The Watch: Zenith holds the unusual distinction of having developed one of the first automatic chronograph movements (the El Primero, introduced in 1969) and then nearly losing it during the quartz crisis. Charles Vermot, a watchmaker at the manufacture, defied management orders to destroy the tooling and hid everything in the attic. When mechanical watchmaking recovered, the El Primero came out of storage. The tourbillon-equipped variants represent the highest expression of that movement family.
The 18.1260.4034-02.C505 is the rose gold Chronomaster Tourbillon Moonphase. Reference prefix 18 indicates 18k rose gold throughout: case, bezel, crown, pushers, and oscillating weight. The El Primero 4034 caliber is an automatic chronograph with tourbillon, moon phase, and day/night indication, comprising 353 components and 35 jewels. It runs at 36,000 vph with a power reserve over 50 hours and measures 1/10th of a second through the chronograph. The 22k gold rotor is decorated with grain d'orge guilloché.
The dial layout places the tourbillon carriage at 11 o'clock with the date scale arranged around it, a 30-minute counter at 3, a 12-hour counter at 6, and the moon phase / day-night indicator at 8. The dial features grain d'orge guilloché in the center with wavy guilloché on the sub-counters and moon disc, applied gold hour markers, and gold leaf-shaped hands. The case measures 45mm with curved sapphire crystals on both sides and double-sided anti-reflective treatment.
This piece was originally a limited edition of 25 in rose gold and 25 in white gold for the 2008 release. Comes as a full set with open (undated) warranty papers.
MSRP was $165,000.
Condition: Very good condition.
Includes: Full set with open papers.
