jmpTT
858
Old and new, both are appealing...
Your review does brings to our attention the difference between mechanical watches, then and now. The original version was a finely crafted necessity, while the modern iteration is a luxury watch with practical elements. As collectors, we tend to get stuck on the incremental price increases, while the incremental improvements in build quality may go unnoticed, especially if they don't concern the movement. Looking at these two watches side-by-side, we can see the modern version has many more interesting details, right down to ridges on the pushers and the side profile of the crown.
Unlike some other Zeniths, the overall legibility is good and there are no silly scales on the hours subdial. That's not to say I don't have issues with that subdial, because I do. The hours subdial is generally much easier to guesstimate than the minutes subdial - having a legible minutes counter is essential to obtaining a precise elapsed time. Zenith seemed to understand this 40 years ago, but the current design obviously prioritizes aesthetics and balance the larger dial. This is the difference between then and now, but if I was on Zenith's design team, I would feel a bit uneasy about the enlarged hours counter. Ironically, seeing this problem again and again gives me an new appreciation for the Frederic Piguet 1185, where the running seconds subdial was located at 6 o'clock.
This message has been edited by jmpTT on 2014-07-20 08:05:43
Zenith Coffee House Tales (v): Revisiting an Icon - the El Primero 36'000 VPH 42 mm!
In this and the upcoming Coffee House Tales Miss R and myself tried to revisit the two fundamentally different approaches 'current' Zenith has in respect to its heritage. Like in my report on the Zenith Type 20 "Extra Special" , we met at the Café Drechsl...
Absolutely on the money regarding the primacy . . .
. . . of performance back when the El Primero was released, Magnus. As you may recall, the New Vintage 1969 . . . [watch credit: Dr No / image credit: Attila Aszodi] . . . was the sports watch in my collection for a few years, a decision guided by respect...
The New Vintage 1969 already carries many cues to the current design language...
particularly the pronounced indices are already visible. Also the dial already carries much of the finer finish of the current collection but still the old layout (printing, dial overlaps). Dial concept an legibility are my pet peeves when it comes to ass...
Old and new, both are appealing...
Your review does brings to our attention the difference between mechanical watches, then and now. The original version was a finely crafted necessity, while the modern iteration is a luxury watch with practical elements. As collectors, we tend to get stuc...
Necessity vs. 'practical luxury' - I like that...
as well as your very well expressed assessment of dial design minutiae. These are exactly those little facets where a serious brand should distinguish itself. But why do you think the Piguet 1185 is superior here? Because the location of the seconds subdi...
With the Piguet 1185, the two essential subdials are on the same axis!
Put simply, locating the hours and minutes subdials on the same plane allows for additional design variations, without destroying the balance of the dial. The seconds subdial isn't *that* useful on the El Primero and the Piguet 1185 because it doesn't hac...
Truly enjoyable read dear Magnus....
...if only I could take such shots on my brightest day :) Your great pictorial comparison once more showed allure and charm of vintage compared to new Sincerely Damjan
My favourite El Primero from the current production!
Thank you for another great Coffee House report, Magnus! :) That is my favourite El Primero from the current production, but I think it's no big secret that I would prefer the vintage one.... ;) Best Blomman
Great review
This is the striking 10th version, but i think the same case and dial. You can see some details in this "macro" video I've made:
Your " coffee series " is like a good newspapers I love to read.
And I must say that I am VERY interested by this article. I have for a long time now, the idea to get the Vintage Chrono. Once I will get the Vintage, I am so convinced by the modern that I will certainly go for it, too. I love to play the modern / vintag...