Zenith

Today, I took out Zenith's most simply and elegantly dressed chronograph out for breakfast into the most opulent Vienna's coffee houses: Meet the Zenith Elite Chronograph Classic in steel:

Elite chronograph? Did you notice the oxymoron?  Elite: that name stands for the automatic time-only movement Zenith created in the mid-1990s, but it has recently accepted a second duty as the collective name for Zenith's more elegant pieces. At this time I fail to make much sense of it, but BaselWorld 2016 is not far away, and and soon we'll probably be a bit wiser...

That is the only change the El Primero's Elite Classic has experienced between its presentation in Basel and now. Very elegant, very "1950s" chronograph clad in a 42mm steel case:



The mystery lies entirely in its silver dial with a sunburst motif as the only finish. 

With this monochrome arrangement the heat-blued seconds hand really stands out, and it rightfully does.



Indices are set into the dial and then polished (to give a nice reflective effect), with finely printed partitions as well as permanent seconds and minute counter subdials.

The movement is the new automatic Cal. El Primero 4069: basically an El Primero 4010 sans big date function (and thus only 254 instead of 308 parts):



The back of the case is most fascinating to look at with a simple constrasting theme well employed to give a maximum of effect - I am talking about the matte-finished bezel around the case back, adjacent to the highly polished case band:

This specific watch came with a deployant clasp that mimics quite well an ordinary tang buckle. I prefer the latter for pure reasons of wearing comfort, and I doubt that will ever change...



Every little detail on this watch is just made to ensure a pleasant impression. The restrained but very effective dial design, the slight curvature of the dial itself, combined with the domed crystal and the sensual, rounded case. The proportions of hands in relation to the indices, subdials, diameter... 

The suspense created with the lively leaf-shaped hands and the straight and simple indices - one is inclined to use the word 'perfection', and this does not seem to be out of place.



With 42mm the watch is not exactly small, but still within the mainstream range, by today's customs.



Being almost devoid of any intrinsic colour, the watch is immensely versatile to wear.



It is still an eye-catcher, which I think is the true mastery of this watch. 

I personally was astounded to note how long my eyes were glued to its face (and I had other watches on the table as well!).



So, to conclude, I would say that the new Elite Chronograph Classic is an immensly important watch in Zenith's stable: pleasant, elegant and versatile are, I guess at least, convincing ingredients of a successful career as a watch. It will appeal 'to the masses', I am sure (although this sounds a bit exaggerating), and such a piece is exactly what Zenith needs.

The Elite Classic is not a watch which is particularly innovative, groundbreaking or daring. No, it is exactly the opposite. 

It is a piece for the connoisseur: destined for personal admiration and pleasure. I am personally glad that Zenith created this timepiece, it is a genre which is seen less and less in-the-wild.

Thanks for reading,
Magnus

Our venue: The Café Central in Vienna:

The café occupies the ground floor of the former bank and stockmarket building, today called the Palais Ferstel after its architect Heinrich von Ferstel.

The 'Central' is a place of profound historical relevance: The café was opened in 1876, and in the late 19th century it became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene. Key regulars included: Theodor Herzl (founder of the modern political zionism), poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, architect Adolf Loos, Austrian novelist and mathematician Leo Perutz and Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky. In January 1913 alone, Josip Broz Tito, Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, and Trotsky (the latter two being regulars) were patrons of the establishment.

Imagine this 'ensemble' all at once in this place!

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