Zenith’s Latest at LVMH Watch Week 2021

Zenith A385 Revival

In 1969, a seminal year in human achievement expressed by the moon landing, Woodstock and the Beatles’ last public performance on the roof of the Apple records, Zenith unveiled the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement aptly named, the El Primero and offered it in three different watches.

The first was a round cased watch named, the A 386; made distinct by its three different colored subdials and this year serves as the design inspiration for Zenith’s brilliant new Chronomaster Sport. That year Zenith also issued two, barrel shaped watches one with a Panda dial — white with black subdials – the A384 that has already received a rival model and has served as the platform for many watches including Zenith’s own terrific titanium bead blasted A384 Shadow.

But the final watch from this iconic triumvirate was the A385, which features a stunning brown gradient dial. Each time I visited the, now defunct, Basel Fair I would look at this watch with my friend Roman Marietta, Zenith head of product and remark how they had to bring this model back. He states, “Definitely, in the design language of Zenith this is one of the most unique and iconic chronographs. I feel that with the A386 and the A384 Zenith was making watches they felt would be timeless, while with the A385 they wanted to create something that was innovative, modern and rooted in the culture of the era.”

A 1969 Zenith advertisement showcasing the the three references that gave the El Primero its first foray into the world, including the A385 the first El Primero watch with a gradient dial
A 1969 Zenith advertisement showcasing the the three references that gave the El Primero its first foray into the world, including the A385 the first El Primero watch with a gradient dial

Says Zenith’s CEO Julien Tornare, “At Zenith we want to be multi-dimensional. We want to have some of the most exciting modern watches such as the Defy El Primero 21 and we want to also have watches that are tributes to our historic icons.

“We felt the time was perfect to bring back the A385 because of how successful the tonneau shaped case has become. It really is now, something that is sort of new icon in the sports chronograph world. Because its design is so unique, especially when combined with our signature ladder bracelet, you can tell from across the room that any of our barrel shaped watches is a Zenith chronograph.”

Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 on a “ladder” bracelet with stainless steel double folding clasp
Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 on a “ladder” bracelet with stainless steel double folding clasp

When asked if the tonneau was a success right from the beginning Tornare explains, “Regarding the tonneau shaped case, when we first brought it back we tried to make it more modern by increasing its size. But we quickly realized that somehow proportionally, it was quite right and very soon we went back to the original 37mm diameter, which wears bigger because this case has quite short compact lugs. At this size the watch is perfect aesthetically and ergonomically. With a decided sporting character but the right amount of vintage elegance.”

With the addition of the warm smoked gradient brown dial, Zenith’s signature barrel case is given an added measure of vintage charm creating a delightful timepiece backed by the technical credibility of Zenith’s amazing El Primero beating at 5 Hertz and capable of dividing time to the 10th of a second.

Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 on a light brown calf leather strap with protective rubber lining and a stainless steel pin buckle
Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 on a light brown calf leather strap with protective rubber lining and a stainless steel pin buckle

Technical Specifications

Movement

Self-winding El Primero 400 movement; hours and minutes in the centre; small seconds at 9 o’clock; chronograph: central chronograph hand, 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock; tachymetric scale; date indication at 4:30; 50-hour power reserve

Case

37mm stainless steel; smoked brown gradient dial with white-coloured counters; rhodium-plated hour-markers, faceted and coated with beige Super-LumiNova®SLN; rhodium-plated hands, faceted and coated with beige Super-LumiNova®SLN; water-resistant to 50m

Strap/Bracelet

Light brown calf leather strap with protective rubber lining and a stainless steel pin buckle or “ladder” bracelet with stainless steel double folding clasp

Price

Ref. 03.A384.400/385.C855: CHF 7,900 on leather strap
Ref. 03.A384.400/385.M385: CHF 8,400 on “ladder” bracelet

Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 on a “ladder” bracelet with stainless steel double folding clasp
Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 on a light brown calf leather strap with protective rubber lining and a stainless steel pin buckle

DEFY 21 Urban Jungle

I remember sitting in my living room in 2016 with my dachshund in my lap when Jean-Claude Biver, in his capacity of the head of LVMH watches, explained his objective with the El Primero 21. He said, “Zenith’s El Primero is an incredible movement, but it has been around for a half century. So, I told the team at Zenith you must create the El Primero of today. The El Primero of the 21st century and to do that you need to go beyond the 10th of a second and master the 100th of a second. But you must do so with a movement that  is reliable and also in a watch that is accessible in price.”

He ended this emphatic statement by banging my dining table so hard that my dog was momentarily startled. But even more impressive was that the team at Zenith achieved this goal by 2017, two years ahead of Zenith’s mid-century mark. They achieved this by sharing competences with their LVMH brethren, TAG Heuer and specifically the movement for that brand’s 1/100th of a second chronograph, known as the Mikrograph. This was a 100-piece limited edition that used two balance wheels, one for the time telling function, beating at 5 Hertz and the other for the chronograph function of the watch, beating at 50 Hertz. The rationale was simple, the chronograph oscillator was only activated when the chronograph was started, so as to allow for a decent power reserve for this function.

