For a very long time, little was known about French watches like the ZRC Grand Fonds as most collectors were after the Swiss and American pieces. However, as the web crept into the scene in the mid 90s, watches like the ZRC, Lip, LeJour, Yema, and others became more common knowledge as people started to share about them on the internet.

I first learnt of the ZRC from a collector friend back in the late 90s. At that point, I found it to be a rather odd looking watch and worth taking a look. Having collected watches since 1987, I must admit, I knew extremely little about the ZRC. Around that same period, I had also accumulated many wonderful and informative Japanese magazines on vintage watches. Featured in a number of those magazines is the ZRC. After reading more about its history, I found it to be a truly unique piece.

The design of a watch is what attracts me, regardless of the brand. I found the design of the ZRC to be well thought out. Although the logo seems to be wordy, the intricate logo on the dial is extremely pleasing to look at. As it seems that it is not enough, the gorgeous logo is replicated on the back of the watch again. The case back is something to be adored. The logo fills almost the entire case back with four notches that are symmetrically positioned. The next thing that draws me to this cult watch is the placement of the crown at the 6pm position. The special screw down crown locks by turning counter clockwise, something extremely unique to this brand.

Finally, the ZRC Grand Fonds is extremely comfortable on my small wrist and pleasing to the eyes. The dial is elegantly designed and telling time is easy with the simple baton hands and a huge lollipop sweep second hand. What an MN watch!