2013/07/22
ZENITH the Captain Winsor Annual Calendar Boutique Edition
Lending an exclusive touch to Zenith boutiques
The first Captain annual calendar chronograph, developed in partnership with the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH), returns in an original version available exclusively through the Zenith boutique network. New Arabic numerals grace a revisited matt white dial for the rose gold version, or a face featuring graded silver and palladium-toned shades for the steel model. Devotees of horological complications will appreciate the rare nature of these creations, confirmed by the inscription “Captain – special edition” engraved on the case-back. This unique exterior houses the legendary El Primero movement, staging a meaningful encounter between high frequency and the annual calendar mechanism. A daring watch for a mechanism imbued with authenticity and expertise that expresses inherent complexity in a delightfully simple manner.
Captain, special edition
Stemming from fruitful cooperation between the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) and the Manufacture Zenith, the Captain Winsor Annual Calendar Boutique Edition combines the most precise series-produced calibre with a complication that is both useful and innovative: the annual calendar. The creative mind behind it is none other than the curator of the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Ludwig Oeschlin. This passionate enthusiast has designed an annual calendar displaying the day of the week, the date and the month, while requiring only one annual adjustment. This complication is intended to be more accessible than the perpetual calendar for a large number of chronograph lovers. In order to ensure excellent readability, this display is provided by three concentric discs. The outer disc indicates the date, the middle one the month, while the innermost disc shows the day of the week. The mechanism is both simple and complex: for 31-day months, the date disc moves the month disc forward, while for 30-day months, the month disc makes the date disc “skip” the 31st. Only the transition from February to March requires manual adjustment. Based on a clever and elegantly restrained construction, this complication comprises just nine mobile elements, whereas most calendars require between 30 and 40.
Creative boldness
The mechanism powering this chronograph represents the ultimate expression of Zenith’s horlogical expertise: the high-precision El Primero movement, which has been produced within the Manufacture for over 40 years. El Primero is the only series-made movement to beat at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour, meaning a rate of one beat every tenth of a second. The Captain Winsor Annual Calendar Boutique Edition houses the automatic El Primero Calibre 4054. This in-house movement, circular-grained and adorned with Côtes de Genève, is visible through the sapphire crystal case-back, itself surrounded by the engraved inscription “Captain – special edition”.
The Captain line
In its early days, the reputation of the Manufacture in Le Locle was notably built on the reliability of its marine chronometers, which served to calculate the position of ships at sea. It was this legendary era, this sense of adventure and of the high seas that Zenith wished to recapture in creating the Captain line in 1952. Today, the refined appearance of this line of contemporary chronographs strongly evokes the charm of historical counterparts. The Captain Winsor Annual Calendar Boutique Edition is no exception to the rule. This edition available exclusively at Zenith boutiques is issued in two versions: one with a matt white dial and 18-carat rose gold case; and the other with a steel case framing a dial in graded silver and palladium-toned shades. Representing a successful alliance between the knowledge and creative skills of two veritable watchmaking institutions, this timepiece embodies an ingenious blend of user-friendliness and optimal readability.
Annual calendar displaying the day of the week, the date and the month, while requiring only one annual adjustment.
• THE PERFECT WATCH: ANNUAL CALENDAR COMBINED WITH LEGENDARY EL PRIMERO CHRONOGRAPH
• AUTOMATIC COLUMN-WHEEL EL PRIMERO CALIBRE
• IN-HOUSE DEVELOPED AND MANUFACTURED MOVEMENT
• AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM BOUTIQUES
Ref. : Special Edition
- 03.2072.4054-18.C711 Stainless Steel
- 18.2071.4054-01.C711 18-carat rose gold
Movement
- El Primero 4054, automatic
- Calibre: 13¼ ``` (Diameter: 30 mm)
- Thickness: 8.30 mm
- Components: 341
- Jewels: 29
- Frequency: 36,000 VpH – (5 Hz)
- Power-reserve: min. 50 hours
- Finishings: Oscillating weight with “Côtes de Genève” pattern.
Functions
- Hours and minutes in the center
- Small seconds at 9 o’clock
- 1- counter chronograph:
- central chronograph hand
- 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock
- Day and month at 3 o’clock
- Date indicator at 6 o’clock
Case, Dial & Hands
- Material: 18-carat rose gold or stainless steel
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Diameter opening: 35.60 mm
- Thickness: 13.85 mm
- Crystal: Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflection treatment on both sides
- Case-back: Transparent sapphire crystal
- Water-resistance: 5 ATM
- Dial: matt white or silver- to palladium-toned
- Hour-markers: Faceted gold-plated rhodium or faceted rhodium
- Hands: Faceted gold-plated rhodium or faceted rhodium
Strap & Buckle
- Alligator leather strap with protective rubber lining
- Brown alligator leather: 27.00.2118.711
- Rose gold triple folding clasp: 27.18.0038.940
- Stainless steel triple folding clasp: 27.03.0138.940
- Rose gold buckle: 27.17.0018.008
- Stainless steel buckle: 27.01.0018.008