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Originally Posted by ducatidoc
A bit overly dismissive.
Nataf era did in fact shepherd the brand back to international prominence. Some of his designs were admittedly over the top while others were very popular. The biggest problem was that he tried to expand the brand too much for what level of support LVMH was willing to provide, but he at least made a stab at developing the US market. Dufour's first major move was to cut back production, reduce the number of SKUs from nearly 900 down to a more readily manageable 120 or so, and reduce the number of storefronts here in the US from 90+ down to around 50 or so. The result is much less in terms of options, and it's almost impossible to order the exact piece you want in the US. Dufour focuses on the Asian market first and foremost. Zenith continues to have major supply chain issues elsewhere.
The focus by Dufour on the 42mm size cases as opposed to the 44-46mm cases favored by Nataf is one of personal preference, IMO. You can find enthusiastic proponents for each.
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All of that is true. But ultimately Nataf failed. He failed because he made the simple mistake of chucking the baby down the drain with the bath water.
Zenith's strength is their integrity and history as a maker of great watches.
Long term in Asia or elsewhere, the only possibility of long term survival and growth lies with maintaining the public's perception of who and what they really are.