Hands-On The Leica ZM 11

Following last year's release of a modern re-issue of the legendary M6 (a film camera), Leica used this year's event to announce the first major evolution of the brand's watch lineup since the L1 and L2 were announced back in June of 2018. After some delay, the L-Series would not hit retail until last year (and the models –  reviewed here – have since been renamed the ZM 1 and ZM 2). After a successful year for the brand's very limited initial two models, the Leica world of watches was ready to expand, and the brand is doing so via the new ZM 11.

The ZM 11 breaks much of the mold established by the ZM 1 and 2. Available in either titanium or steel, the ZM 11 is a 41mm sports watch from Leica that features a dial in either black/red (the Launch Edition), Coffee Black (brown gradient with gold-tone accents), or Midnight Blue, which has a blue dial with white metal accents.

Thickness is 13mm, lug to lug is 45.3mm, water resistance is 100 meters, the front sapphire is dual domed with a hardened AR treatment, and all of the strap options support a new push-button quick change system called "Leica Easy Change." You can choose from a bracelet, a textile strap, or a rubber strap (all three are available in titanium or steel).

The design ethos is modern, sleek, almost decidedly post-Apple Watch. Think early Ikepod, but much more German. The smoothly angular case features hooded lugs that flow into the round case, which is finished with a simple crown. The bezel element is unadorned and frames a large dial with minimal text and a maximalist take on markers and hands. All three dials have deep horizontal lines that feature a second color in the well. This is most noticeable on the Launch Edition, as the black dial's lines are filled with a subtle but exciting red accent.

With a date display at three, the legibility is razor sharp, and the hands and markers feature multiple finishing touches that play with the light and feel quite premium, even under the eye of a macro lens. Surrounding the brushed finish of the dial, we find a minute track at the rehaut to complete a dial that feels much sportier and more youthful than the somewhat more traditional take of the ZM 1 and 2.

Perhaps it was simply the inclusion of the steel bracelet, but I definitely preferred the blue version of the ZM 11 over the black or the brown. All three feel cohesive and very nicely made, but the blue dial and its silver-tone accents felt most at home on my wrist.

Speaking of the bracelet, it's an impressive thing, even at the ZM 11's price point. A fully integrated design with short armor-like links that articulate nicely and flow down to a fully hidden clasp with a push-button release. Matched with the intuitive and quite camera-like Easy Change system, the execution – and thus, the experience – of the bracelet felt very Leica (and the red dots are there to remind you, should you forget).

On wrist, the watch looks a bit bigger than you might expect thanks to the proportionally larger dial (vs. the thin bezel), but the curve of the lugs and the flat caseback help the ZM 11 to sit tight. While I found the bracelet-equipped model in steel to feel a bit heavy, neither version is especially burdensome, weighing in at 78g in steel or 61 in titanium (case only). Being something of a nut for titanium, I'd spend the extra for the lighter metal, but the steel looks and feels great.

On any of the three straps, the ZM 11 feels considerably more sporty than the brand's previous watches, and that more casual ethos is matched by a very comfortable presence thanks to the balanced proportions, relatively short length, and the control afforded by the integrated lugs.

But the stylistic departure from the ZM 1 and 2 is also matched by one of a mechanical nature, as the ZM 11 uses a Swiss automatic movement. For those that followed the original announcement of the ZM 1 and 2 (then the L1 and L2), those watches proudly leveraged a proprietary movement made in collaboration with Lehmann Prazision GmbH, a German engineering firm.

With the expectations of a larger production scope and vastly expanded retail network, the ZM 11 required a movement that could be produced in larger volume, so Leica turned to Chronode, a Swiss firm based in Le Locle. The result is the Leica LA-3001, a 4 Hz automatic movement with 35 jewels and a power reserve of 60 hours. With a quick-change date, the LA-3001 is regulated to maintain timekeeping of -4 to +6 seconds per day.

Visible through the display caseback, the LA-3001 looks great, with a mix of blasted and brushed finishing lending an industrial vibe that matches the finish of the movements in the ZM 1 and 2. As one might expect, if you want a solid automatic movement that can match the growing demand for more units, the Swiss remain a source of capable solutions.

Speaking of the scope, that might be one of the more interesting elements of the ZM 11 story as the introduction of the watch speaks to the success of the idea of a "Leica watch." The brand produces few (reportedly less than 1000) examples of the ZM 1 and 2 each year, but about a third of those watches sell to an audience that has never owned a Leica. I found this surprising, fascinating, and at odds with my assumptions of success for the line when it launched.

Make no mistake, I think the ZM 1 and 2 are lovely high-end watches from a brand that makes lovely high-end cameras, but I didn't expect the watches to be of interest to buyers who were not previously qualified by a Leica experience. With the ZM 11, Leica will launch the watch in November at about one-third of the brand's ~100 retail locations worldwide. Then, starting in January 2024, the line will begin to roll out to all stores.

Pricing will start at $6,775 for a steel example on a strap and top out at $8,150 for the full titanium Launch Edition. While certainly still a luxury price point, let's not forget that the German-powered (and more complicated) ZM 2 launched with a list price of $14,000.

As an expansion of the concept of a Leica watch, I think that while the ZM 11 is a demonstrable departure from the likes of the ZM 1 and 2, I also think that this watch feels more like a Leica creation. The design is clean and unobtrusive while also being distinctive, even in the ever-saturated world of the integrated bracelet sports watch.

With an attractive design backed by a Swiss movement and Leica's well-known attention to detail, the ZM 11 feels intentional, specific, and well-actualized as the brand's second chapter in watchmaking and the push to hit a relatively lower price point should expand the audience for this new line.

With the ZM 1 and 2 standing as successful proofs-of-concept for Leica's watchmaking endeavors, the ZM 11 feels primed to expand that scope via a comfortable, modern, and thoughtfully designed platform that offers a Leica experience without the need for a neck strap of a camera bag.