![]() For me personally, the ability of this watch to stay faithful to the original El Primero aesthetic, while still offering a totally unique and modern feature set, is deeply appealing and something akin to a vintage-styled Porsche 911 with a modern suspension and engine. The bracelet is comfortable and, aesthetically, much like those that came on the originals back in 1969. Its 1969 and the race is on to release the first watch with an automatic chronograph movement. The generous width of the ceramic bezel keeps the dial nice and small, and the overall package feels much more like a vintage El Primero than I had expected. The case is 41mm, but it wears more like a sub-40mm watch. On the surface, everything about the new Chronomaster Sport feels sleek and comfortable, while retaining a vintage look. However, setting aside the proverbial Kool-Aid of the 1/10th OF A SECOND marketing, it becomes clear that, functionally, this watch is really is all about timing close calls. In 1969, Zenith released the worlds first automatic chronograph movement with an integrated movement construction. This announcement is also reinforced across all of the stopwatch functions. Another difference, though it is only a superficial element, is the entirely unique engraved bezel stating “1/10th OF A SECOND.” No other watch proclaims this overtly. The running seconds at 9-o’clock is the only familiar function. The subdial at 3-o’clock only tallies up one minute before sending that data over to the sub-dial at 6-o’clock which tallies those minutes up to one hour. Completing its rotation in just 10 seconds, the central stopwatch hand races across the dial at quite a clip. At the launch, Zenith’s interim CEO Jean-Claude Biver referred to the watch as the El Primero of the 21st century.It takes a little while to adjust to everything moving faster on the Chromomaster Sport. However, what made this invention so pioneering and unique Well, sharp. The Daytona watches powered by a Zenith movements are quite sought after pieces in the vintage market.Īt Baselworld 2017, Zenith unveiled the Defy El Primero 21, a COSC-certified chronograph capable of measuring up to a hundredth of a second. The El Primero was the first automatic watch movement with a chronograph complication. Case - Black Alchron with Black Ceramic Bezel. ![]() Rolex did modify the movement, turning it into a 4 Hz movement on the Caliber 4030. El Primero Chronograph Stratos Flyback 45.5mm in Black Alchron with Black Ceramic Bezel on Black Alligator Leather Strap with Black Dial Ask a Question Reference Number : 24.2060.405/21.C714. To give you an idea of how important the El Primero movement is in watch world, know this: the Rolex Caliber 4030 used in the iconic Rolex Daytona was based on the Zenith El Primero Class 400. Years later, when there was a shortage of high quality automatic chronograph movements, Vermont was hailed a savior when his act of defiance came to light and the tools were again put to use. In 1975 Zenith company bosses, convinced that mechanical watch-making was over, ordered its staff to dispose of all the tools for making its El Primero movement. Vermont stashed them in his attic and noted down the exact procedures necessary for making the movement from scratch using the tooling he had saved. ZENITH CHRONO EL PRIMERO LEATHER MODEL: CHRONOMASTER: El Primero 42mm TYPE: Automatic El Primero column-wheel chronograph DATE: Indication at 6 oclock. Its re-emergence as the company’s signature model has reminded the watch world of Zenith’s illustrious heritage after the first decade of the new millennium when it seemed to have strayed far from its roots.Īmazingly, the El Primero could have vanished from the annals of horology completely had it not been for the quick thinking of long-time Zenith employee, Charles Vermont. A386, unveiled at the Basel fair in 1969 was the first automatic chronograph with a high-beat movement, its escapement boasted an extremely fast oscillation rate of 36,000vph (the most common frequency for modern mechanical wristwatch movements is 28,800 vph).Īs well as providing arguably the most important milestone in the company’s 151-year history, the El Primero has been of huge significance in recent years. Whatever the truth, Zenith achieved a PR victory of sorts by having the ingenuity and foresight to name their candidate the El Primero, Spanish for ‘The First’. The winner of this accolade remains a contentious and polarising issue, with Seiko, Zenith and a developmental group comprising Hamilton-Buren, Breitling, Heuer and Dubois Depraz all staking a claim. In the 1960s the race was on to create the first serially manufactured automatic chronograph. The Jumping Seconds chronograph is distinguished by a chronograph hand completing its rotation in just 10 seconds and thereby considerably improving the. When Zenith’s El Primero was launched in 1969, it was an industry game-changer.
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