Zenith El Primero 36,000 VPH Classic Cars

At Baselworld 2016, Zenith's commitment to fine classic car racing was substantiated with further proof that they are dead-serious: The El Primero 36,000 VPH Classic Cars, which is a dial variation of the most classical Zenith El Primero in the brand's stable:

Using a 1969-inspired chronograph second hand and a Geneva-striped dial plate, the technical theme invoked icons of classical motoring is aspired.

Zenith refers to it as the 'brushed engine' finish. The ambiance press shots that Zenith supplied, left no doubt - see below or more so on Zenith's microsite: baselworld.zenith-watches.com /



The Press image above however is a rendering, thus, several very fine but important details are different from the actual watch - look for yourself:

1. the subdial hands are skeletonised and not filled with lume
2. the hours counter does not contain cut-off indices between 9 and 3 o'clock

Overall, these are very small but - holstically seen - very influential details:



Let's take a closer look at the dial design; dominated by the Côtes de Genève, it is all about structure and landscape.

Subtly different layers of the subdials give a first hint. Here, the novel hands, skeletonised and well rounded, add not only a touch of red colour but also emphasise the structural elements, thanks to their airiness, with a faint resemblance to vintage radio scales. I doubt that hands filled with luminous material would yield a similar effect, hence this is a great and appropriate choice!

Further, the omission of the hours indices on the counter at 6 o'clock takes away any hint of clutter, and at the same time does not irritate those who object any cut-off indicate ab initio. Those indications are not necessary as one can easily infer the hours from the position of the hand.



One important aspect of this dial design is that the subdials do overlap but in a fashion which does not impair readout of the most critical indication, the minute counter. Here, in contrast to the majority of Zenith's chronographs, permanent seconds and minuter counter cut into the hours dial and not vice versa. Therefore, minutes elapsed can always be read, whereas some intuition is needed for the hours. This however is preferable to the 'standard Zenith' situation where the minutes counted need guesswork between 30 and 45 min.

The dials themselves are decorated with a concentric rim patter which is also found below the tachymeter (what else?) scale.



Welcomed by many, the date is positioned at 6 o'clock and nicely framed. The indices are, again totally in Zenith's house-style, with sharp diamond-cut corners, black accents and inwards applied luminova.

For such a classic (design, concept) watch of course only a legendary movement could do it - here the iconic Zenith El Primero Cal. 400, visible through a display back is mounted in a brushed case:



One last accessoir making this watch stand out: a 'racing-style' calfskin leather strap, protected from humidity thanks to an inner rubber lining:

That's it for the theory, now right into the real life!

Isn't that an attractive watch?

Sure, one could say that an El Primero might be a tad small for a 42mm case (which does not stop Zenith from fitting it into considerably larger cases...), however, with the new 'brushed engine' design I think the dimension are just about right to give every element sufficient weight while keeping a harmonious balance.



The 'Classic Cars' has a beautiful presence on the wrist, and moreover, different constituent elements put themselves into the forefront in dependence of the actual light incidence: from surface finish (first wrist shot) to colours (second wrist shot) over finally to structure (wirst shot below):

To conclude, I personally think that this new Zenith El Primero 36,000 VPH Classic Cars represents a significant achievement for the brand from Le Locle, as it combines Zenith's current design language with a reference to historical motoring. While this is certainly not revolutionary in any sense of the word, it is a significant achievement which bodes well for a continued appreciation of the timepiece over time. Remember, so much these days is firmly tied to 'classics', at least in the watchmaking industry. Thus finding a bridge to modernity is crucial.

'History with a twist' , I would say.

Moreover, Zenith righted a few flaws with previous watches, most importantly the brand fixed the legibility issue of the chronograph minute counter (by - oh this irony! - reverting to the original 1969 design scheme...). The purist at heart rejoiced about what he/she saw...

The combination of watchmaking and motoring is neither new nor particularly original (as many brands market that connection), but I personally see this particular Zenith, combining fantastic automobile-inspired design with a legendary chronograph movement, to be one of best (i.e. most tempting) implementations ever!

Congratulations Zenith for another fine iteration!

Thanks for reading,
Magnus

This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2016-05-17 13:01:01