AndrewD
[HoMe Moderator]
12829
Design over function
I love the historical colours and dial architecture and the combined moon and sun phase is a nice and unusual complication, but Zenith persists in partially obscuring the chronograph minutes register. They emphasise the ability to accurately measure and display elapsed time to one tenth of a second with their classic El Primero escapement, but they can’t accurately show elapsed minutes! This occurs for a total of 5 minutes, between 17 and 21 minutes on the 30 minute chronograph minutes register at 3 o’clock. Doesn’t anyone at Zenith use their chronographs or read the feedback? And they could get around the issue by overlapping the hour counter rather than the minutes as this would still be readable. For one model it was a mistake, but to repeat it is a disappointment.
Andrew
ZENITH El Primero collection - Chronomaster 1969 & Chronomaster Open Grande Date Moon & Sunphase
Zenith - El Primero CHRONOMASTER 1969 & Chronomaster Open Grande Date Moon & Sunphase, Two Iconic Signatures For A Legendary Watch EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER 1969 T he new El Primero Chronomaster 1969 chronograph is a concentrated blend of Zenith's genetic h...
uhhhm
Are these models that were left over from a few years ago and Z thought it could unload some inventory now that it built up some good will? A harsh thought, but actually what sprung to my mind. I prefer that the brand keep returning to its roots and innov...
Wow, what a mess....
Seriously disappointed in these new models. I love this brand, but unfortunately it seems like one step forward, two steps back.
According to the past year's collection I didnt see this coming...
what a Pity . Faisal
Overlapping Subdials...
First off, I like the design of the Grande Date Moon & Sunphase model - I think it is the best-looking open dial model of the current offerings, although my absolute favorite remains the Nataf-era version, with its guilloche work on the dials and sun-moon...
I feel the overlapping subdials are a must given the large dial & small movement
If Zenith designed the dial to not have overlapping dials, the subdials would be extremely small in diameter. As a result, the subdials would make the symmetry of the dial very atrocious IMO. There's no way to avoid the overlapping dials on these Zenith w...
Perhaps
But the legibility problem would largely be solved if the minutes subdial overlapped the hours subdial, as in fact it does on the vintage model. There are two other solutions that Zenith used in historical models that I made an earlier post about: http://...
Design over function
I love the historical colours and dial architecture and the combined moon and sun phase is a nice and unusual complication, but Zenith persists in partially obscuring the chronograph minutes register. They emphasise the ability to accurately measure and d...
My slightly frustrated thoughts
I would imagine that these aren't the only 2012 releases. More should be on the way for Baselworld. The ChronoMaster 1969 is nice, except of course for their weird overlap. It looks like, not sure though it could be perspective, the seconds ring overlaps ...
Well, folks, I've read thru all the comments . . .
. . . several times now, and waited a few days to absorb their largely critical tenor before posting a reply. It's quite clear, a full year after the inauguration of this forum, that the bête noire of the community resides in the overlapping sub-dials of ...
Recalling the Nataf-Era designs...
....many of the releases featured case diameters in excess of 44 mm, yet all of the non-Defy Xtreme models featured reasonably-legible sub-dials. Including the good Nataf-era "big case models" together with the current catalog examples you presented, it i...
Interesting points
While Dufour settled for a "reasonable" size of 42mm, he complicated things unnecesarily by removing the bezel and making his watches all-dial. So while Nataf's Zeniths were 45, 46.5mm he could get away with it by designing large bezels have having smalle...
Sure it's noticed
I venture to say that the overlapping subdial issue is the most common issue that Zenith newbies raise on various Zenith fora. But you're right, it won't show in sales figures because there is no way to measure sales lost to other companies. So from headq...
Deep disappointed ...
Zenith went back to a time that I want to forget: a) Open dial. b) Overlapping sub dials If they keep going on that direction, Zenith will be "a company that could". Zenith should follow the 2011 line with: a) A movement (El Primero) that "hacks". What is...
More will come at Baselworld...
I saw almost everything and you will have some surprises. Fx