OUT OF THE SHADOWS, INTO THE LIGHT
This timepiece’s blank, imagined some 50 years ago, never ever reached the production stage. This year, however, the manufacture finalizes this forgotten, elusive project.
After the A384 and A3818 limited series, Zenith breathes life this time round into a prototype from the 1970s which was never officially produced or commercialized. Its particularity? To be endowed with a hand-wound chronograph movement nestling in a blackened steel case, ever-so rare back in the day. The new Chronomaster Revival Shadow espouses the concept but now combines a 37 mm-diameter case crafted in microblasted titanium and boasting the original 1969-style lines with an automatic mechanism. Its matte finish enhances the readability of the deep-black dial where the small seconds at 9 o’clock and the two totalizers, all three gray-colored, stand out. This composition, which is perfectly easy to read in spite of its dusky look, is hovered over by traditional baton-style hour and minute hands whose tips are coated with white Super-LumiNova® which emits a light green glow in the dark. These hands point to a pared down hour chapter punctuated by indexes topped with the same luminescent material. The ensemble is encircled by a gray tachymetric scale.
Time data is driven by the El Primero 4061 caliber, comprising column wheel, which beats at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations an hour and delivers a minimum power reserve of 50 hours once fully wound. Short- and long-cycle time measurements ensure precision to 1/10th of a second.
And, in keeping with the elusive spirit, the Chronomaster Revival Shadow is complemented by a Cordura-effect black strap clasped with a titanium ardillon buckle.
Price: CHF8,400 zenith.com
By Dan Diaconu