Zenith - The BLUE Captain Winsor Annual Calendar

The BLUE Captain Winsor Annual Calendar

Nov 04, 2011,04:32 AM

Right after Zenith unveiled their 2011 Collection during Basel, my focus was fixated to the Stratos Flyback with the black ALCHRON case and black ceramic bezel. However, after last August dinner event , one piece unexpectedly caught my attention. Clean outline, non-cluttered dial and readable legends (with my farsightedness) packed with one of the respectable chronograph movement, the El Primero with Annual Calender complications. The final blow is the list price, attractive and honest. That watch is the steel diameter 42mm Captain Winsor Annual Calendar.

Captain Winsor Annual Calendar

The previous watch which appealed to both my logical and emotion was also a steel piece with in-house manufactured fully integrated Chronograph
It is the L.U.C ChronoOne which is also very well-priced.

L.U.C ChronoOne

The best is still yet to come for the Captain Winsor Annual Calendar, there is one more model with my favorite dial colour - BLUE.

A variation with a blue hour-ring, black centre dial and silver hands and hour indexes.

Simply beautiful !

Will let some pictures do the rest of the talking ...

Blue hue changes with different light angle ...

Nice contrasting dial.

The whole case is gloss-polished except for the top surface of the four faceted lugs, lightly brush-finished providing interesting outline for the watch.

Great clarity as the crystal is double anti-reflective coated ...

Both ends of the minute and chronograph-second hands are tapered down, providing accurate readout by eliminating parallax error.

Framed date window ...

Rhodium plated hands and indexes. The middle surfaces are not luminescent, but seem to be micro-blasted to created a contrast.

Centre dial is with Clous De Paris.

Signed crown ...

Case is water-resistant to 50m / 5ATM.

This decorated El Primero calibre 4054 Caibre is the collaborative work of Zenith with Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) with Ludwig Oechslin creating the annual calendar module displaying the day of the week, date and month and that requires only one adjustment per year.

The date display is configured with three concentric discs as shown above.

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 only manual intervention required is for the last transition days from February to March.

Understand that Ludwig Oechslin managed simplify the complication to just nine mobile elements, whereas most calendars require between 30 and 40.

From the perspective of form and function - a clean and contemporary design with Annual Calender complication on a El-Primero base and date module designed by MIH's Ludwig Oechslin at list price below USD 10K, the Captain Winsor Annual Calendar is very appealing, especially the Blue dial.

Kong

Related Read :

1) Press Release 42mm Captain Winsor Annual Calendar

2) "Captain Winsor" Annual Calendar Chronograph Westime Limited Edition

3) 2011 Collection showed during August Event in Singapore

This message has been edited by Kong on 2011-11-04 04:44:47

More posts: El PrimeroMIHWinsor Annual Calendar

Comments: view entire thread

Extremely good value for this piece

By: mell0822 : November 4th, 2011-06:26

I'm happy with the finishing also, apart from the dual complications of annual calendar and chronograph. I'm very happy to choose the blue over its more classical silver twin brother. Thanks for the great photos.

Can't agree more ,,,

By: Kong : November 5th, 2011-23:57

sounds like you have this model... will be nice to see some wrist-shots. Kong

As requested, Kong

By: mell0822 : November 6th, 2011-05:09

Also one with its elder sibling, New Vintage 1955. Don't mind the poor quality of the photos though. Blue Winsor Zeniths...

Congrats on your Duo Zenith!

By: Kong : November 7th, 2011-00:49

Great you have pieces for all occasions Thanks for the wrist-shot of the beautiful Blue Winsor. Kong

Both pieces impressed me with their quality and

By: mell0822 : November 7th, 2011-02:28

pricing and so it is one of my prefered brands. Thanks.

That would be . . .

By: Dr No : November 8th, 2011-10:02

. . . the formula for value , no? Intrinsic quality and attractive pricing makes ownership satisfying in the long term. Still vastly enjoying the 1969 New Vintage . . . . . . which has fitted in comfortably between my favored G O Karrees and vintage Omega...