The New Zenith Chronomaster Original Pink Supports A Good Cause

One of the most celebrities in Zenith’s line-up is the reference A386, one of the three inaugural automatic chronographs launched in 1969 fitted with the famous high-frequency El Primero calibre. Unlike its siblings (A384 and A385), the round A386 had a tri-colour dial with grey and blue sub-dials that would become its identikit. In a similar vein, the global drive to raise awareness of breast cancer is associated with the colour pink. In the brand’s latest show of support for the cause, Zenith has decked its classic 38mm Chronomaster Original in pink and will donate 20% of sales proceeds to the world’s leading non-profit breast cancer organisation: the Susan G. Komen foundation.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Since 1985, October has been declared ‘breast cancer awareness month’. To garner support for the cause, initiatives like the Pink Dial Project of 2021 have popped up, where 19 brands, including Zenith, donated watches with pink elements for auction. This year, Zenith supports the Susan G. Komen organisation, the world’s largest non-profit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer, with investments of more than USD 3.3 billion in research, support and education in more than 60 countries.

The watch selected to represent the cause is Zenith’s Chronomaster Original, a special pink edition based on the classic 38mm El Primero of 1969 (A386) revamped in 2021. Closer visually to the original than the discontinued Chronomaster, the 38mm unisex case of the Chronomaster Original is almost an exact copy of the legendary A386 with its bezel-less construction, simple pump-style pushers with a knurled crown, thin casebands, faceted lugs and compact dimensions.

The practically non-existent bezel means there is plenty of room to enjoy the dial that stands out with its striking pink sun-brushed metallic colour. Instead of the classic tri-coloured registers of the A386, the model sticks to pink and highlights the slightly overlapping sub-dials with a snailed background and black markings. The applied rhodium-plated hour markers are faceted and treated with Super-LumiNova. Historically correct fonts and logos anchor the origins of the watch, along with the date window at 4:30, now with a pink background and black numerals.

Fitted with the upgraded, in-house, high-frequency chronograph calibre 3600, the tri-compax display and the central chronograph seconds hand (white) are slightly different from the original A386. For starters, the central chronograph hand doesn’t rotate around the dial in 60 seconds but in 10, and the sub-dials relay different information. The classic small seconds counter at 9 o’clock remains unchanged, but the counter at 3 o’clock now records 60-second elapsed times, and the one at 6 o’clock is a 60-minute register. The original tachymetre scale has been substituted for a 1/10^th of a second chronograph scale (printed in black on the periphery).

Calibre El Primero 3600

While the external components of the watch are a throwback to the A386 of 1969, the historical base movement with its column wheel and horizontal coupling architecture is retained but updated to reflect 21^st-century standards. Calibre El Primero 3600, which operates at a frequency of 26,000vph/5Hz, delivers enhanced chronometric measurements down to 1/10^th of a second and gives the chrono seconds hand its smooth sweeping motion. Its increased efficiency results in an increased power reserve of 60 hours.

Replacing the original “ladder” design of the steel bracelet, the watch comes on a comfortable steel bracelet with solid links with brushed and polished surfaces and a double-folding clasp.

Availability & Price

The special edition Zenith Chronomaster Original Pink is not a limited edition but will be limited in time. Available exclusively during the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign (1 – 31 October) and from Zenith’s physical and online boutiques worldwide, 20% of sale proceeds with be donated to Susan G. Komen. Retailing for CHF 9,900 means that CHF 1,980 of your acquisition will be donated to a good cause!

For more information, please visit zenith-watches.com.