Last month, we received news of the new Zenith Chronomaster Original black tricolor dial. We were confused. How can a tricolor be done in black? Obviously, we must have been jetlagged because the answer is plainly evident in the image…once you stop thinking of the El Primero-powered chronograph subdials. It would have been over, except we thought back to the last Chronomaster variant we reviewed. Our bias is towards the Open or Sports version. It turns out that we never gave the Original a second thought (at the very least, not in a solo post). This story rectifies this oversight.
Zenith then delivered, in the dark days of 2021 the first 38mm Chronomaster original. This was a major deal, as it was the very first modern revival of the A386 1969 model, and was neither a limited edition nor a precious metal. It was also not only available from the manufacturer. In essence, the 2021 Chronomaster original in steel was a more accessible version of Zenith’s El Primero Chronograph which revolutionized the watchmaking industry in 1969. The new black dial follows on from this. Zenith Chronomaster original now comes in panda or reverse panda versions. There are panda and reverse-panda versions, but not the tricolor version. The tricolor refers the grey, blue and black chronograph subdials that are similar to those used by Zenith in 1969.
It is the first time we have seen a black dial A386 Tricolor. You may think that this watch exists already, but you’re thinking of the Zenith Chronomaster Open which has a black tricolor version. The 38mm size is just right for this chronograph though, as we recently discovered at the brand’s presentation of a selection of novelties and variants. It could be the pump-style pushers, which don’t work so well in the larger case. Or it could be the proportions of El Primero (3600) (1/10).ThChronomaster original is the superior watch because of the second chronograph, which has column wheel and horizontal coupling with an unusual coupling to the escapewheel. It’s all about opinion and wrist sizes. Original propositions (the calfskin models) are priced at US $14,000, which is a good price to consider.
Click here for more information on luxury watches.