Although bearing the minor peculiarity of a name whom lay audiences would all too often confuse for a well-known American electronics company (who, ironically, would come to acquire said watch brand for a time), the distinguished house of Zenith from Le Locle in Switzerland has every right to the esteem it has earned from collectors and lovers of fine watches. And when I say watches, I mean chronographs in particular. Because right up there with such chronograph legends as the Omega Speedmaster and the Rolex Daytona, is the legendary “El Primero” — two words whose intonation immediately invokes a mechanism of the highest sophistication, constructive quality, and notable precision, the last in particular not due in any small part to a then-unheard of 36,000 vph balance frequency, enabling the chronograph to time intervals to the 10th of a second. And speaking of the Rolex Daytona, as most know, it was a modified, downshifted version of Zenith’s El Primero that would power the 5-digit generation of that model, before Rolex developed their own purely in-house vertical clutch chronograph caliber some years later…but that is its own story, for another time.
Hard to believe as it may be now, this legendary self-winding chronograph movement with column wheel and high frequency super performance was nearly consigned to the wastebin as the reaper’s scythe of the quartz crisis cut deep into the realities of the mechanical watch industry. Yet, the efforts of a single rebellious Zenith head watchmaker in the 1970s ensured that the caliber would in fact survive the times, and go on to spawn a whole collection of exceptional chronographs in the ensuing decades, ultimately ensconcing Zenith amongst the true greats in mechanical horology. Sure, the brand has had its low moments (as most have at some point), and it had to endure the atrocious design perversions and marketing indignities of the Thierry Nataf era (see picture below!) in the early 2000s, but things did eventually get back on track, with Zenith again offering beautiful and classic models that deftly combined both elegance and sport, all of course driven by the world class micro-machine the brand was famed for. The Chronomaster Original Boutique Edition of which this entry is about is assuredly one of this line of greats, and exemplifies what I love about the Zenith brand at its best: innovation and classic design, all without hype or pretense. And this model does all that with an additional technical twist, which we’ll delve into a bit momentarily.
Created to commemorate their opening of an exclusive store right in the manufacture’s home town, the Zenith Chronomaster Boutique Edition radiates the sense of something very special and beautiful, all without getting silly about it. Eschewing the hypersized cases of times in Zenith history that are better forgotten, the elegant and straightforward stainless steel case measures up at 38mm, meaning this wristwatch has enough presence to not come off as dainty in any way, but has the discretion and modesty to dress up exceptionally well, either on the blue calf leather option (with some very pleasing white stitch accents), or the version with elegant Chronomaster bracelet. Fresh and appealing, the dial combines silver subdials atop a radiant blue base that catches the light brilliantly with a refined soleil effect. With the watch-buying public’s current obsession with blue dials–and let’s “face” it, when do blue dials not appeal?–this watch is alluring and visually radiant, yet immediately recalls the classic references from the glory years when Zenith first rocked the world.
Behind the classic looks, of course, is the performance for which Zenith’s chronograph legend was born, and a sapphire crystal caseback grants a clear look into the Caliber 3600. Below the skeletonized rotor with the Zenith star boldly at center, the structure of levers and wheels is clearly laid out, bridges adorned with Zenith’s characteristic perlage finish. A closer examination reveals the precise yet sturdy little column wheel that stands ready to perform its duty whenever the pump-style upper pusher of the chronograph is activated. And when it is, a look at the dial shows the unusual and very interesting 1/10th second feature–an innovative implementation which takes full advantage of the precision capabilities of the rapidly oscillating balance wheel: this function changes the impulse of the second hand from its normal 60 second full dial revolution with a frantic (and scarcely discernible) divided pulse of ten beats over a single second hash mark, to a drastically shorter 10-second journey around the entire dial, thus making the 1/10th second timing functionality of this hi-beat chronograph more accessible to the user.
Flipping the watch over yet again for a view of the mechanism while the chronograph hand does its rapid ten second hustle, will give some additional clues as to what’s making it all work. In part, you’ll find a specially designed, brightly colored wheel with 100 teeth, made from low-friction, feathery silicon, that is responsible in part for driving the central seconds at this unusually heightened pace. This purple wheel proudly stands out amongst the movement components as it completes its steady and relatively brisk revolution. In case you’re wondering about the other, less dramatic indications on the dial, the “Triple 60” indications show continuous subsidiary seconds, chronograph minutes, and chronograph seconds, respectively, from left to right. Oh, and you even get a date display, discreetly sequestered between the four and five o’clock hour markers, quite out of sight, but ready to serve its oft-useful purpose whenever you may require it.
So there you have it: a classical, handsome, and technically distinguished chronograph from the house of Zenith. Should we expect anything less, though? The brand is beloved for a reason, and it’s nice to see pieces like this continuing to define the output going forward. Even better is the price, which at around $9,000 USD on the bracelet (and a few hundred less on the strap) represents a very fair ask for a chronograph with both beauty and brains. For those seeking one, Zenith boutiques worldwide will be happy to oblige, and the watches can be also be ordered online via the Zenith web store.