Shing shares his exciting experience at the Zenith Boutique in Causeway Bay, where he was presented with newly launched references, including a special numbered piece he had ordered. His post captures the thrill of acquiring a new timepiece, offering a personal look at Zenith's latest offerings and his chosen El Primero Chronomaster 410.
Zenith Boutique was kind enough to inform me of a piece I had ordered with a request for a 'special number'....
so off I trooped to Causeway Bay...
where some of the newer updated models were present...
and where two Number 001/XXX of two just-launched references were very kindly offered to me.
but alas, I went home with only one... so before I keel over with excitement over my new 410,
here is a little writeup and pictures of my time with 'The Lightweight'...
This limited edition of 100 pieces houses the Striking 10th El Primero movement made in titanium, in Zenith's first Carbon case.
The watch is 45mm in diameter, and I estimate the height to be about 12.5 to 13mm. The weight is said to be 25% lighter than a usual El Primero (so I am guessing about 70 grams). The case has the distinctive, and typical, carbon-fibre patterning. The strap is made of leather with a Nomex fabric coating (Nomex is a flame-resistant meta-aramid material). There is a bit of skeletonization on the dial, coloured with the Zenith tri-colours. The 'butterfly' or triple-folding buckle is in steel (I believe) coated with black PVD.
It is a very very light watch - I believe around the weight of my titanium Chronomaster Open El Primero T (40mm) size which I had just collected back from service last week. Despite the wrist pics, I did not wear this watch in a style I am usually accustomed to for my very light watches - much looser around the wrist than for other watches. I put this preference of mine down to the 'fun' of having an ultra-light watch.
Dial side up there is actually not much of the carbon case that can be seen, as the dial takes center-stage here - much more of that on the movement side. And the matte carbon fibre chequered finish I find goes very well with the titanium El Primero movement presentation, given the darker titanium colour. (Note though, only the main plate and five bridges: the barrel bridge, balance bridge, pallet bridge, pallet-wheel bridge and the chronograph bridge are machined in titanium). The oscillating weight (I don't know the metal, but assume it remains the heavy-metal used in all steel-cased El Primero) has a darker finish than is usually found in the steel display back Zeniths.
The Striking 10th movement itself already contains a double chronograph wheel made of silicon, and in this case added a lever and an escape wheel also made of silicon.
The few gripes I have about this watch would be:
a) the Nomex fabricated leather strap can be thicker in padding. The lightness of the watch takes away contact-feel from the wrist, and a firm well padded leather strap counters that -- but this is a personal idiosyncrasy of mine. I know many collectors who roll their eyes when I tell them that
b) the whites on the hour and minute hands, and bordering the hour markers, are very useful in telling the time more easily, but the whites seem a little inconsistent with the overall colour palette on the dial, and the case.
c) The second light gray inner ring emphasizes the centered-ness of the three counters unfortunately - my wish would be for this gray inner ring to be of a darker colour, or perhaps at the risk of losing readability that ring be skeletonized ?
d) a taller / thicker case could have made for a more layered skeletonized look - for me this would be a significant improvement. but I speak without knowledge of the constraints of the Striking 10th movement being so changed.
Overall, a very unique watch that wears well. Visually the matte carbon fibre chequered case finish is not overwhelming and the cool factor certainly resonates very strongly in its stealthiness and distinctive colours.
my 2 cents only ! really enjoyed my time with it. all errors remain mine in this writeup.
