Zenith caught us by surprise back in 2015 when they introduced a very handsome dress chronograph called the El Primero Chronograph Classic. We're used to mostly sporty stuff from the Le Locle manufacture nowadays, but we nonetheless enjoyed the simplicity of the watch, which reminded us that chronographs can be elegant complications when they want to be.
The model did very well, beating Zenith’s own expectations, or so we are told, and encouraging them to introduce an interesting follow up only 12 months later. The new iteration – renamed the Elite Chronograph Classic, and moved to the Elite collection – is everything its older brother was, with the exception of the dial, which has gone from a steely silver to a beautiful deep blue. It went mostly under the radar at Baselworld 2016, but deserves a closer look.
The color change may not seem like much, but there are a couple of things to say about the new domed dial – which is made at ArteCad, a specialist owned by LVMH, as well as a handful of other dial manufacturers also based in Switzerland.
First, blue is a color Zenith usually saves for limited editions dedicated to Charles Vermot, a man who, at the height of the Quartz Crisis, disobeyed orders to destroy the manufacture’s mechanical know-how by saving equipment and designs. Such pieces have tremendous nostalgic and emotional value to Zenith. This isn't a Charles Vermot limited edition, of course, but you can't help but feel something of his spirit here.
Second, and this might explain why Zenith is ready to break with this tradition, is that blue dials are now more desirable than black dials – at least when we’re talking about modern pieces.
Since the new model is otherwise unchanged, I won’t repeat what Ben has already said about the piece, after spending a week with it on the wrist. But I highly encourage you to read his review, and decide for yourself which you prefer – silver, or blue?
More than a color chance, I would have preferred to see it back in a smaller size, somewhere in the region of 40 mm, although it remains a very wearable watch – the piece is only 11.8 mm thick – and I’m sure many will enjoy its presence on the wrist.
The new Elite Chronograph Classic comes on a blue alligator strap, and is listed for $6,900 – which represents a price drop of $1,500 from last year's model. As we've mentioned, the blue dial gives the watch a much altered character – with the original dial, it's a very traditional looking, somewhat austere design; with the blue dial it becomes much more eye-catching and, dare I say it, more overtly fun and outgoing wristwatch, without losing any of the underlying classicism that makes the original so attractive.
Read more about the Zenith El Primero Chronograph Classic here.
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