Zenith El Primero Mega Port Royal Chronograph ref. 03.0560.4039 Black dial – Full set, Very fresh

During the 1960s, four major brands got into intense competition over creating the first-ever self-winding chronograph wristwatch. Heuer and Breitling collaborated and received the support of Hamilton, Buren, and Dubois-Depraz, while Zenith and Seiko chose to fly solo. By early 1969, all four companies had constructed a chronograph wristwatch that featured automatic winding, and they had all done it in a rather spectacular manner. The Caliber 11 from Heuer, the 6139 from Seiko, and Zenith’s El Primero all proved themselves accurate and reliable, impressively-engineered movements, each of which would go on to inspire a diverse line-up of respective successors.
Now, the Mega Port Royal Open Heart strays quite far from the classic El Primero formula, opting for a modernist reinterpretation instead. What most sets it apart from other variations of the Port Royal is the geometry of its case, which is mirrored by the decorative vertical texture of its black dial. The faceted case combines polished bevels and strips of smooth hairlines, highlighting its dynamic architecture, which is further enhanced by a set of diagonally-aligned applied indices and a subtly asymmetrical power reserve indicator. Last but not least, the Open Heart aperture hints at the engineering marvel within, which the exhibition caseback reveals to be non-other than the venerable caliber 4039 B – a beautifully finished movement that operates at 36,000 vph and sings to the tune of the music of the spheres (that Aristoteles once talked about…).
Our offering is in very good condition and comes in a full set of boxes and papers. Ticking per specs.

The watch is covered by 1 year of limited warranty from ChronoTimepieces.