Zenith
Chronomaster Original
$10,700
Paris has always organized itself around sightlines and symmetry, and ZENITH’s new CHRONOMASTER Original Paris Edition translates that visual discipline into watchmaking. Limited to 50 pieces for the French market, the timepiece follows last year’s DEFY Skyline Paris Edition but takes a quieter route, looking past the city’s contemporary silhouette toward its watchmaking heritage instead. The CHRONOMASTER Original has always been one of the purest expressions of the El Primero, and here its 38mm case, pump pushers and tapered lugs stay faithful to the proportions of the original 1969 A386, a design whose balance has aged the way good architecture does, gracefully.
Verdigris carries the Parisian theme forward, though its meaning has shifted from the previous edition. Rather than pointing to copper rooftops alone, the gradient dial speaks to something broader, the harmony and equilibrium that define the city’s architectural language. Green tones shift across the dial’s surface, giving it a sense of depth that changes with the light, while the chronograph counters keep the same clarity that has defined the El Primero for decades. Inside is the El Primero 3600, beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour and capable of a true tenth of a second reading through its central chronograph hand. Visible through the sapphire case back, the movement’s blue column wheel and openworked rotor remain on display, along with an individual number marking each watch’s place in the series of 50.
The watch comes on a steel bracelet with Zenith’s new ZENCLASP folding clasp, plus a black nubuck strap for a more relaxed alternative. It launches through Zenith France’s e-commerce site before arriving at the Maison’s Paris boutiques later in 2026.
