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One of my favorite releases from Watches & Wonders (and one of the best watches Zenith has made in years, in my opinion) was the G.F.J., a study in blue and a celebration of the brand’s 160th anniversary. The G.F.J. is something of a no-expenses-spared dream watch, with a platinum case and optional bracelet that basically doubles the price (because why not?) as well as a finely finished movement and loads of history built into the watch’s story, with a focus on the brand’s historic pursuits in chronometry. When I had that watch on my wrist I wondered how the G.F.J. line might expand, and if this watch was an opening salvo in a more ambitious series of releases to come. I don’t know that we have any answers to those questions, necessarily, with the release of the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli today, but there’s certainly some connective tissue between Zenith’s newest novelty and the G.F.J. we saw a few months ago.
Looking at the latest Zenith Triple Calendar, it’s impossible not to notice a certain aesthetic similarity to the G.F.J. Both make prominent use of lapis lazuli, one of the most common precious stones used in watchmaking. On the G.F.J., lapis is what makes up the majority of the dial space, with the stone in the main dial nicely complementing the blue mother of pearl in the subsidiary seconds. On this new Triple Calendar, the lapis is truly the star of the show, dominating the dial and only yielding for the three subregisters in silver and outer scales.
Blue is an important color for Zenith, so lapis lazuli is a logical choice for a watch meant to celebrate the brand’s anniversary. After a trio of chronographs in blue ceramic, the G.F.J., and now this triple calendar, it seems like a foregone conclusion that we’ll continue to see the blue theme play out for the rest of Zenith’s anniversary year. If this type of blue mother of pearl dial execution is something we can expect across other Zenith collections, there are lots of fun possibilities that could potentially play out.
Like other triple calendars in the Zenith collection, this one measures 38mm in stainless steel, with a shape based on the A386, originally introduced in 1969. The triple calendar is an old-fashioned complication, and this watch is presented with a heavy vintage influence, including the true-to-era sizing, pump pushers, and, to some degree, the stone dial itself.
The Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli runs on the El Primero 3610 caliber, which has a 60 hour power reserve and a 1/10th of a second chronograph. The chronograph seconds hand makes a full rotation around the dial once every 10 seconds, allowing for the precise timing of a variety of events with a particularly easy readout thanks to the 1/10th second at the dial’s perimeter. The movement is visible through a display caseback.
The retail price of the new Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli is $22,700. Zenith
