Zenith drops a 50-piece Paris Edition of the Chronomaster Original. Here is what watch lovers need to know

I have been sitting with the press imagery and spec sheet for this one since yesterday and the dial keeps pulling me back. That verdigris. Not simply green but the specific hue of aged copper on a Haussmann rooftop, the colour Paris wears on its oldest buildings after decades of weather. The finish starts darker at the edge and fades into a lighter centre, creating real contrast against the steel case. Zenith calls it a gradient. It is the best dial colour they have produced in years.

The case is lifted directly from the 1969 A386. A 38mm stainless steel body with pump pushers, tapered lugs and a box-style sapphire crystal that Zenith has had the good sense not to touch. The proportions of the original were correct the first time. What changes is the dial, the tone-on-tone verdigris counters, and the caseback engraving that reads ÉDITION PARIS alongside your individual number out of fifty.

The movement is the El Primero 3600, beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour and measuring elapsed time to one-tenth of a second, with the central chronograph hand completing a full rotation every ten seconds. Operating the chronograph, the behaviour shows the manufacture's mastery not only in high frequencies but in the capacity to handle alternative displays. Flip it and the sapphire caseback shows the El Primero in full, sixty hours of power reserve, stop-seconds for precise setting.

On the bracelet is Zenith's new ZENCLASP, tool-free micro-adjustment in 2.5mm increments with ceramic ball components that lock the clasp accurately into place. Three years in development. Bracelet fit on a daily wear watch is not a secondary consideration and Zenith treats it accordingly here.

Zenith: The House

Founded in 1865 in Le Locle, Switzerland, Zenith was established by the then 22-year-old Georges Favre-Jacot, who essentially invented the concept of a manufacture by putting all watchmaking disciplines under one roof. The name Zenith, adopted in 1911, refers to the highest point reached by a celestial body, which is where the star in the logo comes from. The house's defining achievement arrived in 1969 with the El Primero, the world's first automatic integrated high-frequency chronograph calibre, still in production today with only small adjustments. That movement, beating at 5Hz, is what powers this Paris Edition. Zenith's commitment to precision has been recognised with 2,333 chronometry prizes. Since 2000 the manufacture has been part of the LVMH group, sitting alongside TAG Heuer and Hublot, though it remains based in Le Locle where it has always been.

Q&A

Is this available in Singapore? No. The Chronomaster Original Paris Edition is produced exclusively for the French market and sold through Zenith France e-commerce and, from September 2026, the Paris boutiques.

How many pieces are made? Fifty, each individually numbered on the caseback.

What movement does it use? The El Primero 3600, an automatic column-wheel chronograph running at 36,000vph with a 60-hour power reserve and 1/10th of a second indication via the central hand.

What is the case size? 38mm in stainless steel, faithful to the original 1969 A386 proportions.

What does it come with? A stainless steel bracelet with the ZENCLASP folding clasp and an additional black nubuck strap.

What is the price? EUR 11,800.

Would it make your watch bucket list? A 38mm case, a movement that has been running since 1969, a dial colour tied to one of the world's great cities, and fifty pieces total. If you are the kind of collector who values restraint and horological context over hype, yes, this belongs on the list. The fact that it is not available here makes it the kind of watch you plan a Paris trip around, which is arguably part of the appeal.

Zenith Chronomaster Original Paris Edition. Ref. 03.3207.3600/75.M3230. EUR 11,800. zenith-watches.com