![]() ![]() The power reserve indicator hand and second hand are designed in a striking blue color. Chronograph function is completed with the Tachymeter scale around the dial. The dial also houses a power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock position and a 30 minutes counter at 3 o ‘clock position. The 18K rose gold accents on the dial match with the two-tone design perfectly. I have a cream dial timepiece here however, black and blue dials are also available offered with different hand set and index versions. While watching the heart beats of the El Primero movement you are also welcomed to see the embedded small second hand as well. The “ open heart “ lay out allows the user to see the movement’s balance wheel right through a window at 9 o’clock position. The dial of the watch is simply beautiful and full of different design details. The Zenith Star on the winding crown is a cool detail. The winding crown and chronograph pushers are also made of 18K rose gold. WR100M rating is more than enough for a watch like that. The front crystal is domes and AR coated on both sides allowing the user to read the time easily on every angle. The watch sports double sapphire crystals on both sides. Having a thickness of 14mm, the case provides the required wearing comfort effortlessly. The case measures 42mm diameter which I found it to be my optimal case size for a modern men’s watch. There are also all stainless steel and titanium/18K rose gold combination versions are present. The version I have here is sports the two-tone design by having stainless steel and 18K rose gold at the same time. Roland explains, “It has the major advantage of extending the service interval, but at the same time it brings a nice aesthetic feature to the watch where you can see the violet color of the these parts that are made of silicon instead of traditional metal.I would like to start with the case. Most notably, the current Chronomaster Power Reserve models use a silicon escape wheel and pallet fork. While the opening may be the same, due to advancements in watchmaking technology, the quality of the visible components have been enhanced. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that it’s the shape they retained for the current collection. While Zenith came out with other open models in the early and mid 2000s that featured various shaped windows, only the Chronomaster Open allowed a complete view of the balance and escapement wheel. While most of the aesthetic lines from this time period have been culled from the current collection, the skeletal opening used on what was then called the “Chronomaster Open” watch is almost identical to that of the current El Primero Chronomaster Power Reserve. The Power Reserve Indicator and lumed tri-spoke second hand of the new Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Power Reserve Charles Vermot The Chronomaster Power Reserve Charles Vermot retails for $9,800 and is limited to 1975 units: 1975 is also the year that Mr. To his delight, the parts and tools were discovered by new ownership and were instrumental in the continuation of Zenith’s mechanical chronographs. Vermot had hoped, the manufacture of automatic chronographs once again became a priority at Zenith. Instead of carrying out this task, he secretly hid away the presses, technical plans, and equipment used in the creation of El Primero. The watch’s namesake, Charles Vermot, was a foreman at Zenith’s factory, and was charged with the task of disassembling Zenith’s El Primero production assembly and selling it off for parts. In the mid 70s, Zenith was sold to American owners who decided to discontinue the manufacture of mechanical chronographs altogether. While Zenith had come out with the first El Primero in 1969 and designed a series of attractive chronographs in the early 1970s, the company struggled financially. The first era that the watch evokes is that of the mechanical watch industry’s struggles during the mid 70s. The skeletal opening on the Chronomaster Power Reserve Charles Vermot Limited Edition is very similar to the shape of the models from the early 2000s, though the watch features modern elements like a silicon pallet fork and escapement wheel. ![]()
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