One of the greatest movements, not yet priced as such
WORDS MARK McARTHUR-CHRISTIE
‘ONE TO WATCH’ has never been about investment tips: it’s a (reasonably) eclectic take on what’s interesting, different or just a bit of a bargain. Into that last category with a resounding thud falls the Zenith El Primero. There’ll be a proper look at the El Primero and why it should have a place on your wrist in a future article, but for now this is all you need to know: the cheapest Rolex Daytona 16520 in the UK at the time of writing is £20,000. The cheapest El Primero? £2100. For those unfamiliar with either, the 16520 runs an El Primero movement. Now, before Jean-Frederic Dufour sends the boys round, yes, Rolex dropped the beat rate and ditched the date, changed the escapement and balance and made it pretty… but £18,000 is a lot for pretty. OK, that’s a bit flippant. The slower beat rate increases the power reserve and decreases wear and the Breguet overcoil and microstella balance will tighten up the accuracy, but the Zenith is still a daft bargain. At least for now. Sooner or later, Watchworld is going to wake up to what a superb thing it is.
Although the El Primero watches are all about the movement, there are enough case designs to keep almost anyone happy. The classic Rainbow (named after a 1930 racing yacht rather than the coloured dial from one of the variants) will please those who like clear, simple and black & white. The ‘Big Blue’ TV dial (the ref. 01-0200-415) is the one for you if you’re running a 1972 Ford Mustang and wear Ray-Ban aviators – they don’t come more paisley wallpaper and flares than a Big Blue.
El Primeros start at £1800… for now.
NEW WATCHES
CITIZEN 100TH ANNIVERSARY POCKETWATCH (NC2990-94A)
We’re tipping a pocketwatch comeback and it looks like Citizen agrees. Here’s its £7995 100th Anniversary Special Edition. Look what you get for the money: a unique, in-house, high-accuracy, Geneva-striped, bevelled bridge movement (cal. 0270) developed specially for the watch. Nothing as mundane as a regulator – this one has a free sprung balance (adjusted by moving tiny weights), usually
