Joepny
1970
A fine watch
I've seen it over the years and it always make me stop to admire. Just like the Zenith Rainbows.
But IMO the general factor for chronograph uber popularity in either vintage or modern (outside of being branded Patek or Lange or Audemars Piguet) is to have a defined, consistent aesthetic for the dial & bezel that is clean and somewhat original and that translates well to photography. Thinking about Rolex Daytona (PN or non-PN), Heuer Autavia vintage, or Omega Speedmaster Pro; there's a general consistency in their unique cleanliness through generations. The dials and bezels for those are not overcrowded. And they photograph very well. The second general factor is the marketing story that enhances the visual appeal. The Daytona has the birth history & celebrity association stories; the Autavia has the racing history story; the Speedmaster Pro has the moon story. I think you can switch order for factors #1 and #2 for some people.
When it comes to chronographs, IMHO the movement is really not a top factor for widespread huge popularity. It is a tertiary factor. More so for WIS than the general watch buying population.
*excluding military watches, that's a different story altogether.
**I don't mention rarity/scarcity in numbers because I think it gets played around with for pricing and talking about $$$ is another can of worms. It is a factor too.
Horological Youngtimers: The Zenith El Primero De Luca (version 1; 1998)
I recently sat down for (much more than) a coffee with the CEO of an eminent supplier to the Swiss watch industry, and knowing that I am PPro Zenith moderator, he brought along his Zenith El Primero De Luca , precisely a late example of version 1 which he...
Excellent post Magnus!
You perfectly described watches from that era! Really looking forward your next text Cheers D
You make a good case for a Zenith El Primero De Luca PuristS Edition
Magnus, I need to discuss with Mr Julien Tornare, perhaps? It would be a good reason to make an appointment at Baselworld. It depends on the response from the community now..... Regards, MTF
fantastic watch Magnus, but it's imo not the first edition
First edition didn't have the Mercedes hands and didn't have El Primero written on the dial The black one had sword hands and the white the hands like a RO or Nautilus
My mistake
Now I understanding what you mean with first and second edition There are indeed 2 editions. And the first edition is much more beautiful than the second one with tachymeter I
seeing what these are sill sold for I don't understand why everybody jumps on them
Look what the TAG Heuer Autavia fetches today. Why isn't the Zenith the 50K watch instead of the Heuer
Zenith is a brand of connoisseurs, Heuer was never a manufacture to start with , it was just an assembleur and it has gained its reputation thanks to Valjoux and Lemania movements
But Zenith, it is the champion of the chronometric competitions with great movements. People buy a vintage valjoux 72 powered autavia because it is more cool for them but fact is that regarding the heuer valjoux 72 movement finish it is very pedestrian an...
A fine watch
I've seen it over the years and it always make me stop to admire. Just like the Zenith Rainbows. But IMO the general factor for chronograph uber popularity in either vintage or modern (outside of being branded Patek or Lange or Audemars Piguet) is to have...
the problem is anything with a valjoux 72 has a serious tendancy to be grossly & unashamedly overpriced especially daytona, evil nina, space compax, camaro, autavia and carrera
All these reach insane values for a movement which is of good quality but nothing stellar compared to the lemania 2310, longines 13z, longines 30ch, venus 170, 175 and 178, excelsior cal 40, angelus cal 21x, universal cal 28x or even zenith 146 which woul...
I don't disagree with you Georges
the watch market is overly influenced by factors outside of technical capabilities and quality. I greatly agree with you that some watch bloggers, led by the biggest of them all Hdinkee, have a long-term deleterious effect on us true watch lovers. They ar...
Well said, George
I dream of a watch community where vintage/preowned price is proportional to the inherent work originally invested in creating a product and real enjoyment that collectors derive from ownership (i.e., not speculation or pump-and-dump). Auctions and weblog...
one of the best parts of this watch, and something most brands still don't get TODAY
Most watches are imo better without a date cause imo it's most of the times an ugly hole in the dial BUT... if you do add a date function, at least make sure the date wheel has the same color as the dial, it's much more subtle that way The Patek 5711 for ...
I am somewhat torn here...
While you bring out the beauty of the watch spectacularly well, Magnus, and while there is little that I could find to critique, that on its own for me is not enough reason to bring it back. I feel the watch industry has for too long relied on its archive...
For me it is THE watch they should reintroduce
It's exactly what I miss in the Zenith catalog A REAL sports - diver watch This watch has imo everything to be a big hit. ` I has a nice timeless design and could imo compete with the overhyped Daytona If it was Mr Biver his idea to reintroduce the Heuer ...
While the idea is sound in principle...
I am not sure it would fly in practice. Sure, Tudor has had a sort of renaissance with an approach like that and one could claim the same would work here - but would it? The product you or I might like could very well not fly with the larger masses, which...
For Tudor it was a game changer
I don't think this will soon happen again with any brand The AD I spoke with sell almost only the black bay, the rest of their watches does not sell that well But even if a new edition De Luca would sell less than the black bay, it still might sell enough...
I do not disagree with any of what you say...
But the question that remains for me is whether it will sell as well with Zenith on the dial as it has in the other cases with their respective brands. This is where I am unsure - what has worked for some may not work for others...
95% sure
But so many things can change in 5 years that I can't say that I'm 100% sure But once again.... imo better to reintroduce the watch and make multiple thousands of them and not only a micro edition for us
One disclaimer...
If the multiple thousands do not sell, Zenith is dead (potentially). Even the regular CP-2, which IMHO has been one of the most true to the original re-editions, has not yet managed to move the 1000 pieces it was limited to (quite significant discounts st...
I don't think most people do like the CP2
I love it and a lot of us do but it might be too special for Joe Sixpack It does look more retro That is imo the problem with the CP2, loved among vintage lovers and purists but not the kind of watch that the average man in the street would buy And I migh...