Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Steel — Silver Sunray Dial | Ref. 03.2040.4061/69.M2040

Few movements in the history of horology carry the symbolic weight of the El Primero. When Zenith completed its development in 1969, it did not simply create a new calibre—it established a benchmark for automatic chronograph performance that endures to this day. The Chronomaster El Primero Open translates that achievement into a 42 mm steel watch whose open-dial architecture gives direct visibility to the very mechanism that made Zenith famous. Watching its column wheel and vertical clutch at work is an education in mechanical ingenuity.

The silver-toned sunray dial presents two different-coloured chronograph counters arranged to distinguish elapsed seconds from elapsed minutes at a glance, a practical colour-coding that reflects the El Primero 4061 calibre's sporting origins. Running at 36,000 vibrations per hour—5 Hz—the movement delivers exceptional chronograph precision and approximately 50 hours of power reserve, housed within a stainless steel case water-resistant to 10 ATM. The bracelet, also in stainless steel, integrates with the case with the sort of seamless attention that rewards close inspection.

At CHF 7,595, the Chronomaster El Primero Open occupies an enviable position: it is simultaneously one of the most historically significant watches in the Zenith catalogue and one of the most accessible. For the discerning collector, this is an opportunity to own a direct heir to a genuine revolution—a watch that does not merely reference the past but carries it forward in every oscillation of its balance wheel. Time to reach your star, indeed.