Two Legends in One - Zenith's El Primero Tourbillon

The word “iconic” is over-used in the world of high horology. To be sure, there are watch models, brands, and complications worthy of the term, but that hasn't stopped marketers from playing fast and loose with the language. Collectors have become used to seeing every mid-cycle update of forgettable price-point landfill announced with the pomp of a king's coronation.

In the modern era of cynicism, when a true icon may be lost amid the din of pay-to-play product hype, the Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Tourbillon rises above the morass. This transcendent status is the result of combining two legends – the El Primero chronograph and the tourbillon escapement – in a single case.

Among tourbillon watches for men , Zenith's offering is unique. The El Primero chronograph provides the base movement for the Chronomaster. Connoisseurs of watchmaking revere the El Primero, which was launched in 1969 as the first integrated and automatic chronograph movement.

The integration of a chronograph, automatic winder, and three-hand watch movement resulted in a thin caliber that was a marked contrast to the layered “modular” efforts of competitors. Zenith's bi-directional automatic winding system proved highly efficient, and it removed the previous necessity of constant winding when a chronograph was engaged. Zenith's selection of a 5hz (36,000bph) escapement endowed the new movement with a distinctive “heartbeat” and the unique ability to measure time in 1/10-of-a-second increments.

Tourbillon watches for men are common in the modern marketplace, but Zenith's Chronomaster Tourbillon boasts a unique distinction. Although tourbillon movements were pioneered by Abraham Louis Breguet in the eighteenth century, only 21st-century Zenith has combined a high-beat chronograph with the most prestigious of complications.

The Chronomaster Tourbillon incorporates stylistic elements as adventurous as its engineering. Former Zenith CEO and styling chief Thierry Nataf was fascinated with asymmetrical features, large cases, and multi-layered dials. The Chronomaster Tourbillon features all of the above.

Zenith's Chronomaster Tourbillon integrates its signature complication at 11 o'clock, and the 1rpm carriage acts as a constant seconds hand for timekeeping purposes. The tourbillon aperture is encircled by a prominent rose gold bezel that provides a window for the display of a jumping date. A moonphase at 8 o'clock and sub dials at 3 and 6 complete calculated asymmetry of the dial.

Nataf's off-center orientation of the main numerals of the hour track provides a focal point that counterbalances the complications to the left of the dial and cleverly disguises the disparity between movement size (small) and case dimensions (large).

In the contemporary market, tourbillon watches for men have become common. Zeniths, by contrast, are produced in a comparative trickle, and Zenith El Primero tourbillons are rarities among rarities. Zenith's rose gold El Primero Chronomaster Tourbillon may be the most exceptional of the breed; only 25 units were produced.

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