Zenith Teams With J.N. Shapiro for G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double-Signed Limited Edition

Zenith established its “Double Signed” program, in which the Swiss manufacture invites independent watchmakers and other artisans to collaborate on special co-branded timepieces, earlier this year. For the first watch to emerge from the initiative, Zenith teamed with Japanese watchmaker Naoya Hida & Co., with all 10 pieces of that exclusive edition pre-sold. This week, Zenith announced the second Double Signed project, this one a partnership between it and American indie watchmaker J.N. Shapiro. Like its predecessor, this 25-piece limited edition springs from Zenith’s recently launched G.F.J. collection, which pays homage to Zenith’s proud history of timekeeping precision awards with its “observatory chronometer” movement, Caliber 135. 

Former history teacher Joshua Shapiro founded J.N. Shapiro Watches in Los Angeles back in 2018, and has been a presence on the American independent watchmaking scene ever since. He first gained the enthusiast community’s notice with his guilloché dials, handmade in his California workshop, and has since expanded the eponymous brand’s in-house capabilities, even introducing a proprietary movement, Caliber 26, in 2023. The dial of the Double Signed edition is a product of Shapiro’s atelier, its silver base embellished with three distinct guilloché textures, all executed by classical rose engines and straight-line machines. 

The outer ring features a barleycorn pattern, while the large central area is finished with a basketweave motif. The small-seconds subdial at 6 o’clock, a hallmark element of the GFJ’s vintage-chronometer aesthetic, is the most distinctly “Shapiro,” sporting the watchmaker’s signature “Infinity Weave” textural pattern. These areas of different guilloché are elegantly separated by applied framing rings, made of 18k rose gold, the same material used for the hands, hour appliqués, and the signatures of both Zenith and J.N. Shapiro.

The 39mm case is also made of 18k rose gold, and sits lightly on the wrist at 10.5mm thick. Through its sapphire exhibition caseback, one can view the hand-wound Caliber 135 that made its  debut inside the first GFJ models of 2025. The movement is actually a modern revival of the high-precision caliber of the same name that garnered multiple observatory prizes for accuracy in Zenith’s early years (The “GFJ” initials refer to Zenith’s founder, Georges Favre-Jacot, the man behind all those awards.) 

This version of the Caliber 135, which is regulated to +/- 2 seconds daily and offers an extended 72-hour power reserve, also bears the stylistic influence, and classical American sensibilities, of Shapiro. Its bridges are finished in a “Damascening” process, which combines elements of côtes de Genève and guilloché, of the type used in historical pocket watches made in the U.S.A. in the late 19th and early 20th Century. 

All of this is in addition to the other distinctive element that Zenith has brought to the 2.5-Hz movement, including the large, variable-inertia balance wheel with Breguet overcoil, and the double-arrow-shaped fine-adjustment regulator developed by longtime Zenith precision timing specialist Charles Fleck. 

Each of the 25 pieces of the Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed with J.N. Shapiro (the watch’s lengthy, official name) is delivered with three leather straps: brown Cordovan, beige nubuck alligator, and black calfskin, all with a rose-gold pin buckle engraved with the “G.F.J.” initials. Zenith also offers an 18k gold bracelet on request. The price is CHF 68,900, or about $82,000 on strap or you can opt for the matching solid gold bracelet for $143,500. You can learn more at zenith-watches.com and jnshapirowatches.com