ZENITH EL PRIMERO STRIKING 10TH

Yes... this watch is a long time coming...
3 years in the making to be exact...
When this watch was announced back in 2010, I was ecstatic because it signify the rebirth of Zenith as a brand.
Helmed by Mr.Jean Frederic Dufour, Zenith slowly regained back it's groove so to speak.

For me, Zenith will always be a watch with the iconic tri colour dial.
Before this, there was a year 2009 release of the 40th Anniversary Zenith New Vintage 1969 with the tri colour dial but unfortunately, I am not feeling the angled tonneau case.
So when the Striking 10th was released on 2011, I was happy... But I held back.
I waited and see if there will be a sportier version at 42mm or a smaller dressier one at 40mm...
The sportier guise did come, but in a bigger cased Stratos which I find difficult to handle.
Felix Baumgartner certainly has no problem wearing it on his record breaking stratosphere jump.
Then came the historically accurate 38mm El Primero 36k vph.
Just too small for me in this day and age...
A year later, Zenith released the 42mm tri colour in the 36k vph collection.
Essentially the same watch as the Striking 10th but without the Striking 10th complication.
Then I waited again.
Quickly came El Primero Lightweight at 45mm... sigh...

After a full 3 years, instead of looking forward, I looked backwards and the Striking 10th sort of became more desirable.

And sure enough... I took the plunge.

1st off, I prefer my watch to be a little sporty.
Sporty dress or dressy sports, take your pick.
Which is why I immediately mounted a tougher looking strap on it.
Will talk about the OEM strap a little later on.
This is it... The Zenith El Primero Striking 10th.
Limited to 1969 pieces.
Ref: 03.2041.4052/69.c496

I am absolutely loving the iconic tri colour dial.
A combination of champagne, blue and grey subdials does wonders in today monochromatic watch designs.
Nothing like a little colour to spice things up without looking cheesy.
And of course, being iconic, this look is forever associated with Zenith and Zenith only.
I know some people are annoyed by the overlapping subdials.
Believe me, for this model... it doesn't matter.
Will explain why in awhile.

The outer rim of the subdials are finished by circular brushing while the inner circle is finished by engine turning.
Printing on the numbers and markers are crisp and clear.

The dial is silver sunburst.
Sometimes not so evident in pictures and also depending on lighting.
The El Primero font is no longer the elegant cursive font but just a regular blocky alphabets.
Love the applied Star and also the "1/10 of a second" in red.

Look at the 3 subdials.
Ain't them just awesome?
The minute totalizer subdial (grey) is overlapping both the running seconds subdial (champagne) and seconds totalizer subdial (blue)
The red central sweeping chronograph seconds hands makes one round in 10 seconds... this is a foudroyante complication.
Due to the fact that the El Primero movement is beating at 36,000 beats per hour (10 beats per second) it can accurately measure timing to a tenth of a second.
The outer rehaut of the dial is thus printed with the necessary markings to measure accuracy to the tenth of a second.

So, with one revolution of the central chronograph hands, the hands on the blue subdial will point at 10.
On the 2nd revolution, the hands on the blue subdial will point to the marker in between 10 and 30.
Following so far?

For the above picture, I have deliberately stopped the chronograph when the hands at the blue subdial have reach a position that is actually impossible to gauge the elapsed seconds.... but it is actually not needed, as the red central sweeping hands have already stopped at 3.5 seconds, and the only thing you have to measure is if the hands on the blue subdial have stopped BEYOND or BEFORE the halfway point between the 30 and 50 seconds marker, in this case, it is beyond the halfway point (above 40 seconds), which can only mean that the total elapsed seconds at 43.5 seconds (3.5 second reading from the red central seconds hand)
Easy... I hope you guys get what I mean... :-)
Since the minute totalizer is the dominant subdial with no overlapping, it's measurement is not hindered one bit.
Cool right?

Watch case measures 42mm.
The side profile of the case and the cut off lugs is historically accurate like the Zenith A386 of old... only upsized.
The sloping lugs does make the watch easier to wear than the size suggests.
Thickness is at 12.75mm as per Zenith spec sheet.
Sapphire crystal is raised and domed.

With the right strap, the shape just hugs the wrists snuggly.
The thin caseback helps in this regard.

Angled lugs or chamfered lugs, all the rage now.
Nicely done.

Crown is sized just enough for ease of use.
It's a non screwed down and signed with a five pointed star.
I would have liked it if it's just slightly bigger and a screwdown crown to increase the water resistance rating higher than the 100m.
Chronograph pushers are piston shaped and again, I would have liked it if it's slightly bigger.
That's just my preference though.

Movement powering this watch is the El Primero Caliber 4052.
Rotor is partly skeletonized and finishings like perlage on the bridges and geneva stripes on the rotor does make it look nicer.

Most people will tell you that the beauty of the El Primero movement is not in it's finishings, but the architecture.
And I can't agree more.
Wish that the column wheel on the right is blued to show some contrasts.
Due to the extra friction needed for the operation of the foudroyante, a double wheel is made with silicon.
That little blue (or is it purple) is certainly welcomed... and being relevant and practical in it's application is a plus.

