Post by timelessluxwatches on Oct 11, 2016 12:25:28 GMT -6
Zenith Elite Ultra Thin Review
The El Primero may be the Zenith that gets the most attention, but it's hardly the only great watch the company makes. Today we take a look at the exact opposite of an El Primero, an extremely austere dress watch from the Elite collection. In fact, the Elite even has a few advantages over the more famous El Primero.
The Elite is the second biggest line behind El Primero, and like the El Primero, it's named for the movement inside (although there is at least one exception to the rule, the Elite Chronograph).
We're in a really good time for ultra-thin automatic watches. This is typically an area covered by very expensive (although excellent) watches from companies like Patek Philippe and JLC. Most otherwise great mechanical wrist watches today tend to be quite thick and seem to average between 12 and 15 millimeters.
But these days, we also have superb, and affordable, options like the Nomos Neomatiks and this Zenith.
And it is indeed quite thin at just 8.30mm, thinner than many hand wounds. That's about 1.5mm thinner than the JLC Master Ultra Thin Moon, which I often refer to as my benchmark in this segment. That said, keep in mind the JLC has a date and moon phase complication, which does contribute to the thickness slightly.
The watch feels even thinner than it really is, thanks to its quite modern 40mm diameter.
But the Elites don't distinguish themselves from their El Primero brothers merely by thickness. Stylistically, it's an entirely different kind of watch.
It's a dress watch through and through. Zenith managed to restrain its avant garde, borderline surreal, styling from watches like the Chronomaster and fully commit to austere styling.
As is the case with many classic watches, it uses a seconds subdial, but the markers are quite elegantly simply painted on the dial. Applied markers are used near the edge of the domed dial, another classic touch.
A beautiful sunburst finish is used on the dial, which also helps distinguish its polished rhodium plated hands from the background. Still, like many discreet dress watches, it wouldn't be my go-to choice for legibility.
This is actually the very first time we've discussed an Elite movement. We did review an Elite-powered watch in the Type 20 GMT, but I decided to skip the movement because of its solid back. Now, however, we can finally take a good look at it.
The Elite movement is often considered to be the "affordable" movement from Zenith, as opposed to the flagship El Primero. But that's not a very accurate way of looking at it. The Elite isn't an inferior movement, it's just an entirely different movement, with its own strengths and weaknesses.
The Elite's strengths, most obviously, are its thinness, but unlike the El Primero, it also hacks, so for those who find that a necessary feature, the Elite is the way to go.
On a design level, the methods of timekeeping are also quite a bit different from the El Primero. For one thing, it beats at the much more conventional 28,800 BPH instead of the El Primero's 36,000 BPH, but more subtly, it uses a Triovis regulator instead of the more conventional lever in the EP.
So that's the Zenith Elite Ultra-Thin, one of the most austere watches you can get, and also one of the thinnest. It's amazing that they were able to offer so much for so little.
Just like with the Minimatik and Neomatiks, you really sacrifice nothing in these watches. You'd think being thinner movements, you'd sacrifice performance, but you really don't at all, and unlike other ultra-thins, the price isn't sky high.
Unfortunately, the Elites are some of the most overlooked Zeniths. If you're buying for a dress watch, definitely consider the entire Elite line. They have wonderful in-house movements, they're very thin, and very well made.
