Zenith Serves Up The El Primero In Enticing New Flavors At LVMH Watch Week

When you say Zenith, you say El Primero. While the brand is about so much more, this legendary automatic chronograph movement continues to shape Zenith. This is not at all a bad thing, as the brand is not stuck on replaying its greatest hits but rather lets the past inspire its future. This also becomes clear when looking at the new watches that Zenith introduced at the 2021 edition of LVMH’s Watch Week;

Zenith Chronomaster Sport
Zenith shakes up the world of sports chronographs considerably with the introduction of the Chronomaster Sport. Available with either a black or a white dial, both with the tri-color, slightly overlapping subdials, do these watches make a particular sportive appearance. The bezel is made from black ceramic and shows an interesting scale of 10. This is because the chronograph hand makes a full rotation in 10 seconds. As the newly developed El Primero caliber 3600 is running at 36,000 vph, the Chronomaster Sport can measure time with 1/10th of a second precision. The movement can be admired through the sapphire caseback, and its chronograph function is operated by attractive piston pushers. Zenith delivers the Chronomaster Sport on either a rubber strap or a comfortable bracelet.

Zenith Chronomaster A385 Revival
When Zenith introduced the El Primero movement in 1969, it was a breakthrough in watchmaking. The brand has been celebrating this fact by bringing out a few ‘revival’ models, with among them the A384 Revival in 2019. The A385 Revival shares the angular case with its sibling but differs in the stunning fumé dial. At the time, Zenith was one of the first to use such dials, which became highly popular in the 1970s. The Chronomaster A385 Revival is, of course, powered by an El Primero chronograph movement. While the brown leather strap matches very nicely with the fumé dial, the bracelet is even more tempting. This so-called ladder bracelet, because of the gaps between the links in the center, was made in the late 1960s by Gay Frères for Zenith, and today this design gives the watch even more vintage charm.

Zenith Defy 21 Urban Jungle
Crafted from green ceramic is the Defy 21 Urban Jungle quite the eyecatcher. Even more so as Zenith also applied this color to the strap, as well as the bridges of the movement. This gives the watch a distinct utilitarian look that makes this Zenith feel equally at home in the city as in the countryside. The Defy 21 Urban Jungle is fitted with El Primero caliber 9004, which features a unique 1/100th of a second chronograph and is Chronometer certified.

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Chronograph Silver
Of all the precious metals, Sterling silver is not often used by watch brands. That’s a pity because it combines being considerably less expensive than other precious metals with a unique character. Over time it will develop a patina that gives it a more soft vintage look. This makes it the perfect material for a watch inspired by Zenith’s past; the Pilot Type 20 Chronograph. Powered by caliber El Primero 4069, this Zenith even has a dial made of Sterling silver, complete with rivets, making it reminiscent of vintage aircraft’s aluminum panels.