and minute hands are CNC-machined from solid gold and then hand-polished, finished off with a heat-blued steel small seconds hand.
Flip it over, and a sapphire caseback reveals the hand-wound Calibre 135, offering a 72-hour power reserve and COSC certification, dressed with Geneva stripes, ruthenium treatment and yellow gold accents. Among current releases, the G.F.J. Calibre 135 stands out with technical highlights like a large variable-inertia balance wheel, a Breguet overcoil and Charles Fleck’s double arrow regulator — a serious watchmaking pedigree under a deliberately restrained exterior. It even arrives with three distinct straps: Himeji Kurozan leather, Kyoto Wagyu leather and Kaihara indigo denim. The case back is sapphire, so that movement is fully on display for anyone who wants to see the finishing up close.
Why UAE collectors will want this on their radar
The UAE has firmly established itself as one of the world’s most important luxury watch markets, home to a knowledgeable collector community and the global stage that is Dubai Watch Week. For the region’s connoisseurs, a platinum, dual-signed, 10-piece limited edition exemplifying G.F.J. Calibre 135 refinements is precisely the sort of release that gets collectors talking. Zenith has confirmed more Double Signed collaborations are coming, so this debut piece is worth watching for what it signals about the direction of the programme.
With production capped at 10 pieces worldwide, anyone in the region hoping to secure one will want to move quickly and enquire through Zenith’s official channels. For collectors who value rarity, provenance and a story as much as the watch itself, this is exactly the kind of release worth tracking down. Interested buyers should quote the reference 40.1865-2.0135/01.C220 when enquiring through Zenith’s official channels.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed cost?
The watch is priced at $75,000, which is roughly AED 275,000. At $75,000 for a 10-piece platinum limited edition with hand engraving and a historically important movement, it sits squarely in serious-collector territory rather than everyday luxury.
How many will be made?
The release is limited to just 10 examples worldwide, making this G.F.J. Calibre 135 highly exclusive. That is a smaller run than most limited-edition dress watches from major Swiss houses, which is exactly why interested collectors are advised to enquire directly through Zenith rather than wait.
What makes this watch special?
It launches Zenith’s Double Signed Program, pairing the Swiss Maison with Japanese brand Naoya Hida & Co. on a 39mm platinum watch with a hand-engraved silver dial filled with blue Urushi lacquer and dual signatures. It is also the movement’s first appearance dressed by an outside independent watchmaker rather than restored from vintage stock, and Zenith has said this is only the first of several planned Double Signed collaborations.
When was it released?
The G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed was unveiled on 2 June 2026, further cementing the G.F.J. Calibre 135 in the pantheon of iconic Zenith releases. This launch marks a new era of limited-edition G.F.J. Calibre 135 collaborations for Zenith and Naoya Hida.
