Zenith has expanded its Chronomaster Original series with a new Triple Calendar, its origins going all the way back to the beginning of the El Primero story – a triple calendar chronograph that was designed with an El Primero movement for which twenty-five prototypes were produced in 1970 using the A386 case.

That first El Primero triple calendar chronograph did eventually join the movement family, and this complication has kept its (periodic) presence at Zenith, but this new Chronomaster Original manifestation combines the brand’s automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre with a triple calendar and moon phase in a retro A386-tastic 38mm stainless steel case with a mix of polished and brushed finishing.

There are three variants in this new model, with different dial colours – silver opaline with black counters (which will inevitably be called the ‘panda’), slate grey opaline and silver, or a boutique-only sunray-patterned olive green and silver. All of them have gold-plated hands and hour markers with Super-LumiNova, and calendar wheels matching the dial colours.

1/10th of a second Chronograph: Central chronograph hand that makes one turn in 10 seconds, 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock, 60-second counter at 3 o’clock. The central chronograph hand makes one turn every ten seconds, with the 60-second counter at 3 o’clock and 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock.

The days of the week and months are in windows above the chronograph counters, the date window is between 4 and 5 o’clock, and the gold moon phase shares space with the chronograph’s 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock. The 1/10th of a second scale for the high frequency chronograph function surrounds these.

Powering the new Triple Calendar is the newest generation of the El Primero 3600. With a Zenith star rotor and a blue column wheel, the El Primero 3610 beats at 36,000 VPH/ 5Hz with a 60 hour power reserve.

The three variants of the new Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar come either on a three-link steel bracelet with brushed and polished finishing, or on a calf strap in black for the panda dial, blue for the slate-grey dial, and green for the boutique-only green dial. They have an RRP of CHF 12,900 on a strap, and CHF 13,400 on the bracelet.

[Photo credit: Zenith]

Categories: chronograph, Watch Profile, watches, Women's watches, Zenith

Tags: moonphase