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Introducing: Zenith Updates The Chronomaster Open With El Primero Caliber 3600
Zenith's mid-2000s flagship chronograph receives new tenth-of-a-second duds.
565 articles · 252 videos found · page 5 of 28
The 1969 36,000 vph automatic chronograph saved from the quartz crisis by Charles Vermot.
Zenith's 1969 column-wheel automatic chronograph caliber at 36,000 vph, saved from quartz-era destruction by Charles Vermot in 1975 and supplied to the Rolex Daytona ref. 16520 (1988-2000).
Hodinkee
Zenith's mid-2000s flagship chronograph receives new tenth-of-a-second duds.
Hodinkee
Look, Ma, three hands!
Hodinkee
Imagine a brand changing just one color or even tweaking one line of text on the dial of its most popular model – what an idea!
Hodinkee
Kick back, relax, and enjoy a piña colada – it's time to go tropical.
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Easy, breezy, beautiful. And more.
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Happy Wednesday from the HODINKEE Vintage Team.
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Julien Tornare goes deep.
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Fifteen (new) vintage watches to peruse in the HODINKEE Shop.
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If you use your watch in the kitchen, you’re not going to want to miss this story.
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And a Swatch phone, because why not?
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A watch that doesn't stop when the road does.
Revolution
The Bamford Watch Department has collaborated with Zenith to create a retro-futurist Chronomaster inspired by archive pieces and radar.
Worn & Wound
Zenith has launched the latest version of their popular Chronomaster Revival A384, a line that takes the iconic case of the A384 and often plays with color and materials as a platform for a modern El Primero movement. The A384, for me, has always been the most interesting of the Zenith heritage releases. It feels truly transported from another time, fully intact, largely thanks to the iconic ladder bracelet that we often see included with these references (more on that in a minute). This particular release really leans into a very specific vintage look, and I imagine will be warmly welcomed by modern Zenith enthusiasts who appreciate and collect vintage Zenith as well. The story here, clearly, is the brown used as an accent color to evoke natural patina that vintage watch collectors often prize over perfectly preserved watches. A so-called “tropical” dial occurs over a long stretch of time when a watch is exposed to the outside world, the sun’s rays slowly fading the color present in the original dial. This will often result in a brown or tan color to emerge from black paint, which is particularly noticeable on chronographs with black subdials, which is what Zenith is going for here. But the “tropical” effect can, in theory, be applied to any color, and change blues, greens, and reds in unexpected ways. Here we have a white dial with a very subtle grain and brown subdials at 3, 6, and 9, for the chronograph minutes, chronograph hours, and running seconds, res...
Monochrome
For many people, 1969 is the year of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Woodstock and the final live performance of The Beatles on a London rooftop. However, for watch enthusiasts, 1969 is the year Zenith unveiled the El Primero, the world’s first automatic, integrated chronograph calibre – and a high-frequency one to boot. Among the […]
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Zenith adds another variation of its modern revival of the unique A384 chronograph to its catalog, with the Chronomaster Revival A384 Tropical. This is, at a high level, just a new dial that's been added to the collection, and one that's done in a familiar Zenith way at that. Here, the inspiration is very much around tropical dials, with a base dial in a softly grained white, contrasted by brown accents in the subdials and tachymeter scale. Zenith calls it a "chocolate panda" configuration, and I think that's a pretty apt name. Text on the white portion of the dial is printed in black, including the "El Primero" script under the Zenith logo, while printing on the brown portions of the dial, such as the tachymeter and sundial markings, is all done in white. The aged, tropical theme continues with lume on the applied markers and handset executed in Old Radium Super-LumiNova, which certainly complements the warmth of the overall look. A bright red chronograph seconds hand sits front and center, and a date window sits between the four and five o'clock hour markers. The dial sits in that distinctive A384 case, with a compact, angular tonneau silhouette measuring 37mm. Pump pushers and a Zenith star-signed crown sit on the right flank of the case. Finishing is interesting throughout the watch, with radial brushing on the front slab of the case, polished facets, and horizontal brushing on the sides. It's complemented by Zenith's revival of the Gay Frères ladd...
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Monochrome
The Chronomaster Sport already has most of what you expect from a robust, modern sports chronograph, most often seen in stainless steel with a ceramic bezel. Beating inside is Zenith’s high-frequency El Primero movement, one of the best-known high-beat chronograph calibres out there. Alongside the full steel versions, Zenith has also pushed this design a […]
Monochrome
When Zenith unveiled the Chronomaster Sport in 2021, the message was clear: the El Primero was entering a new, sportier chapter rather than living off 1969 nostalgia. Exploiting the full potential of the calibre 3600’s 5Hz frequency, the 1/10th-of-a-second readings put the Chronomaster Sport luxury sports watch in a class of its own. The latest […]
Fratello
For 2026, Zenith celebrates five years of one of its defining modern watches. Since its 2021 debut, the Chronomaster Sport has pushed the El Primero automatic chronograph into a new era. Its contemporary, sporty design has also made it a perfect platform for experimentation. This year, Zenith leans into that potential with its most avant-garde […] Visit Introducing: The Zenith Chronomaster Sport Two-Tone And A New Skeleton Collection With An Updated Clasp to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Zenith has released five new references under the Chronomaster Sport umbrella, most notably with four skeletonized versions of the design, as well as a dressier two-tone option. To understand the new skeletonized editions, it’s probably best to start at the beginning. When Zenith introduced the El Primero in 1969, it launched what is widely regarded as the world’s first automatic, integrated high-frequency chronograph caliber, a movement that has remained central to the brand’s identity ever since. The Chronomaster collection has long carried that legacy forward, and with this new series of skeletonized watches, Zenith brings that movement further to the forefront. All of the skeleton models run on the El Primero 3600SK, the openworked version of Zenith’s high-frequency automatic chronograph. Like the standard El Primero 3600, it beats at 5 Hz, which allows the central chronograph hand to complete one full rotation every 10 seconds and display 1/10th of a second directly off the bezel. The movement also offers a 60-hour power reserve, while the open dial and caseback give a clear view of the column wheel, horizontal clutch, and star-shaped rotor. All come in the now familiar 41mm Chronomaster Sport case. In regards to the design of the Chronomaster Sport Skeleton models, the biggest visual shift comes from the opened-up dial. The collection includes two stainless steel versions: one with a black ceramic bezel and the signature grey, anthracite, and blue tri-color c...
