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El Primero Zenith

The 1969 36,000 vph automatic chronograph saved from the quartz crisis by Charles Vermot.
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El Primero Zenith

Zenith's 1969 column-wheel automatic chronograph caliber at 36,000 vph, saved from quartz-era destruction by Charles Vermot in 1975 and supplied to the Rolex Daytona ref. 16520 (1988-2000).
The Zenith DEFY 21 Chroma II is another high-tech taste of the rainbow Time+Tide
Zenith DEFY 21 Chroma II Aug 22, 2023

The Zenith DEFY 21 Chroma II is another high-tech taste of the rainbow

Zenith’s colourful limited edition from last year has returned, this time in black ceramic too The white variant now features a subtly different colour gradation An El Primero movement and openworked dial provides plenty of visual drama There’s just something undeniably fun and alluring about a rainbow watch. There’s a sort of horseshoe effect with … ContinuedThe post The Zenith DEFY 21 Chroma II is another high-tech taste of the rainbow appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Opinion: When WatchRecon Alerts Tell the Story of Your Life Worn & Wound
Zenith Retro Timer.” I also May 23, 2023

Opinion: When WatchRecon Alerts Tell the Story of Your Life

The oldest WatchRecon alert that I currently have set up on my phone is for a “Zenith Retro Timer.” I also have an alert for a “Zenith Retrotimer,” because I figure if I’m not really sure how the name of this watch is stylized, maybe a potential seller isn’t either. I think I added this watch to my list of alerts sometime in 2018, or thereabouts. I was falling in love with Zenith as a brand, discovering all kinds of weird Defys from the 1970s and ana-digi watches from the 80s, but the novelty of the Retrotimer loomed especially large. This is Zenith’s continuously running, monopusher flyback execution of their famous El Primero chronograph movement. A push of the button near 4:00 sets the minute totalizer and chrono seconds hand immediately back to zero, but it just starts right up again. Zenith apparently didn’t make many of these (it’s kind of the definition of a niche product) and it seems like the kind of thing WatchRecon was invented for.  I’ve always felt that we can learn a lot about ourselves, and our watch collecting friends, if we stop to consider our WatchRecon alerts. This simple app crawls over the most popular watch trading forums (Reddit’s r/watchexchange, WatchUSeek, Rolex Forums, etc) to find listings matching a search term. It takes the leg work out of searching every forum individually, and when you make use of automated alerts that tell you when something hits, you theoretically have a leg up on the competition, and can fire off a...

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[VIDEO] Hands-On: Zenith Opens Up the Defy Skyline with Skyline Skeleton Worn & Wound
Zenith Opens Up May 9, 2023

[VIDEO] Hands-On: Zenith Opens Up the Defy Skyline with Skyline Skeleton

The Zenith Defy collection of watches spans an almost shocking array of references, including watches like the Revival darlings, right on up to crazy Defy Extremes and Defy 21s. Connecting all of these dots is the new(ish) Defy Skyline collection, which was introduced early last year, and which welcomed new iterations this year, including a variant meant to replace the excellent Defy Classic with an open dial. That watch is the Defy Skyline Skeleton, and it’s not simply an openworked version of the regular Skyline. This is a distinct watch in a few important ways, bringing some of the big personality found in the Extreme and 21 references, into a slightly more approachable framework.  The Skyline Skeleton takes its Defy roots seriously. From its wrist watch inception back in the ‘60s, the Defy has been a vehicle through which Zenith has strived to craft the future of watchmaking. This manifested in avant guard shapes, high-tech movements, and intricate bracelet integrations from the get go. Today, Zenith honors this heritage with their Revival series, but for all intents and purposes, the Defy range as it exists today, is still pushing the envelope in looking to the future. $11000 [VIDEO] Hands-On: Zenith Opens Up the Defy Skyline with Skyline Skeleton Case Stainless Steel Movement El Primero 3620 SK high-frequency Dial Black or Blue Skeleton Lume Super Luminova Lens Sapphire Strap Stainless Steel; Rubber Water Resistance 10ATM Dimensions 41x46mm Thickness 11.6mm Lug ...