On the wrist, the DEFY 21 Urban Jungle with its 44mm khaki green ceramic case, powered by the self-winding El Primero 9004 automatic movement
On the wrist, the DEFY 21 Urban Jungle with its 44mm khaki green ceramic case, powered by the self-winding El Primero 9004 automatic movement
The self-winding El Primero 9004 has two escapement setups: 1 escapement for the watch (36,000 VpH - 5 Hz); 1 escapement for the Chronograph (360,000 VpH - 50 Hz)
The self-winding El Primero 9004 has two escapement setups: 1 escapement for the watch (36,000 VpH - 5 Hz); 1 escapement for the Chronograph (360,000 VpH - 50 Hz)

But the impressive thing was, of course, the integration of this two balance-wheel set up into a Zenith watch, which when it was launched, cost only 10,600 US dollars, in a titanium case. This was a truly remarkable value proposition, especially when you activated the start button and were utterly mesmerized by a long thin chronograph seconds hand that completed a full revolution of the dial each second and adopted precisely 100 positions along the perimeter of the dial along the way.

In comparison, watches like François-Paul Journe’s Centigraph, which costs 5 to 6 times as much does not have a balance wheel truly beating at 1/100th of a second but instead uses a reduction gearing to achieve its purpose. Further the Zenith Defy 21 also featured hairsprings made from carbon nanotubes which are not affected by magnetism.

For this year Zenith is offering an Urban Jungle version of this dazzling technical achievement, replete with a green khaki scratchproof ceramic case as well as an open worked dial with green skeletonized base plate. Says Tornare, “The Defy 21 is the perfect showcase for both our technical innovation as well as our affection for material innovation. From a design perspective this model represents the modern and bold side of the family. If you were to start a watch like the A385 you would see the world’s most famous chronograph movement inside a charming retro themed case with a seconds hand that completes a full rotation of the dial every 60 seconds.

“Next to it you could place our new Chronomaster Sport with the distinct 10th of a second display and the chronograph hand completing a full rotation every 10 seconds. And then next to this I love to place the DEFY 21 with this incredible super foudroyante hand blazing around the dial once per second adopting 100 positions along the way. These three watches perfectly represent how Zenith is the unrivalled master of the chronograph.”

Technical Specifications

Movement

Self-winding El Primero 9004 automatic movement; 1/100th of a second Chronograph movement; exclusive dynamic signature of one rotation per second; 1 escapement for the watch (36,000 VpH – 5 Hz); 1 escapement for the Chronograph (360,000 VpH – 50 Hz); chronometer certified; chronograph power-reserve indication at 12 o’clock; hours and minutes in the centre; small seconds at 9 o’clock; central chronograph hand, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, 60-second counter at 6 o’clock; 50-hour power reserve

Case

44mm khaki green ceramic case; openworked dial with two different-coloured counters; rhodium-plated, faceted and coated hour markers with Super- LumiNova®SLN C3; rhodium-plated, faceted and coated hands with Super-LumiNova®SLN C3; water-resistant to 100m

Strap/Bracelet

Black Rubber with khaki green “Cordura effect” rubber. Microblasted titanium double folding clasp

Price

Ref. 49.9006.9004/90.R942: CHF 14,400

DEFY 21 Urban Jungle with its 44mm khaki green ceramic case, powered by the self-winding El Primero 9004 automatic movement

Pilot Type 20 Silver Chronograph

Zenith’s latest iteration of its Type 20 pilots chronograph, which pays tribute to the brand’s timepieces that accompanied famous aviators such as Louis Bleriot in his history defining traversing of the English Channel in 1909 features a case crafted from an metal that was once used in the watch industry widely and has now become exceedingly rare. And that is sterling silver.

Indeed, the last memorable usage of silver in watch cases were the Must de Cartier Vermeil watches conceptualized in the 1970’s as a means of transmitting Cartier’s style and design to a much wider audience. Then there was the Ralph Lauren hand engraved Western watch, which is one of my favorites of his timepieces in recent memory.

Pilot Type 20 Silver Chronograph in a 45mm Silver 925 case
Pilot Type 20 Silver Chronograph in a 45mm Silver 925 case
The brushed riveted dial with a shiny reflective effect on the Pilot Type 20 Silver Chronograph

Says Julien Tornare, “Sterling silver adds a touch of warmth and also helps to personalize and individualize each watch as it develops its own unique patina. We combined this with a dial that is inspired by the hand riveted aluminum bodies of vintage aircraft and perfectly complements our use of cathedral style hands and an antique finished brown calfskin strap. The result is a truly charming watch which will be offered in small, limited edition of 250 pieces.”

Technical Specifications

Movement

Self-winding El Primero 4069 Automatic movement; 1/100th of a second chronograph functions; hours and minutes in the centre; small seconds at 9 o’clock; chronograph: central chronograph hand, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock; date indication at 4:30; 50-hour power reserve

Case

45mm Silver 925 case; brushed riveted dial with shiny reflective effect; Arabic numeral hour markers in SuperLuminova SLN C1®SLN; rhodium-plated hands coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1®SLN; water-resistant to 100m

Strap/Bracelet

Brown calfskin leather strap with rivets; polished steel pin buckle

Price

Ref. 05.2430.4069/17.I011: CHF 9,900

Pilot Type 20 Silver Chronograph in a 45mm Silver 925 case
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