What are peoples thoughts on the new Zenith. I quite like the look of both white and black dial versions. Some say its too Daytona like. Thoughts?
https://www.zenith-watches.com/en_gb...m_medium=email
I'll get one when they are 40% off at Burrell's next year
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The Zenith websites currently down.
I had to look here.
https://robbreport.com/style/watch-c...ch-1234592308/
I like the white dial one
That's a handsome watch! I don't have a white face and after letting my CP2 go I feel a Zenith hole in my collection at the moment.. interesting 1/10th second movement tajes it out of the ordinary and also the 41mm case size makes it rather wearable.
(It seems that 41mm is the new 40mm)
One for the list!
The El Primero has always been a high beat (36,000vph) movement with a 1/10 sec chronograph capability.
I do like the white dial and if they get discounted by 40% then it would be very tempting.
That would be a good call, if they included that model within their sales, which isn’t guaranteed by any means. But at would would be under £5k with that discount it would be a great buy.
Presumably that movement is an update on the Striking 10, as advertised as the first 10th of a second measurement on a ceramic bezel.
It's just a matter of time...
It’s a very attractive watch. Shades of modern Daytona but a nice twist on the dial and an improved El Primero.
Pics and a good write up here
https://www.hodinkee.com/
Handsome watch for sure. However do feel it looks a lot more like other watches out there.
Think some other watches in their lineup appeal more to me because of that.
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Full spec sheet here: https://shop.zenith-watches.com/pub/...0_69.M3100.pdf
13.6mm thick, so better than the El Primero 21 at 14.5mm thick; but still chunkier than the 12.4mm thick Daytona.
I wonder how much of the extra thickness is down to the display back and date, rather than the movement and case?
It's just a matter of time...
I like it, at a discounted price would be a great pick up
Nice watch especially in white but I think you will have to wait a long long time for any meaningful discount
The big discounts sound great, but they are slowly destroying the brand. You can’t thrive as a ‘luxury’ brand while selling everything well below retail. And , for obvious reasons, it knocks used prices badly. So there aren’t many ‘winners’ in this scenario.
Pity, because Zenith make fine watches. But they seem to be sinking.....
A lot of hype about this watch on Instagram from the usual big accounts and speculation about it being a "Daytona killer", which I think we all know is ridiculous. However I really like it, enough that I'll wait for it to be discounted massively in future.
Technically this watch is brilliant. And design wise, it is handsome. But just looks sooo similar to a Daytona.....
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Not the first time Zenith have taken ‘cues’ from the Daytona - in the 90, while supplying movements for the Daytona, they made a couple of batches of De Luca 2s.
I’m a fan of this - nice looking watch but can’t get on with the star on the chrono hand - while it’s bold and different it doesn’t say high end Swiss watch to me!
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They are changing though. They’ve reduced their network, increased sales by double digits, and are more heavily involved in AD sales rather than just sales to AD’s as they were in the past. It takes time. It wasn’t that long ago that I could buy Omega watches with 40% off, or Rolex at up to 20% - I’ve even bought a Daytona at 50% off many years ago! Whilst those days are gone (with the exception of a few slower selling Omega lines every now and again), a lesser known brand needs continued recognition and the sales that come from that. I think they’ll continue to improve in the same way that I don’t see the previously crazy sale prices of Hublot or Tag as often as I used to.
It's just a matter of time...
I prefer the more traditional zenith chronomaster, the ceramic bezel on this one makes it look cheap. I wonder if it reminds somebody of watches in Russian Bazaar, and the white dial floor tiles of public toilets
Last edited by ac11111; 22nd January 2021 at 13:39.
Pretty nice watch but those tri colour sub dials always jar with me.
Cheers,
Neil.
I really like that. Not a massive fan of the date position though, however it’s discreet enough on the white dial.
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I do like the full length red second hand on the previous model.
The date position is one of my favourites, as it doesnt unbalance the dial. I’m not the biggest fan of a date at 6, but that suits some watches too.
It's just a matter of time...
I love the white dial version. I love Zenith, I own one but have had several of the years. Even I wouldn't buy new though & at that price I'll wait for the discounts/used versions. The revised movement is lovely though.
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Love the idea of a Zenith, Love the history of Zenith. Hate the design language which makes their dials looks cramped and untidy.
I'll say it - this is the Zenith Daytona... as opposed to the Daytona Zenith.
I logged on to start a thread about this so it's pleasing that it's generated this interest.
I agree with much of what's been said above. Probably no.1 on my wishlist now, and I'll be hoping for decent discounts at some point.