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Zenith Relaunches the Pilot with Two New Aviation Themed Watches Worn & Wound
Zenith Relaunches Mar 28, 2023

Zenith Relaunches the Pilot with Two New Aviation Themed Watches

It’s the year of the Pilot for Zenith. After shoring up their Chronomaster collection and injecting new life into the Defy over the last few years, Zenith has returned to the Pilot collection and given it a complete revamp. The Pilot is a historic line for Zenith, having trademarked the word “Pilote” all the way back in 1888 (and “Pilot” in 1904). In the early days of the company, the brand focused largely on the manufacture of flight instruments and watches for pilots. They of course weren’t the only brand to cut their manufacturing teeth on the burgeoning need for these types of devices, but were (and still are) the only brand to trademark the word “Pilot,” which allows them the opportunity to use it on the dial in a way other brand’s can’t. The new collection is a stab at bringing something very old in Zenith’s history and making it new in a very explicit way. In other words, these aren’t vintage inspired pilot’s watches, but something far more contemporary. There are two new watches making their debut this week, each in two different materials, for a total of four new Pilots flying their way into boutiques soon enough. The Pilot Automatic is a three hander running on the El Primero 3620, the same chrono-less EP movement found in the Defy Skyline collection. We get a date at 6:00, right below a horizontal line that is meant to recall indicators on a pilot’s instrument panel to refer them back to the horizon line. The Arabic numerals are large...

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Zenith’s Defy Skyline Black Ceramic models cross over to the dark side of horology Time+Tide
Zenith s Defy Skyline Black Mar 27, 2023

Zenith’s Defy Skyline Black Ceramic models cross over to the dark side of horology

The Skyline series gets two new models, decked out in sinister full black ceramic The Defy Skyline Skeleton Black Ceramic is a real contender among stealth-wealth showpieces Both models are powered by time-only El Primero calibres Zenith’s Defy collection has gone over to the dark side for Watches and Wonders. The brand has just released … ContinuedThe post Zenith’s Defy Skyline Black Ceramic models cross over to the dark side of horology appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Up Close: Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Vivienne Jump Hours SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Vivienne Jump Feb 15, 2023

Up Close: Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Vivienne Jump Hours

Louis Vuitton (LV) marked the 20th anniversary of its first mechanical watch last year (with an El Primero-powered chronograph). The brand has rapidly evolved its horological offerings over the two decades, going from largely basic, monogrammed watches to ambitious complications like the gothic Carpe Diem Minute Repeater with automaton.  A more whimsical example of LV’s progress in complications is the Tambour Slim Vivienne Jump Hours, a quirky interpretation of the jump hour complication that’s presented in a redesigned, svelte version of its signature drum-shaped case. Initial thoughts At the distance, the Vivienne Jump Hours looks like a run-of-the-mill character watch that’s slightly fancier than average. But upon closer inspection, it reveals a novel complication and an impressive degree of detail in the execution of the dial. The jump hour is mechanically conventional but presents as a double jumping indicator thanks to clever design. Its whimsical and unusual presentation typifies the spirit of LV. In fact, the complication is different enough that we hope it will make its way into more watches, especially timepieces for men. Given that the titular Vivienne character has a male counterpart named Gaston, it would make sense for the complication to make its way into a watch in a larger size.  The Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hours “Casino” with a green skarn dial And I really dig the dials of the Vivienne Jump Hours, especially the dial in skarn, a re...

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Longines Ultra-Chron: The World's First High-Frequency Dive Watch Retu Teddy Baldassarre
Longines Feb 1, 2023

Longines Ultra-Chron: The World's First High-Frequency Dive Watch Retu

The Longines Ultra-Chron takes its most direct inspiration from a dive watch the brand introduced in 1968, but it also represents the culmination of Longines’ expertise in making high-frequency watch movements, which goes back more than 100 years. Longines’ century-plus quest for high-frequency timekeeping precision started in 1914, when it produced the first hand-held stopwatches (like the one below) with movements that measured time to 1/10 second thanks to their high-frequency movement, Caliber 19.73N, whose balance wheel oscillated at 36,600 vph. It continued with a modification of that caliber to achieve an astonishing rate of 360,000 vph, and a stopwatch accuracy of 1/100 second, in 1916; hit a new milestone with the launch of the Observatory Chronometer in 1959, the first wristwatch with a 36,600-vph movement; and culminated with the introduction of the Ultra-Chron Diver (below) in 1968, which became the world’s first high-frequency divers’ watch, housing the 36,600-vph Caliber 431. (Yes, this predates by one year the most famous high-frequency movement, the Zenith El Primero, though that movement also incorporated automatic winding and a chronograph.) The Ultra-Chron Diver provides the template for the all-new Ultra-Chron model, whose cushion-shaped stainless steel case spans a contemporary 43mm in diameter and 13.6mm thick as well as a 300-meter water resistance - an improvement on the vintage model’s 200-meter rating. Like its predecessor, and in th...

