The action was reassuring and clicky and solid, although I do plan on getting one of these in for a proper review to see how well it fares during extended use. Power reserve has been extended to 60 hours, which is impressive for a 5Hz movement there is still a date neatly integrated at 4:30, and there is, of course, a column wheel and a horizontal clutch. The winding rotor and the arms and plates underneath it all look beefed up and they do so in a good, reassuring way - although it has to be said that the previous-generation El Primero has beautifully conveyed just how cutting-edge the original movement was for its time (the 1960s). The Zenith El Primero 3600 Automatic calibre looks rather more chunky, both from afar and in its details, than the old 400 series. Sure, human reaction times and other nonsense still apply - but there is a fair bit of joy that comes from the actually legible realization of this mighty impressive, all-mechanical feature.
#ZENITH CHRONOMASTER ORIGINAL BOUTIQUE EDITION FULL#
The flange ring around the periphery of the dial marks the full and the half-seconds, while the inner blue-gray-light-gray ring helps one more accurately read the tenths. No, the namesake feature is the fact that, due to the 36,000 VpH (5 Hertz) operating frequency of the El Primero, this feature allows for a rather legible display of 1/10th of a second increments. That said, this is not where the name comes from. Speaking of which, this being a Striking 10th β certainly one of the cooler sounding complications in the sub-$50k segment β this seconds hand puts on a real show as it races around the dial - not in under 60 seconds, but in under 10 seconds. The white lacquered dial also adds to the grandiose aesthetic, while the three overlapping subdials add a touch of vintage El Primero flair, driven home by the massive red chronograph seconds hand in the center. At just 38mm-wide, itβs rather more compact in its diameter than most all other luxury chronograph wristwatches on sale today β but it has to be said that with its super-thin bezel and long, stubby lugs that poke out and away from the plane of the wrist, it wears larger than that figure would suggest.
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Sold with a coffee table book-like box that neatly conveys the three colored subdials and the way the flange ring around the edge of the dial track the blue, dark gray, light gray colors of said subdials, the Zenith Chronomaster Original E-Commerce Edition Striking 10th belongs not inside its box but on the wrist.