Ornatus-Mundi celebrates the enduring legacy and future of Zenith's Elite movement family, addressing prior concerns about its continuity. The post highlights the introduction of the new Calibre 6150, showcasing its technical advancements alongside its esteemed predecessors, the Cal. 681 and Cal. 685.
After the (not so unfounded) fear that Zenith would abandon one of its finest caliber, the
Zenith Elite range of time-only movements, Zenith reassured us in respect to its future during Basel Fair earlier this year:
The new Calibre 6150 mechanical automatic movement is the contemporary version of the famous Elite base movement developed in the early 1990s – an ultra-thin calibre that earned the title “Best Movement of the Year” when presented at the Basel Fair in 1994.
This was a remarkable achievement at a time when most brands did not possess the capabilities of creating their own base movements. Zenith could offer one that was considered one of the outstanding base movements at its time: not only was it the first CAD-designed movement, but also featured a quite long (for its time) power reserve of 55h (achieved with a single barrel).
It is here shown together with two if its siblings, (from left) the original Cal. 681, the Cal. 685 (with power reserve indication and date) as well as the new Cal. 6150. The technical details:
Cal. 681:
- 55h power reserve; 1 barrel
- frequency: 28,800 VpH (4 Hz)
- 128 components
Cal. 681:
- 55h power reserve; 1 barrel
- frequency: 28,800 VpH (4 Hz)
- 179 components
- indications for power reserve and date
Cal. 6150 (for those of you who want to read more: Please visit this article! ): - 100h power reserve; 2 barrels
- frequency: 28,800 VpH (4 Hz)
- direct central second system (providing increased accuracy and reliability)
- 195 components
- built-in flexibility to host a variety of functions in the future
There are some major omissions, e.g. the Chronometer-certified hand-wound version Cal. 650. Any more?
Cheers and thanks for reading,
Magnus
This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2015-06-14 09:17:22 This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2015-06-14 09:18:10 
