Schooling Rolex: Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Open Power Reserve

• • The Zenith Chronomaster Open Power Reserve “El Primero” is a living legend.

• • Rolex’s choice for its Daytona, Zenith’s El Primero caliber is the Cadillac of chronographs.

• • Within this Chronomaster Open, the El Primero enters the 21st century in style.

• • The high-beat movement is glorified and visible within the Chronomaster dial.

It may seem off-beat to open a discussion of this stunning Zenith El Primero Chronomaster with a roll call of rival watchmakers, but the list of Zenith groupies says more than praise ever could. And Zenith has quite a posse: Movado, Ebel, Ulysse Nardin, Parmigiani, Hublot , Panerai, TAG-Heuer – and a Geneva upstart called Rolex.

Indeed, all of these storied brands have, at one point, bent the knee to the master from Le Locle, a company whose genius and capability always outstripped its publicity chops. Zenith is an innovation powerhouse that inspires universal reverence among those who know and love the collector scene. And for those who build and sell luxury watches, Zenith is the rainmaker.

Properly known as the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Open Power Reserve, this Zenith chronograph is a perfect storm of style and substance. The El Primero movement is the star, and from 1988 to 1999, that movement formed the basis for Rolex’s legendary Cosmograph Daytona. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, a ghostwriting gig amounts to an intellectual rout. Unable to produce anything like the tank-tough El Primero chronograph, Rolex purchased the movement to power its Daytona through the 90’s era that elevated the “Cosmograph” from cult watch to all-time great.

Zenith’s Chronomaster Open Power Reserve is a celebration of the 36,000 beat-per-hour El Primero movement. Its buzz-saw cadence is 25% faster than the modern standard for wristwatches, and not only does this furious pace help to improve rate stability (accuracy), but the movement looks and sounds different.

Against the ear, the El Primero sings with the frenzied cadence of an in-his-prime Ozzie Osbourne belting “Paranoid” at the Fillmore East. To the eye, the seconds hand of this unique chronograph traces an arc smoother than Maker’s Mark. In 1969, Ozzie, the Fillmore East, and the El Primero were the new, hot, and on the cusp of immortality.

But a wristwatch is proof positive that time never sits idle. Zenith’s Chronomaster Open showcased herein is a fusion of the watchmaker’s glorious history with the latest in style innovation. While the Zenith El Primero became the first automatic chronograph in 1969, the 2000s witnessed an avant garde streak at Zenith that shocked the industry and – ultimately – spawned an army of emulators.

The Zenith “open escapement,” here visible in its glory, packs the essential visual impact of the legendary “tourbillon” complication into a package that is more serviceable, attractively priced, and beautifully finished. A tourbillon packages the escapement assembly into rotating cage that spins the regulating organ through 360 degrees of exposure to gravity; it cancels the effect of position on timing.

Without a tourbillon, Zenith nevertheless captures most of that system’s visual charisma.

While the original tourbillon concept was dedicated to precision, it has gained modern renown as a piece of mechanical theater. With the Chronomaster Open, Zenith isolates the heart of the tourbillon’s appeal – a visible movement – and brings it to the fore.

Also reasoning that a see-through sapphire caseback amounts to a huge draw for watch buyers, Zenith cleverly reveals the most dynamic part of the movement – the chattering escapement – and places it front-and-center on the dial. For once, Zenith’s flair for promoting its engineering does justice to the machinery.

And Zenith builds a package worthy of the El Primero. One of the keys to rebuilding Zenith’s post-“Great Recession” viability was a strong aesthetic classicism; emphasis was placed on flowing lines, versatile styles, and cases that impress but never overwhelm. For the Chronomaster Open, Zenith reached into its historical catalog of early El Primero case designs and selected those that have weathered the storms of time and trends.

A classic in any era, this Chronomaster Open takes the design language of the late 1960s and updates it with a modern sensibility. Zenith’s polished bezel encircles the silvered dial like a halo, and traditional round pushers complete the “mid-century modern” vibe.

From 8:30 to 11:00 on the dial, the sweep of the open escapement sits shrouded in 18-karat rose gold. Developed specifically for open dials, the El Primero variant featured herein incorporates skeletonized bridges that expose even more of the exquisite mechanism within.

A series of spider-like mounts with rhodium plating are animated by patterns of machine-turned peralge semi-circles and the rich luster of ruby pivot jewels; the golden glow of brass wheels radiates from below. Forget the loupe; if your companions can’t see the fireworks on this one from an arm’s length, it’s time for eye exams.

Zenith’s dial more than holds its own against the showpiece escapement. Silver serves as a neutral tone on which Zenith’s watchmakers build the Chronomaster’s layers of complexity. A superior 52-hour power reserve is depicted on a scale at 6 o’clock; the small shock of red and crescent of black jump from the silver base. Dark blued screws and hands provide visual pop and play against the comparative gleam of the dominant light metals.

Playful details including the skeltonized “Zenith Star” counterweight to the seconds hand and its rose gold counterpart at one o’clock are evidence of a lighthearted design sensibility. The gunmetal tachymeter scale at the outer circumference suggests just enough sporting intent to keep the look viable in a polo shirt and shorts.

The 1916 Company is proud to offer this Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Open Power Reserve for $10,495: a stunning 50+% discount from the $21,600 MSRP. This is a full-set package with every accessory a buyer could expect in a dealer’s showroom. So much history at such a discount is a rare opportunity for the collector who really knows his stuff.

Zenith’s contribution to Rolex knows no end. This spring, following Zenith CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour’s opus-level revitalization of the Le Locle maison’s product line, the wunderkind exec was poached by Rolex to become its sixth-ever president.

In the watch industry as in life, if you’re going to steal, steal from the best.