NEW GENERATION
A limited series of Chronomaster chronographs inaugurates the automatic El Primero caliber which has been totally redesigned by the Locle watchmakers to celebrate its jubilee.
50 years old and still at the cutting edge of performance. The El Primero caliber first issued back in 1969 pursues its route in chronometry. But that’s no reason for Zenith to rest on its laurels. Quite the contrary actually! Given that the firm has unveiled a state-of-the-art enhanced version known as El Primero 3600. This automatic movement which is still set at 36,000 vibrations an hour hosts an integrated construction with a lateral clutch, column wheel and ball bearing-mounted central rotor. Its development was optimized using a performance algorithm. And, the result? The power reserve is extended and now offers a minimum of 60 hours. The caliber now features a stop-seconds device for setting time precisely.
This latest generation equips the lightweight yet sturdy 42 mm-diameter titanium cases of the highly-contemporary-styled Chronomaster 2 models. Their openworked dial features counters in three different colors, light gray, blue and anthracite. The 60-minute totalizer at 6 o’clock, the 60-second one at 3 and the central seconds hand measure and display short-cycle time to 1/10th of a second on the graduated ceramic bezel proposed in blue or black based on the version.
To celebrate this event, two 250-piece limited chronograph series have been produced. Both are complemented by an alligator strap in the same shade as the bezel, set off with a folding clasp.
Price: CHF9,900 zenith.com
By Dan Diaconu