Zenith’s Chronomaster Open showcased herein is a fusion of the watchmaker’s glorious history with the latest in style innovation. In 1969, Ozzie, the Fillmore East, and the El Primero were the new, hot, and on the cusp of immortality.īut a wristwatch is proof positive that time never sits idle. 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.Īgainst 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. Zenith’s Chronomaster Open Power Reserve is a celebration of the 36,000 beat-per-hour El Primero movement. 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. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, a ghostwriting gig amounts to an intellectual rout. The El Primero movement is the star, and from 1988 to 1999, that movement formed the basis for Rolex’s legendary Cosmograph Daytona. Properly known as the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Open Power Reserve, this Zenith chronograph is a perfect storm of style and substance. And for those who build and sell luxury watches, Zenith is the rainmaker. 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 Zenith has quite a posse: Movado, Ebel, Ulysse Nardin, Parmigiani, Hublot , Panerai, TAG-Heuer – and a Geneva upstart called Rolex. 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. The high-beat movement is glorified and visible within the Chronomaster dial. Within this Chronomaster Open, the El Primero enters the 21st century in style. Rolex’s choice for its Daytona, Zenith’s El Primero caliber is the Cadillac of chronographs. The Zenith Chronomaster Open Power Reserve “El Primero” is a living legend.

El primero chronomaster