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Zenith Defy Watch Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Zenith Jan 21, 2023

Zenith Defy Watch Guide

Swiss watch manufacture Zenith traces its roots to 1865, when it was founded in the village of Le Locle by precocious 22-year-old watchmaker Georges Favre-Jacot. As one of the first watchmaking maisons to integrate all aspects of the watchmaking process under one roof, from case manufacturing to movement production to final casing and assembly, Zenith has long prided itself on its quest for timekeeping precision. The company has earned a record number of chronometry prizes over the years, and its most influential contribution to watchmaking history is its El Primero chronograph caliber, released in 1969. (Learn more about El Primero here.) In that same pivotal year, Zenith also released an avant-garde wristwatch series called Defy, whose bold, edgy design proved to be ahead of its time, and found its expression in the now-legendary Ref. A3642.  The Original Defy (1969) That watch was nicknamed the “coffre-fort,” a French term translating to “bank vault” or “safe,” a reference to its robustly angular, octagonal case, 14-sided bezel, and high-for-the-time water resistance of 300 meters, secured by its crown, caseback, and mineral crystal, all of which screwed securely into the case. Its “ladder-style” bracelet from legendary chainmaker Gay Frères also made the original reference notable. The Defy was positioned as Zenith’s toughest watch, featured in an advertisement in which six of the watches were strapped to the spokes of a motorcycle in a speed test a...

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Zenith Adds a Smaller 36mm Defy Skyline to the Collection in a Range of Colors (Diamonds Optional) Worn & Wound
Zenith Adds Jan 20, 2023

Zenith Adds a Smaller 36mm Defy Skyline to the Collection in a Range of Colors (Diamonds Optional)

Most of the attention focused on Zenith following their LVMH Watch Week releases has been focused on the new skeleton dial version of the Defy Skyline and a raiding of the archives in the form of a red dialed Defy. But it’s another new addition to the larger Defy camp that might prove to be the biggest hit with the widest possible audience: the Defy Skyline 36mm. This smaller and more compact Defy is decidedly unisex, and offers a classic case size with the Skyline’s more contemporary styling in a range of color options. It also forgoes the high frequency El Primero caliber found in the larger Skyline in favor of a thinner Elite series movement, a decision that proves to offer a range of benefits.  The pitch for this watch is actually very simple. A smaller Skyline for a broader array of wrists, simplified. The 36mm stainless steel case features the same highly angular case construction and shares the same profile as the larger Skyline, and borrows a dial design from last year’s watch as well. The four-pointed star motif can be had in blue (the same blue as last year’s 41mm model) or pastel shades of green and pink. The dials have a metallic finish that is satin brushed, giving them a subtle sense of texture and a bit of deeper complexity. If you’d like, you can choose to have the 12 sided bezel set with diamonds. A little less under the radar, perhaps, but we support brands giving customers options.  Besides the size, the key differentiator between these watch...

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Hands On: Louis Vuitton Tambour Twenty Chronograph SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Tambour Twenty Chronograph Louis Sep 5, 2022

Hands On: Louis Vuitton Tambour Twenty Chronograph

Louis Vuitton is now in its 20th year as a watchmaker. In that time it has gone from basic, ETA-powered watches to a variety of impressive complications, including its signature Spin Time, and even a minute repeater with automaton. To mark the occasion, Louis Vuitton (LV) has just announced the Tambour Twenty Chronograph, a remake modelled on the brand’s first serious mechanical timepiece. The two-decade journey has seen LV’s watchmaking division evolve from a shared space inside TAG Heuer’s factory to its own expansive facility in Geneva that includes not only a complications workshop but also its own dial-making facility. While LV does make some of its own movements now, the Tambour Twenty is a nod to its origins as a watchmaker. The 200-piece limited edition is modelled on the Tambour LV277 of 2003, the brand’s first chronograph that was powered by the Zenith El Primero. Initial thoughts Despite its odd proportions – a big case with tall, sloping sides and narrow lugs – the Tambour case is attractive in my eyes. And it’s distinctive and recognisable although its form is fairly simple. In short, it’s a successful design. The Tambour works especially well with complications since that gives its size – especially its thickness – a sense of purpose. Ordinarily I am not a fan of brown dials, but this is one of the few dials in the colour that looks good. LV executes its dials well – most of them are made in-house – and the reflective metallic brown o...

