Bonatto
94
Zenith Class El Primero review!
Hello fellow WIS!
I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season, I've been out for a few weeks but had some time to write up this review. I hope you all enjoy it!
Zenith Class El Primero Review
By Fred Bonatto
It may not make too much sense to review a
discontinued
watch, but in times where Zenith continuously pushes the envelope in
the design
“innovation” department, it’s comforting to look back and remember a
sober
design that was once displayed in the company’s catalogs. With the
Basel fair approaching, we are sure to see some interesting new designs
from Mr. Nataf, Zenith's chief designer!
The Zenith Class El Primero I reviewed is a natural evolution of the model pictured below
Picture by forum moderator Dje (taken from an old FS post)
The continuing evolution of the product line (after the LVMH acquisition) generated the following design
Image taken from the web, google search, author unknown
Today
there is no watch in the product line that truly resembles any of
these. All of the pictured watches, to the best of my knowledge, were
available in either hand wound or automatic versions. The hand wound
version has essentially the same movement, except that the automatic
module is removed.
This particular incarnation of the Class El Primero bears a 01.0501.400 model number, with a confirmed production run of 500. This model number is different from a nearly identical model I owned previously (the 01.0500.400). I was told by Zenith that the reason for this difference was simple. The earlier model (01.0500.400) had a different case manufacturer and the difference helped them differentiate within the suppliers. Other than the case, the rest of the watch remained un-changed. I noticed that the newer model also has two dots, one on either side of “Swiss Made” on the dial.
Initial impressions -
The overall package is very pleasing. The case is well
manufactured, the movement is well tested and of high quality, and the dial and
hands are comparable to the likes of IWC, Rolex, and other mid-tier brands.
The
strap is very well made and the tang buckle complements it nicely. It feels that
everything, from a practical point of view at least, was thought through and
executed properly. The features seem well proportioned.
Case -
No major complaints. External finish is of excellence, with sharp edges and appropriate contrast between brushed and polished finishes. The bezel is stepped and fully polished, whereas the case has some satin finish along the top side of the curved lugs. The rest of the case, buttons, case-back are highly polished. One unfortunate aspect that seems to have been overlooked is the inside of the lugs. The inner walls are obviously polished, but in some angles, when the strap is not on, and if the light hits it just right, you are able to see the vertical cut lines from when the case was machined out of a block of steel. This is only visible when closely looked at and when the strap is not on, something you certainly are unable to notice when the watch is on your wrist.
The buttons are rectangular in shape with rounded ends, like a flattened oval. The crown bears the classic square zenith logo. Even though it winds with quite a bit of resistance (a feature, or a characteristic rather of the El Primero movement) is easy to grasp even with my large fingers thanks to the deep groves along its outer edge.
The case back, as mentioned before is made up of a highly polished ring, fit with a sapphire crystal, and engraved with the watch’s details.
The case is finished off with a low, domed sapphire crystal with what appears to be anti-reflective coating on the outside only.
Dial/Hands -
The hour and minute hands are likely rhodium plated or some other polished white metal with luminous material (not tritium) applied evenly to the entire surface. The second hand and the chronograph hands are slender and coated with flat, white paint. Both the minute and the chronograph’s seconds hand are lightly curved at the tip. I assume this is to reduce parallax distortion. The hands are very well made and are quite satisfying to gaze at.
The dial itself is painted with “flat” black, textured paint, and is also lightly domed towards the outer edges. The printing is very well designed. There is color differentiation between the light gray graduated tachymetre printing and the bright white, luminous painted hour markers, separating visually the time telling and chronograph features.
Detail of the dial texture
A common mistake by many watch companies is placing “stuff” over sections of the tachymetre, such as dates, or chronograph sub-dials, making an accurate reading impossible when the chronograph’s second hand is stopped over one of those areas.
Zenith almost did this with the placement of the date window, but allowed the possibility of making accurate readings by replacing the “eaten-up” section of the tachymetre ruler to the left side of the date window; a fair solution to this issue.
The date window is tilted at the four-thirty position. I actually quite prefer this position, because when you have your hands on a desk, typing on a computer for example, the date is actually in a horizontal position in relation to your eyes, eliminating the need to lift your hand and wrist.
The sub-dials are recessed lightly and have a highly polished bezel adorning the inner edge of each one. The graduations are also printed on.
Luminosity is very reasonable and well applied, there are no un-even spots.
Movement -
The movement in this watch is the legendary Zenith El Primero automatic chronograph. It features 31 ruby jewels, bi-directional automatic winding with 52 hour power reserve, quick-set date, and an integrated column wheel chronograph mechanism. The balance oscillates at 36,000 vibrations per hour. This enables chronograph measurements accurate to 1/10th of a second, much faster than the reaction time of a human being.
Detail of the column wheel
This is really a no frills movement. Excellent rate results, reliable construction, predictable performance, and just enough fine finishing to keep it interesting.
You won’t find any perlage, beveling, etc. on this movement. You will however see some fine machining on the rotor and one of the movement plates, a couple of blue screws here and there, some nice brass-bushing-set ruby jewels, and a flat finish on many of the parts with no scratches or surface/structural defects.
It’s a workhorse movement and it looks like it. What sets it apart from the many of the automatic chronographs on the market today (with exception to 7750 based movements), is that it uses a tradition integrated column wheel chronograph mechanism as opposed to the, now common, modular chronographs. This means that instead of the chronograph mechanism being piggy-backed onto a base, time-only, caliber, the mechanism is actually integrated into the movement, being part of it. The easiest way to spot this is by looking at the case back and seeing if levers and cams are moved when you activate the chronograph buttons on your watch.
There is an advantage to the integrated design versus the modular design. The movement is easier to service, and is more reliable. In a modular chronograph, if something happens to the module (such as dirt, or wear) the entire module must be either replaced or serviced and adjusted, or else it will create resistance against the driving force from the base movement (even if the base movement is clean and working properly), changing the amplitude of the hair-spring, resulting in poor timekeeping.
When you push the chronograph buttons, you feel substantial resistance and then an assertive click. When releasing, it clicks back firmly into place. The actuation of the buttons is very solid and precise.
The crown has three positions. Position one, pushed against the case, winds the movement. Position two sets the time. Position three changes the quick-set date. This movement is non-hacking, but if you turn the crown gently as if you were moving the hands counter-clockwise in position two, the entire movement stops, so synchronizing with a source is possible, it only requires a bit more work.
Strap/Buckle -
The strap is well made, with careful choice of leathers. The stitching and padding are even and precise. The buckle is interesting and has a unique design, the sides are somewhat stepped. The buckle pin is solid and machined, not a fold-over design.
It would be unfair not to say that this watch represents outstanding value. There is not much out there at this price level that harbors all the features of this watch. I wish it was still manufactured. The last retail price on this particular reference number was U$ 3,800.00
Ps. I typed this up from a 9" screen mini notebook, so I hope the formatting is alright on everyone's screen! This message has been edited by Bonatto on 2009-01-13 19:19:44 This message has been edited by Dr No on 2009-01-14 13:22:07
Zenith Class El Primero review!
Great Post
A beauty
