Simply Abu Dhabi XXVI

According to Zenith, “The idea was simple, but the technical specifications were not. The calibre was to be fully integrated and designed as an inseparable whole. There would be no additional module, but instead a construction built around a column wheel and a central rotor mounted on ball bearings. It would also need to beat at a high frequency in order to be the world’s most accurate chronograph. To complicate matters still further, the movement was to be miniaturised and equipped with a date mechanism.” Finally, it was presented on 10 January 1969 and named El Primero – meaning the first in Esperanto – and its impact on watchmaking continues to this day. The El Primero is still the most precise series-made chronograph and the only one capable of measuring short times to the nearest tenth of a second. This year the iconic Zenith El Primero 36'000 VpH is arrestingly impressive in black and white variations. An intense black ceramic case, chiaroscuro three-counter dial and sporty perforated rubber strap combine to make a show-stopping timepiece. The contrasting watches, either black on white or white on black, are unmistakably Zenith. Alongside its high-frequency movement, El Primero also represents an instantly recognisable aesthetic. Its three counters – originally in anthracite, blue and light grey – symbolise the functionality of a sophisticated mechanism and have been part of the Zenith DNA for nearly fifty years. The new watch counters an appealing play on visual opposites with a finely sunray-patterned ebony black or silver-toned base, offset by black luminescent facetted hour-markers and hands enhanced with bright red touches. At the heart of these twin beauties is the El Primero 400B calibre with central hours and minutes functions, small seconds, chronograph and date, and more than 50-hours of power reserve. Measuring in at 42mm, the domed sapphire crystal, round push-pieces and knurled crown accentuate the masculinity of this impeccable chronograph. Fittingly, with such an important calibre at the heart of the watches, Zenith have wisely allowed it to be admired through the sapphire crystal back of the 100m water-resistant case. Timeless and resolutely unconventional by nature, El Primero enriches its black and white look with a sporty touch thanks to a perforated black rubber strap secured by a titanium and black PVD-coated triple folding clasp. 1 7 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I