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Zenith Introduces the Calibre 135 Observatoire SJX Watches
Zenith Introduces Jun 3, 2022

Zenith Introduces the Calibre 135 Observatoire

Having already designed its own El Primero limited edition, Phillips has collaborated with Zenith and Voutilainen to create the Calibre 135 Observatoire, a limited edition of 10 watches each powered by a cal. 135-O. The movement was the specially-regulated variant of Zenith’s flagship chronometer wristwatch movement of the mid-20th century, conceived solely to participate in observatory chronometer contests. As such, the movements were never cased and sold, until now. Contained in a platinum case, the movements were light decorated by Voutilainen, which also supplied the guilloche dial via its dial making subsidiary Comblemine. Initial thoughts The Calibre 135 Observatoire is a good looking watch. It’s evidently modelled on the vintage model and doesn’t change too much of the original design, but instead injects a few elegant details that give it more refinement, like the guilloche chapter ring. These discreet flourishes are enough to set it apart as a higher end watch than the vintage original, which are more of a functional precision chronometer. More broadly, it’s a three-way collaboration that reflects the strengths of the collaborators to different degrees. For Phillips, the Observatoire is a sensible collaboration since it chimes with its strength in selling both vintage and modern watches at the top end of the price spectrum. And it also a perfect base for the auctioneer to utilise the discerning eye of the gentlemen behind the project, namely Aurel Bacs a...

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Auction Watch: Zenith Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip” on Loupe This [Updated with Result] SJX Watches
Zenith Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip” Mar 13, 2022

Auction Watch: Zenith Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip” on Loupe This [Updated with Result]

A limited edition launched at the end of 2021, the Zenith Chronometer Revival “Poker Chip” was the result of a collaboration between our founder and the watchmakers in Le Locle. One of them just popped up for sale at online auctioneer Loupe This – the first example to go under the hammer. The 200 pieces sold out at launch, making this a perfect opportunity for anyone who missed out last year. If the funky dial appears familiar, that’s because the Poker Chip reimagines the G383, one of the standout designs from the first references of the El Primero. While the G383 had a lavish, gold-on-black palette, the Poker Chip is entirely contemporary. Its dial is generously “lumed” – even the strap glows in the dark – bringing it to life at night, with the aesthetic alluding to the disco era of 1960s and 1970s when the G383 was born. [Update March 17, 2022: The Poker Chip sold for US$16,500 including fees on Loupe This.] The case is a micro-blasted titanium coated in DLC, which complements the military-esque dial. Notably the Poker Chip was the first – and remains the only – classic, 38 mm El Primero with a titanium case. Continuing the blend of new and old, the movement is the original El Primero 400 that’s almost identical to the 1969 original. As it is being phased out, this movement was chosen instead of the latest-generation El Primero 3600 (which has a lightning seconds), making the Poker Chip one of the last watches with the landmark calibre. Accompani...

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Introducing the Zenith x SJX Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip” SJX Watches
Zenith x SJX Chronomaster Revival Nov 15, 2021

Introducing the Zenith x SJX Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip”

I’m pleased to announce the Zenith Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip”, a collaborative edition loosely inspired by the disco-era El Primero G383, but reimagined with lots of lume – the dial is disco at night and also in the day. Update: Sold out, thank you for the interest. A brief background Zenith is a brand that appeals to me on an intellectual level because it’s historically significant for its chronometers and chronographs, but also on a personal level, simply because the brand makes watches that are both appealing and affordable. So it was a no-brainer for me to work with Zenith – since it meant I could create my fantasy El Primero. One of my favourite vintage Zenith models is the G383, a truly funky watch with a design that is unmistakably of the late 1960s and 1970s – the dial is over the top and truly disco. The El Primero G383 of 1969 But a one-for-one vintage remake has never interested me (plus I’m not a fan of the tiny lugs of the G383). So in early 2020, I got in touch with Romain Marietta, Zenith’s head of product development, and together we spent several months refining the concept, creating the Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip”. (Full disclosure: The several months spent tweaking the idea produced more than one outstanding design, so a variant is a possibility.) At the same time, the Poker Chip will also be more accessible than our past editions. It’s as affordable as Zenith watches typically are – in fact it costs just 10% more t...

