Post by timelessluxwatches on Nov 12, 2016 11:25:19 GMT -6
Zenith Chronomaster Review
The Zenith Chronomaster 1969 is the simplest, and most traditional, of the Chronomasters with open hearts. It's similar in most ways to the El Primero classic models, with the exception of the large open heart, silicon escapement and chronometer rating.
The Chronomaster has always been one of my favorite Zeniths in any of its various incarnations, but this model has been of particular interest to me. It's the bridge between the traditional tri-color models, avant garde in their day, and the various Chronomaster Open models, avant garde in this day.
The resemblance to its ancestor is undeniable and far from accidental. Whereas the original Tri-Color had three subdials of, you guessed it, in three different colors, the gray leftmost subdial has been replaced with an oversized aperture. Given that the movement within has many colors, I suppose it's more than a Tri-Color dial now. One other important difference is that this Chronomaster lacks a date complication, although you can regain it, in big date form anyway, with the Moon Phase model.
If you're going to bother with an open heart design, or as Zenith simply calls it, Open, you'd better offer something worth looking at. Zenith excels here more than almost any other company in the business. Not only can you see the entire balance wheel, which is par for the course, but you can also see the full silicon escapement in all its iridescent glory.
Setting aside its open dial, we otherwise have a very traditional Zenith El Primero. It's got a beautiful, but very subdued, dark silver sunburst dial and the iconic blue and white subdials live on. Red thoughtfully complements its chronograph components, from the seconds hand to the hands of the subdials, effectively color-coding the chronograph components to differentiate them from the time telling components.
The hands themselves are also typical for El Primero. They're large stick hands with a subtle curvature towards the end to aid the wearer in precise reading. The hands are quite easy to see as well, thanks to the addition of black and luminous strips that offer high contrast.
The lume here isn't different than what you'd find on various other Chronomaster Open models. It's certainly enough to be useful, but it's not mind blowing. I'd say it's probably above average for its segment, if only just. I actually kind of like the lack of luminescent markers around the aperture as they make orienting the watch at night very easy.
The crown doesn't screw down although it is water resistant to 100 meters.
The 42mm stainless case feels just right for a chronograph with a very busy dial. Zenith lists its thickness at 14mm, but my calipers measured 13, thinner than many recent three handers I've reviewed. The 50mm lug to lug measurement fits my wrist perfectly with its gently curving lugs.
Here's the pièce de résistance, the El Primero 4061, an upgraded version of the most legendary chronograph ever made.
It is, of course, similar to other El Primeros, being an integrated automatic chronograph, but that doesn't mean it's not without its enhancements. For one thing, it's a COSC rated movement, rare among Zeniths, although Zenith tells me that internally all of their movements are regulated to COSC standards or better anyway.
But for another, it features a next-gen silicon escapement. You can see the purple escape wheel on the right of the photo. Silicon components are both lighter and self-lubricating than their metallic predecessors, features that enhance the longevity of the movement. With regard to the rest of the design, it still beats 10 times per second, or 36,000 BPH, enhancing stability and also giving a more precise reading via the chronograph.
The 4061, like most Zeniths, uses a fairly conventional fine adjustment mechanism not too dissimilar from Grand Seiko's, accompanied by a smooth balance wheel. This should make regulating the watch very convenient.
Here we can see the beautiful blued column wheel. That's thanks to the fact that this is an integrated chronograph, as opposed to modular. This not only results in an overall thinner movement, but also in the ability to see chronograph components from the back of the watch.
It really is a gorgeous movement and the top plate has been heavily skeletonized to reveal the chronograph's workings within.
The Chronomaster 1969 is absolutely one of my favorite Zeniths, but to be honest, I could take any of the Chronomasters and be extremely happy. I tend to err on the side of insanity and in favor of the Moon Phase and Reserve with their incredibly complex dials, but this Chronomaster is a better bridge between the El Primeros of old and of new, and thus, it will almost certainly find a broad audience.
Zenith & Classic Car Racing!
Zenith was kind enough to invite us to the 2016 U.S. Vintage National Championship at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas!
Zenith, as you probably know, is somewhat obsessed with car and motorcycle racing, particularly of the vintage variety, so this event was ideal for Zenith. But it was also ideal for us at Timeless Luxury Watches because we too love cars, both modern and classic.
Naturally, the cars were a major part of the fun. Here’s one of my favorites in front of the Zenith boutique, a Shelby AC Cobra.
But it’s difficult to beat the GT40 across from us.
One of the more interesting “cars” was this Porsche 919 Le Mans car that was half-made from legos. No word yet on laptime improvements from the lego construction.
Being a Zenith event, there were a lot of great watches to see as well. The most interesting, however, is this Range Rover prototype. It’s got a novel ceramicised aluminum case, which is not only light but should be incredibly scratch resistant, and a really cool brushed metal dial.
The most fun, however, was in taking the two Jaguars out to a small autocross track. The Jaguar XE 35Ts were great, but the more exciting car was, of course, this Jaguar F-Type R Coupe and its 550 horsepower engine.
We want to thank Zenith as well as our friends for joining us at the Circuit of the Americas!