The strap that came with the watch is this black alligator strap.
It originally came with a pin buckle and I switch it to this Zenith deployant that I have.

The strap is well made and my only gripe with it is that it is on the thin side.
About 3mm thick tappering even thinner going to the buckle and tail.
With that kind of thickness, the watch sort of felt like "head heavy"
I would wear the watch on this strap if I am attending a dinner and needing something more "dressier" but at the moment, I am wearing the watch on a daily basis so this strap just doesn't cut out for it.

I do appreciate that the back of the strap is rubber lined though.
It should last longer.
Lug measurement are also at a very odd 21mm, which means that ready made straps are not that widely available.

Because this is a long lusted piece, I have been wearing this for the past week... only this... all my other watches have taken a back seat and went into cold storage.
Personally, I think this is a great piece to have.
I initial dislike of the 42mm case size looks to be unfounded.
It fits really well on my 6.75inch wrist.
Even with the little gripes that I have with it, this overall package is still a win in my book.

FINAL PURCHASE OF 2013?

Finally pulled the trigger on a piece that meant alot to me.
Watch this space... comprehensive review coming soon... :-)

The watch....

Too obvious?

FULL REVEAL OF THE ZENITH EL PRIMERO LIGHTWEIGHT REF 10.2260.4052W/98.R573

After a month, Zenith finally revealed the watch in it's entirety.
For 3 weeks Zenith have been showing this watch in some sneak peak pictures that show snippets of the final product.

The El Primero Lightweight.
Available for a limited run of 100 pcs.
The watch is cased in a huge 45mm (sigh) carbon fibre with the inner case structure described by Zenith as "aluminium turned into ceramic"
Not quite sure what they are trying to say there...
Chronograph pushers are in titanium.

The movement is the same one found in the previous Striking 10th model the Caliber 4052... this time called the 4052W
Notable changes is that the mainplate and bridges have been milled from titanium instead of the usual brass thus shaving off 5.65 grams off the movement weight from 21.10 grams to 15.45 grams.
The purple part is a Silicon Double Chronograph Wheel.
The whole watch now weighs a measly 76 grams!!

The dial show part of the movement underneath.
Not much info here but I think the dial is transparent with the Zenith Star and Font printed on top or I could be wrong and it's printed on the underside of the crystal. Will confirm when I have the chance.

Subdials are the iconic tri colour design.
Date wheel looks pretty cool.
Looks like the date numerals are cut outs and the colour red is the background... nice
Zenith is able to conceal the small movement size by placing the date wheel at the outermost dial which is non transparent.

It's a cool release from Zenith.
Not a watch for everyone due to the case size.
But with the trends moving towards larger watches, I guess they will have to join in.
Priced at USD22,000

ZENITH EL PRIMERO RAINBOW FLYBACK

This is another watch in my collection that is deemed "untouchable"
Being a huge Zenith fan, I am not particularly fond of the direction they're heading now. Not design wise... just the size.
No doubt there are some nice pieces in the current collection but the sizing is not what I would recommend for Asian wrists.
They're getting too big.
So this is one of the older models that are made in the classic sizes... 40mm.
The Zenith El Primero Rainbow Flyback.

This watch is born when the French Airforce Pilots needed a sturdy, robust and reliable watch with easy legibility.
This is the monochrome black / white model.
There is another model which fits the "Rainbow" moniker better as it comes with some splash of colour here and there.
I like both equally but only crossed path with a black so here we are. I am after all a black dial man evident from my collection which consists of mostly black dialed watches.

Movement fitted in this watch is a variant of the legendary caliber 400, called the El Primero caliber 405.
The movement comes with a "Flyback" function.
On a normal chronograph, it takes one push of the 2 o'clock button to start the chronograph function, another push on the same button to stop. And one push on the button at 4 o'clock to reset the hands to zero.
What a Flyback allows is during the calculation of the elapsed time (while chronograph is still running), you can actually press the reset button to to 2 things at once. To reset the hands (chronograph seconds hand "flyback" to the starting position), and the chronograph starts again.
As opposed to a normal chronograph where you have to start, stop, reset and start.
A Flyback can complete the 4 steps in 2.

The dial is just so cool. Loaded with little details.
The contrasts of black and white meant that the legibility is excellent. Only other watch I can think of that has the same monochrome dial is the Omega Speedmaster Professional otherwise known as the "Moonwatch"
Sapphire crystal is treated with anti reflective coating on both sides.
Which meant that under certain conditions, the watch looked as if it's without a crystal.
On the outer rim of the dial, it is printed with a "Telemeter" scale.
The way the black dial merges with the black rehaut and then continues to the black bezel insert meant that the watch actually looks bigger than the 40mm case size suggest.
Date is at the 4.30 position, a trademark with old Zenith watches.
New models now have the date moved to 6 o'clock... lost some it's old school charm if you ask me.
Date clicks past in one swift jump after 12 midnight.
No creeping date wheels starting from 10pm which annoys me.

