Audemars Piguet isn’t the only watchmaker associated with the color blue. If you loved the night sky-inspired Royal Oaks we covered earlier today, but wanted, say, a brighter version of the color, you might prefer Zenith’s newest release. Celebrating its 160th anniversary, the Swiss brand has now unveiled a trio of very blue ceramic watches this week at the Watches & Wonders trade show in Geneva.
An Iconic Movement
All three chronographs in this set — the Chronomaster, the Defy Skyline Chronograph, and the Pilot Big Date Flyback — feature a version of Zenith’s iconic El Primero movement. Upon its debut in 1969, this was the first integrated automatic chronograph caliber and is still utilized in the brand’s catalog today.
While the Chronomaster and Defy Skyline Chronograph feature a triple register layout, they’re powered by the same El Primero 3600, a high-frequency automatic movement with 1/10th of a second chronograph readings and 60 hours of power reserve. Meanwhile, the dual-register Pilot Big Date Flyback features the El Primero 3652 automatic with a 5-Hz beat rate and also 60 hours of power reserve.
All three watches show the movements through the exhibition casebacks, where you can see the special 160th anniversary logo on the rotors.
The Watches
All three versions of the watch are essentially the same, spec-wise, as their non-anniversary (and non-blue) versions.
Housed in the blue ceramic case, the Chronomaster features the classic tri-colored overlapping totalizer design, two of which have a red hand tip to match the central chronograph hand. The left-side subdial is for the running seconds, while a date window is placed at the 4:30 spot. Adorned with a matching blue ceramic bracelet, the case measures 41mm across with a 13.6mm thickness and 47mm lug-to-lug.
As for the Defy Skyline Chronograph, it’s a modern take on the classic 1969 model, resurrected last year as a sporty octagonal case with a 12-sided bezel. Stretching 42mm across with a 12.7mm thickness and 47.4mm lug-to-lug, the watch effectively has the same tricompax layout as the Chronomaster, but is more monochromatic in aesthetic, even across the star motif on the dial. It’s also adorned with the matching ceramic bracelet in blue.
Lastly, the Pilot Big Date Flyback takes the striking blue ceramic and puts it onto a more modernized base design. Over the subtly grooved dial, the pair of subdials includes a running seconds counter on the left and a recessed 30-minute chronograph counter on the right. There’s also a patented date window at the 6, which can change in about 0.007 of a second each morning. The case stretches 42.5mm across with a 14.25mm thickness. However, instead of the blue ceramic stretching to the pushers and crown, Zenith opts for titanium here. They’ve also ditched the ceramic bracelet in favor of a pair of fabric-looking rubber straps in either blue or white.
Spec Sheet
Case Size: 41mm (Chronomaster), 42mm (Defy Skyline Chronograph), 42.5 (Pilot Big Date Flyback)
Case Thickness: 13.6mm (Chronomaster), 12.7mm (Defy Skyline Chronograph), 14.25 (Pilot Big Date Flyback)
Case Material: Blue ceramic
Water Resistance: 100m
Movement: In-house El Primero 3600 automatic chronograph (Chronomaster and Defy Skyline Chronograph) or El Primero 3652 automatic flyback chronograph (Pilot Big Date Flyback)
Band: Blue ceramic bracelet (Chronomaster and Defy Skyline Chronograph), white or blue rubber strap (Pilot Big Date Flyback)
Limited Edition?: Yes, 160 each
Pricing & Availability
Limited to just 160 units each, this 160th anniversary collection is also available as a three-piece set. Ranging in price from $15,500 for the Pilot Big Date Flyback to $23,800 for the Defy Skyline Chronograph, the watches are also sold as a collectible box set but you have to contact Zenith for the price.
Zenith Blue Ceramic 160th Anniversary Collection
Zenith dresses up three of its most popular watches in blue ceramic cases for its 160th anniversary.
