In 1985 Ermenegildo Zegna created a revolution in menswear with the launch of High Performance, a new way of wearing wool that fundamentally changed the way in which the business suit was perceived and worn by cosmopolitan gentlemen all over the world who wanted an all natural solution to the challenges of life on the go. High Performance wool used a high twist superfine pure Australian merino wool yarn that both enhanced crease resistance and delivered quite remarkable levels of ‘spring-back’. The combination of the innovative weaving methods and the high twist yarn created a fabric of almost cellular construction enabling unprecedented breathability that, together with its weight of only 250 grams, enabled men to wear wool all year round and in all climates, not just in autumn and winter. Today, Ermenegildo Zegna has taken the High Performance concept that it pioneered with fabrics and applied it to the wristwatch. The result is the new range of High Performance timepieces. Purposeful in their styling and as robust and resilient as their namesake fabric, these high-precision timepieces embody the signature sophistication synonymous with the Zegna name. Zegna’s High Performance Collection is manufactured by Swiss watchmaker Sowind Manufacture, owner of the brand Girard Perregaux, and delivers the precision and reliability for which the master haute horlogerie is renowned. The collection consists of two distinct styles, High Performance Chronograph in black ceramic - available with a black or a white dial - and High Performance Sea Diver in stainless steel. The dual high performance timepieces make use of the latest breakthroughs and newest materials in watch making. They are inspired by sports-driven technologies such as the ceramic components used within top-class automobiles and they lend sophisticated precision to everyday elegance. High Performance Chronograph Crafted from black ceramic and equipped with ergonomic rubber coated push pieces and winding crown, the High Performance Chronograph benefits from a 42 mm case diameter, with at-a-glance legibility of the dial and subdials further enhanced by the use of high contrast Arabic and baton hour markers. Every detail in the design has been carefully considered from the tachometric scale etched directly into the ceramic bezel, to the matching color of the hands and numerals, to the brushed steel folding buckle on the robust rubber strap. Additional flexibility and versatility is offered with two additional ‘tropical’ colors, military inspired fabric straps, ideal for warm weather wear in black and colored versions. The High Performance Chrono is available in different color combinations that enhance legibility and enable a greater scope for personal expression. In addition to the black dial version, there is a choice of yellow, green and orange for hands, numbers and the bezel. High Performance Sea Diver The High Performance Sea Diver is a rugged, steel-cased, diving watch, the unidirectional bezel fitted with a boldly detailed blackened aluminum insert; the combination of sword minute hand and snakehead hour hand is as visible as it is stylish. Connoisseurs will particularly appreciate the heritage note of the ‘double red’ printing of the words ‘High Performance’ above the watch's maximum operating depth of 1000 feet or 300 meters.