Zenith retrofits an El Primero fast-beat chronograph movement into one of its classic 1960s designs to create this latest watch, which debuted in January. Zenith underscores the new watch’s unabashedly retro look with the choice of a tropical brown dial or a blue dial atop a typical date-free 1960s two-counter chronograph layout and a 38mm-diameter steel case.
This new Zenith Heritage 146 offers a chronograph with central sweep-seconds hand and 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and a tachometric scale. Instead of the earlier model’s 18,000-vph rhythm, the El Primero Calibre 4069 inside this new homage beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour. Regulated and adjusted to meet chronometer standards, the 254-part column-wheel chronograph caliber drives a tenth-of-a-second display and has a power reserve that exceeds fifty hours. The very up-to-date screw-down sapphire crystal caseback has an anti-reflective treatment
on both sides, though the strap is a decidedly retro racing-style offered in a choice of brown or blue rubber-lined calfskin leather. Price: $7,700.