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Seiko Introduces the Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph SJX Watches
Zenith unveiled Sep 30, 2021

Seiko Introduces the Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph

Seiko’s current offerings are wide-ranging in both style and price, but its mechanical chronographs aren’t particularly outstanding – a surprise given the Japanese watchmaker’s historical prominence with the complication. Seiko, after all, was one of the first brands to debut an automatic chronograph in 1969, the same year Zenith unveiled the El Primero. Closing the gap is the latest launch from Seiko, the Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical Chronograph (refs. SRQ035 and SRQ037), a blend of two historically-significant Seiko chronographs. The grey-dial automatic chronograph is based on Seiko’s 1964 chronograph wristwatch, while the white-dial version is modelled on the 1964 stopwatch Design-wise, it is modelled on the timepieces Seiko conceived for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where the brand was the official timekeeper, namely a hand-wind chronograph wristwatch and a stopwatch. But the new Prospex chronograph is a self-winding chronograph with a full-spec movement. So technically, it takes its cues from the the Speedtimer ref. 6139 of 1969. Like the ref. 6139, the new chronograph is equipped with an automatic movement incorporated both a column wheel and vertical clutch for the chronograph. Initial thoughts Seiko has launched countless vintage-inspired models in recent years, with diver’s watches forming the bulk of the remakes, which makes the new chronographs unusual, simple because they are chronographs. At the same time, they are aesthetically unusual since the di...

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HANDS-ON: The Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection offers vintage perfection on a 38mm dial Time+Tide
Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection offers Jul 31, 2021

HANDS-ON: The Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection offers vintage perfection on a 38mm dial

Zenith have a track record for having their fingers on the pulse of the watch world. In the ‘60s, they spent nearly the entire decade developing the El Primero to be the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement. Back then, the world was crying out for innovation: new techniques, new designs and new possibilities. Now, … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection offers vintage perfection on a 38mm dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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VIDEO: The Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection hits the sweet spot in three different forms Time+Tide
Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection hits Jul 29, 2021

VIDEO: The Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection hits the sweet spot in three different forms

In the 1960s, Zenith developed the El Primero to be the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement. Back then the world was crying out for innovation: new techniques, new designs, and new possibilities. Now watch buyers increasingly seem to appreciate tradition, vintage reissues and smaller sizes. The Zenith Chronomaster Original offers both progress and nostalgia … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Zenith Chronomaster Original Collection hits the sweet spot in three different forms appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Zenith And Swiss Open Gstaad: Reaching For Tennis Stars With The Chronomaster Sport And Chronomaster Original Quill & Pad
Zenith Jul 28, 2021

Zenith And Swiss Open Gstaad: Reaching For Tennis Stars With The Chronomaster Sport And Chronomaster Original

As Zenith is a sponsor of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, Elizabeth Doerr had the opportunity to attend the 2021 edition where she handled a number of Zenith’s most recent watch releases, falling in love with two in particular: the new Chronomaster Original and Chronomaster Sport Gold, both powered by the legendary (and now updated) El Primero chronograph movement.

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2021 Zenith Chronomaster Original Revealed WatchAdvice
Zenith Chronomaster Original Revealed Let’s Jun 29, 2021

2021 Zenith Chronomaster Original Revealed

Let’s rewind a little, back to 2019. Zenith was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the El Primero and presented a box of 3 watches limited to 50 sets. Included in the set was the highly sought after A386 re-edition in steel. The only way to get your hands on this piece was to buy the box set, which came with a fourth slot for a forth-coming “1/1000th of a second” chronograph, to be released at a later time. Yes there were other A386 anniversary editions that can be had separately, but they came in precious metal. What people wanted was the steel A386. Zenith kept teasing the market with various versions of it, but not the exact iconic version that was released in 1969, as one of the first to house this ground-breaking chronograph movement.  Then in 2020, the Manufacture edition dropped, with a prototype dial that was found in a little box up in the attic where Charles Vermot hid the tools, parts, and plans to build the El Primero back in 1975. The idea was that you could only purchase the Manufacture edition when you visit the Zenith Manufacture. Sort of like a gift shop purchase at the end of the tour. It would be extremely difficult to come by as you’d have to have made the trip to Switzerland to pick one up.  Look, we gotta give it up to the product designers and planners. hats off to Romain Marietta, who probably has one of the best jobs in the industry. This was a superb idea. This guaranteed exclusivity and collectability. But then we all knew what happene...

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