The Leica ZM 12 is worth a closer look
Spy someone carrying a Leica camera and you’d probably be able to discern a few things about them. The same feat, however, is probably not possible should you catch them with a Leica watch on their wrist. That being said, dismissing the brand’s latest timepiece—the ZM 12—without a closer look would be unwise.
A refinement of the ZM 11, the new model distils Leica’s essentials-first design ethos, while offering a more balanced fit. Sporting a dual-layered dial that adds just a touch of visual depth, the timepiece retains the same round, almost bulbous silhouette of its predecessor.
Though reduced in size from 41mm to 39mm, the ZM 12 retains a strong presence on the wrist, its proportions delicately balanced, thanks to its tapered lugs.The dial, coming in four variations; blue, silver, brown, and black, features the same corrugated pattern found on the ZM 11, lending the timepiece an almost industrial allure. Completing the dial is a subtle flange with printed markers and a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock finished with a radial pattern.
Interestingly, Leica offers the timepiece in both stainless steel and grade 5 titanium. While you certainly can’t go wrong with steel, a pleasant aesthetic homogeneity is achieved when pairing the sleek, industrial-like dial with the dark, matte-brushed surfaces of titanium.
Of course, should you wish for more visual variety, the ZM 12 comes with interchangeable straps of various colours, ranging from a durable technical textile to an orange rubber option with a Clou de Paris texture. Powered by the Leica calibre LA-3002, a movement developed with Swiss specialists Chronode, the watch comes with 60 hours of power reserve and a respectable accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day.
While it’ll take some time before watch enthusiasts will ease their scepticism of the German brand’s continued foray into the world of watches, the ZM 12 possesses a surprising amount of horological intrigue that may just turn some heads.