No clear caseback for me to view the movement. But as a consolation, the caseback is nicely engraved.
Thomas Priek used to make sapphire casebacks for this model but unfortunately during my correspondence with him, he no longer makes them anymore... sigh...
The watch case itself is brushed... fully... which means that the watch does not possess any shiny or reflective surfaces except for the caseback...
Total tool watch look.

Bracelet is comfortable. Well designed.
I would have like the watch to come with micro adjustments or screw pins instead of pressure pins...
Butterfly clasp is easy to use... locking clicks with an assuringly firm snap.
Does it's job well enough though so not much a complaint.

Crown is unsigned which is a little disappointing.
Would've been nice to have a Zenith Star engraved there.
Push pull type... not screw in... but water resistance rated to 100m... I won't take my chances in a swim with this watch I can tell you that...
Chronograph pushers are all good.
Easy to push and every button push comes with firm click.

I love the individual minute markers that are printed to the outer date window border. They still provide you with a marker for accurate telling of time without needing to guess.
I would prefer the arabic numbers to be intact whole instead of being cut-out... but with limited real estate on the dial, something just gotta give way.

Another thing that is missing in modern Zenith watches is that they no longer use cursive writing for "El Primero", they all have modern fonts now. Too bad in my opinion as the traditional writing seems to add a little bit of old school charm in a timepiece. My experience with this watch has been generally positive.
But of course I am biased as I am a huge fan of Zenith. :-)
Being a fan of a brand, you tend to sometimes overlook minor flaws. Not to say that this watch is flawed. It is a perfect watch... for me at least.

The reason why older Zenith watches are more sought after is actually down to 1 man.
Mr.Thierry Nataf.
When he took over the top job at Zenith, the watches released during his time was just over the top. 
Big, brash and loud... unrefined.
Totally not in line with Zenith's past and traditions.
So people started looking for older classic designs as the newer designs just couldn't relate to the fans like me.

Now that Mr.Frederic Dufour is taking the helm at Zenith for the past 2 years... I have seen Zenith going back to their roots and reviving lot's of Zenith's iconic designs. Still a long way to go... but in the meantime, I have my Zenith Rainbow to keep me company and remind me of a once illustrious era of Zenith watches... while waiting for a second coming... patiently.

ZENITH EL PRIMERO HW

This is actually my 1st Swiss watch that comes with an in-house movement. And a legendary one at that!

The Zenith El Primero HW (HW = Hand Wound)

I am a big fan of the Zenith brand :-)

Yes I am. Even without knowing the history of the brand, I already liked the brand. Why? The name maybe? Simple reason right?

And boy am I glad.

This is actually an entry level model for the El Primero Class Sport line. The asking price is actually very fair considering the watch is made by a full fledged "Manufacture" with a rich history and powered by their very own El Primero movement.

This movement itself is legendary.

Born on the year 1969, almost forgotten and the tooling almost destroyed amidst the quartz crisis... we all have Charles Vermont to thank that this movement lives on for he actually saved the tooling and equipment for making the movements when the higher power actually asks for the tooling and equipment to be sold as scrap.

Needless to say, the rest is history.

The movement received even more attention when Rolex needed a movement to power their Daytona Chronographs, they look for the best they could find at that time... which is the El Primero caliber 400. The exact one that you see here but with the automatic winding mechanism intact. (Rolex did their own modifications to the base movement)

This is a robust, time tested movement.

As expected with an entry level piece, the movement is not finished with anything fancy. But with the winding rotor omitted, it does show the movement in all it's glory.

The beauty of this movement is that it oscillates at a rate of 36000 beats per hour / bph or vibrations per hour / vph.

That's 10 ticks a second. Most chronographs or even simple time only movements tick at 28800 vph at most.

So this is considered a ground breaking achievement... even today.

This means that when the chronograph is activated, one can actually notice the central seconds hand sweep more smoothly than it's slower counterparts.

Watch originally came with a stainless steel bracelet.

But since it's a thin dressy watch, I started my hunt for a proper crocodile strap and a Zenith signed deployant.

I did eventually found what I want and a word of caution, these accessories do not come cheap.

Strap alone being genuine crocodile is around usd200, the deployant alone costs usd380.... ouch!!

I think the watch looks better on a crocodile strap.

Suitable for dressy dinners and events.

Understated, legendary and superbly made.

I enjoyed the hell out of this watch before it went to a new owner while I need the funding on a new Zenith.

Out of all the watches that have left me, this is among those that I miss the most. Did I mention I am a huge Zenith fan? :-)

No matter how the landscape of my collection changed, there's always a Zenith there.

This is the watch that introduced me to the world of finer Swiss watches. What it means being a manufacture, the value of history and a brand's commitment to tradition.

That is why until today, a Zenith watch will always be an integral part in my collection.

ZENITH RAINBOW FLYBACK

For the past few days, I have been wearing my Zenith Rainbow Flyback.

Extra special being this is the predecessor of the watch Felix Baumgartner wore during his recent record breaking stratosphere free fall.

Big congratz to Felix and I am glad it was Zenith that did it with him.

Just for the record, Zenith has been and always will be my top 3 favourite brand.

This is the watch that Felix wore.

The Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th.

Sigh... if only it comes at a smaller size... I'd definitely queue up for one.