Zenith’s new Captain Winsor Annual Calendar brings together two notable watchmaking achievements: the elegantly simple annual calendar complication designed by Ludwig Oechslin, curator of the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH), and Zenith’s famous 36,000 vph in-house El Primero chronograph.

This piece marks the start of a collaboration between the MIH and the Manufacture Zenith. The movement begins with Zenith’s El Primero automatic chronograph movement, produced by the manufacture in-house for more than 40 years. The El Primero is the only series-produced movement to beat at 36,000 vibrations per hour, meaning the chronograph can time events to the nearest 1/10 of a second. Zenith reserves this automatic caliber for its own timepieces. The 42mm Captain Winsor model is equipped with the automatic El Primero caliber 4054 version with central chronograph seconds, continuous seconds at 9 o’clock and a 60 minute totalizer at 6 o’clock. The movement is decorated with côtes de genève and circular-graining, and visible through the sapphire crystal case-back.

To this caliber Zenith adds Oechslin’s ingenious complication which displays the day of the week, date and month and that requires only one adjustment per year. To ensure excellent readability, this display is provided by three concentric discs. The outer disc shows the date, the middle one the month, and the inner one the day of the week. This mechanism is both simple and complex: for 31-day months, the date disc moves the month disc forward; for 30-day months, the month disc makes the 31 “jump”. The minimalist design of this complication comprises just nine moving parts, whereas most calendars require between 30 and 40.

The Captain Winsor Annual Calendar Chronograph is available in stainless steel on strap priced at a very reasonable $8700, and in rose gold on strap priced at $18,800.

Technical Characteristics

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: 50 hours
Finishing: oscillating weight with côtes de genève pattern.

Functions

Central hour and minute hands
Small seconds at 9 o’clock
Day and month at 3 o’clock
Date indicator at 6 o’clock
Chronograph:
– 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock
– Central chronograph hand

Case, Dial & Hands

Material: stainless steel or 18-carat rose gold
Case diameter: 42 mm
Dial opening diameter: 35.60 mm
Crystal: box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflection treatment on both sides
Case-back: transparent sapphire crystal
Water-resistance: 5 ATM
Dial: silver-toned guilloché center / silver-toned circular satin-brushed exterior
Indexes: facetted, rhodiumed and gold-plated
Hands: facetted, rhodiumed and gold-plated

Straps & Buckles

Black or brown alligator strap with protective rubber lining
Rose gold or stainless steel pin buckle

Source: watch time

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