Hodinkee
Zenith's CEO on keeping production at the El Primero maker in line with retail sell-out, and how supplying movements to other LVMH brands will be a growth driver for the 160-year-old manufacturer.
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Worn & Wound
Among the new releases at LVMH Watch Week this year were a series of novelties from brands that casual observers might sometimes forget sit inside the LVMH portfolio. Tiffany & Co., Gerald Genta, and Daniel Roth all unveiled new pieces this week to varying degrees of fanfare. And while these boutique luxury brands are very different in shape from the likes of TAG Heuer, Zenith, and Hublot, which really form the core of the LVMH watch business, it says a lot about the power and reach of LVMH as an entity that these brands fall under their purview. All three brands are recent additions to the LVMH stable, with Gerald Genta joining upon its relaunch in 2023, TIffayny & Co. when the sale of the company to LVMH went through in 2021, and Daniel Roth in 2011, when LVMH acquired Bulgari, then caretakers of Roth’s brand (LVMH relaunched Daniel Roth as a separate entity in 2023). These three brands also seem arranged in the LVMH ecosystem to compete directly with high end independent brands, particularly Daniel Roth, a name once seen as preeminent in the world of independent watchmaking. Let’s run through the key releases from each brand at this year’s LVMH Watch Week. Tiffany & Co. debuted the Tiffany Timer, a three register chronograph with El Primero movement that flies under the radar, perhaps, in a few ways. First and foremost, that white metal case is not steel or white gold, but solid platinum. And the indices at each hour are baguette cut diamonds, which seems like a...
SJX Watches
Episode 26 of the SJX Podcast breaks down the best releases from LVMH Watch Week, which saw the return of the hand-painted Escale Worldtime. The slate of releases also includes a surprising new men’s watch from Tiffany & Co. powered by the Zenith El Primero, and the first all-new model from the modern era of Daniel Roth. Things are looking up for TAG Heuer as well, which launched a regular production version of the Seafarer with vintage-leaning ‘Intrepid Teal’ accents, and a new top-of-the-line Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph that has more in common with the likes of Richard Mille than the rest of the Carrera line-up. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
WatchAdvice
A new take on the classic ceramic DEFY Skyline Skeleton. Black ceramic meets a gold-toned, high-frequency movement for a watch that’s as technically impressive as it is visually striking. Modern, architectural, and unmistakably Zenith! What We Love Full black ceramic case and bracelet combined with the gold dial make it aesthetically appealing! The constant 1/10th of a second sub-counter showcases the complexity of the movement underneath. Quick strap change allows for easy change between a ceramic bracelet or rubber strap for daily versatility. What We Don’t Would’ve liked to see the minute track, but more subdued. In white, it can make the dial seem even busier. While the 1/10th of a second chronograph is great for aesthetics and show of technicality, it doesn’t serve a real purpose. Even though it’s a skeletonised dial, most of the El Primero 3620 SK movement is still closed off. Overall Rating: 8.7/10 Value for money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build quality: 8.5/10 The world of ceramic watches isn’t what it used to be a decade ago. Advances in materials and manufacturing mean that ceramic timepieces are no longer niche or fragile experiments, but a genuine part of watchmaking. While crafting bold colours in ceramic can present its own challenge, the more classic tones like black, white, or blue are becoming far more achievable, allowing brands to explore the world of ceramic not as a limited edition or one-offs, but as a refined material for e...
SJX Watches
Since taking over Tiffany & Co. in 2020, LVMH has gradually revamped the American jeweller, starting with its retail stores and jewellery. The reboot of its watchmaking division has proceeded more slowly, and with jewelled ladies’ watches first. Now Tiffany & Co. has finally turned to men’s watches with the Tiffany Timer, a chronograph powered by the Zenith El Primero 400 movement. With a dial lacquered in Tiffany’s trademark blue, the Tiffany Timer is easily recognisable. And on the back, the movement gets a hand-engraved, solid gold “Bird on a Rock” on the rotor. The Tiffany Timer is a promising start, but the jeweller clearly still has a long way to go to compete with its rivals, or even luxury marques like Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Initial thoughts The Tiffany Timer has a few things in its favour, but isn’t quite good enough. The design is classical and appealing, though a little generic. Granted, the dial might seem a bit much, but for a small-run edition it makes sense. The baguette diamond indices on the Tiffany Blue dial are a nice touch, as is the “Bird on the Rock” on the rotor; both add a touch of luxe to the watch. The El Primero adds horological credibility, but only up to a degree. The El Primero is a historical movement with many strengths, but the El Primero isn’t quite high-end enough for a watch of this price. It would make more sense in an affordable, steel version of the Tiffany Timer that is presumably in the works. All in all the Tif...
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A pair of 45mm Defy Extreme models joins the Chroma line, each powered by the El Primero 9004 and produced in runs of 100 pieces.
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