Be in no doubt: if you’re in the market for an El Primero, this is the size to get. Secondly, because it’s quite thick, it actually wears a good 1-1.5mm larger than its dimensions would have you believe. These proportions are just about perfect in my opinion, and the reasons why are twofold.įirstly, because it’s 38mm, it’s going to offer excellent bandwidth for a great many different people. The dimensions have remained faithful to the 1969 original, which means 38mm across and just shy of 13mm thick. Both the unassuming piston-style chronograph pushers, as well as the knurled crown with Zenith star motif, also feature this mirror finish polishing.
The matt brushwork found on the top of the angular lugs, combined with glistening polishing of the bezel, the edges of said lugs and the case’s flanks, blend together to present an aesthetic that is at once luxurious and high-finished, but not too high-polished for daily wear. Just like the dial, the attention to detail and finishing of this case cannot be discounted. The caseĪnother big positive of this Chronomaster El Primero is its stainless steel case, which is satisfyingly faithful to the original.
Jests aside, the dial of this watch is so good that you could conceivably purchase it for no other reason it’s something that would never get boring - it would keep revealing more about itself over time, and that’s a defining characteristic of a truly great dial. But hey, it’s practical and if it wasn’t there, the dial would be too perfect, and I’d be forced to buy one of these watches immediately. I think this is the only mark against the dial of the El Primero – it irks me no end, and I’d rather Zenith just ditched the date complication entirely. The other feature is a small date aperture located between four and five o’clock. I adore this feature, and watching the bright red chrono seconds hand sweep with a velvety smoothness thanks to the movement (we’ll get to that later) is one of horology’s true joys. First is the archetypal bright red chronograph hand, complete with Zenith star at its base. The whole dial ensemble is tied off with two other features. At a hurried glimpse, they don’t seem particularly interesting look closer, though, and you suddenly realise that all three are finished with a beautifully surreptitious, concentric pattern that looks like something out of a Japanese Zen Garden.Īnd being an El Primero, there is, of course, a silvery tachymeter scale, located on the inner bezel ring with a contrasting black open minute track located inside that. Then there’s the three quintessential, recessed, multi-coloured sub-dials located at three, six and nine o’clock, which display a 30-minute totaliser, 12-hour totaliser and running seconds, respectively.
Likewise, when the highly polished, multifaceted beveled hour indices and handset (which both feature Super-LumiNova) catch the light in just the right way, they positively beam, almost glowing with a white-hot aura. The radially brushed, sunburst silver base begins its dance, especially in direct sunlight. In the metal, though, it’s a different story. Which is surprising, because when you see stock photos of it on the website, it’s easy to think that it looks a tad busy. I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one – the dial of the Zenith Chronomaster El Primero 38mm is pure horological sex … it’s that good. But before it did, I was fortunate enough to temporarily purloin the stainless steel chrono, Ref.03.2150.400/69.C713 for a IN-DEPTH review, and these were my impressions. Sadly, a few short days later, it had to go back to Zenith. So, why am I telling you all this? And what’s it got to do with the Chronomaster El Primero 38mm? Well, in case you still haven’t seen the above video, Time+Tide’s fearless leader, Andrew McUtchen, was given this watch by Zenith to wear on the show.
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