Oddly though, while I much prefer the white-dial Daytona, I think I prefer the black-dial on this. So I'm struck that I'm the only person so far who thinks that way. One would have to see them in the flesh though.
Reading through the spec my heart sank at just one point, though: the bracelet is not (as I understand it) micro-adjustable. That's as close to a deal-breaker as I have when it comes to sports watches on bracelets.
Gorgeous watch , just wish the centre links on bracelet were brushed. Too much of a scratch magnet for my ocd. The rubber straps perhaps an option although I don’t think they carry the same wrist presence.
If they do get discounted I'm in.
I also think it works really well with the black face (I'd still go for a white face though)
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 22nd January 2021 at 16:49.
I like it, would like to see one first though. I’ll wait until Ryan buys it at 40% off then buy it off him for 40% off what he paid :-)
Joking aside, as some one that’s never seen the Zenith bracelet, what’s the quality like? Its only £400 more than the strap option.
Last edited by Devonian; 22nd January 2021 at 16:45.
Really liking the look of this. Resale value might be scary though if purchased at retail price but for many this is a viable alternative to the Daytona.
I think you're right Martyn. That would certainly help, though quick-adjust is my ideal.
(I think I must have wrists which expand/contract more than most. I move my SD43 up or down a click many times a day depending on how cold or hot I am. Conversely my in other ways beloved Seamaster never leaves the drawer because it only fits right about 25% of the time. I have a 16570, which as you say above is paper-clip adjustment, but the lack of instant adjustment on that bothers me less because it's so light compared to say an SD43 - the heavier the watch and bracelet the less one wants it to move about. But I digress.)
Looking forward to seeing these in the metal - an excellent release in my eyes.
If it's a similar bracelet to my tricolour El Primero, it's a nicely finished bracelet. .
Initially, I had a few reservations about the PCL's but I've got used to them and so far I haven't had any problems with scratches to them.
When I first wore it, I thought the inner edges of the links felt a little sharp, and the overall impression was that it wasn't as comfortable or as substantial as a Rolex Oyster but having worn it more and more, I'm not noticing any discomfort - it's reasonably light, I've been able to get a good fit without any on the fly micro-adjustment and have no real complaints.
I wish this didn't have PCLs personally, partly as I simply prefer the all-brushed aesthetic - PCLs on what is at least notionally a sports watch make no sense to me - and partly since it would make it look less of a Daytona wannabe. But I guess one can always have them brushed. My watches tend to be keepers so I'm sure I would.
If your El Primero did thatI think you’d be worried!
I really like the El Primero movement, not easy to work on but a the design is a masterpiece because it’s so slim for an automatic chrono with date function. I serviced mine over 3 years ago (ironically I didn’t own it at the time) and its the best timekeeper I own despite being 20 years old and having ‘recovered’ from water damage!
At first glance this version looks nice, a viable alternative to the Daytona if you like the look. However, the more I think about the 10 seconds sweep chrono hand the more I lose enthusiasm, do I really want a centre seconds hand whizzing around like that on my wrist?
The Hodinkee write-up does a great job in explaining how the movement differs from the standard El Primero but it leaves me wondering why they’ve bothered, driving the chrono from the escape wheel on a high beat movement is an odd thing to do and I’d be interested to see how large the drop in amplitude is when the chrono is running. Clearly, they must know what they’re doing, but having the chrono runner going 6 times faster has to introduce more drag so intuitively it looks like a bad move........and all this to enable the owner to make split timings to one tenth of a second! In real terms all this makes little sense, I would've preferred the same design with a standard 60 secs sweep chrono hand.
One sensible touch is the fine adjustment on the clasp, nothing annoys me more in a watch than a bracelet that lacks fine adjustment.
This reminds me Zenith is quite avantguard with the Defy which has two escapements. One for the chronometer with its second hand rotating at 1Hz - resolution to 1/100th second!! The separate escapement powered the time movement. Wound by the single crown - one direction for the chrono the other for the time escapement.
As this new model has not got a rotating bezel it won’t be possible to mark the hour when starting the chrono.
But IMHO the chronograph is a novelty feature - but can be useful for boiling eggs I guess.
I like it.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 22nd January 2021 at 18:47.
Well quite was just pointing out why this watch was rather different from what we generally have with a 36000 vph El Primero.
I am down to four watches now and my Zenith (hand wind El Primero Class Sport) is I think the only one I’d never sell. Although I’m working from home all the time it is my “work” watch ... so on my wrist Mon-Fri ... it really love that it is so slim, perfect size at 40mm by about 10mm.
I really can’t justify the 8k or so it would cost but I’d very much like to see this one on the rubber strap. Not a big fan of bracelets.