The Defy models have progressed, a few residual models were released, but nothing has been as interesting as the original design.įor me, it held a certain charm that I found appealing even almost 50 years later, and the “first mechanical chronograph” charm of the regular El Primero rode itself out for me. It was a very cool 3-hander (look familiar?) with a date window at 4:30 that I’ve come to find isn’t as easy to obtain as one would think. Followed shortly after came the Zenith Defy, a watch that was definitely a step out of normality for a brand. For the most part, it lived up to the hype I had for it.īefore we delve into the watch, let’s discuss a bit of the history behind Zenith, the context of the Defy model, and why this watch was exciting (for me at least). Introduced in 1969, the El Primero was arguably the first fully integrated automatic chronograph. When I got the opportunity to review the titanium model, I jumped. Functional chronograph? Check. Modern movement? Check. In fact, it was among my favorite watches from last year. For watch collectors and admirers of beautiful mechanisms, El Primero will always be The First.Rewinding back a little over a year to Baselworld 2017, there were really just a handful of watches that grabbed my attention and the Zenith Defy El Primero 21 ( Hands-on here) led the pack. The original El Primero may no longer be the most precise – that honour goes to last year’s big reveal, the Defy El Primero 21, – but its legendary status is set in stone. As well as adding functions to its star calibre, Zenith systematically incorporates the very latest technology, such as its Zenithium alloy in 2006 and silicon in 2010. Or the El Primero 4031 with its GMT, alarm, striking mechanism and large date display. Maybe the Open, introduced in 2003 and which reveals the mesmerising spectacle of a mechanical heart beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour. It’s hard to know which of the many (more than twenty) versions to single out. The solidity and precision of the 1969 original have been enriched with numerous complications, including a tourbillon, large date, split-seconds mechanism, minute repeater, alarm, retrograde date and jumping seconds. The El Primero is the foundation on which Zenith has built its reputation.
0 kommentar(er)
