Zenith Chronomaster Revival ‘Shadow”

A timepiece shrouded in mystery. Its existence has eluded collectors and Zenith collaborators alike for decades. As the legend goes, in 1970, not long after Zenith debuted the groundbreaking El Primero calibre, the manufacture had produced a prototype of a manual-winding chronograph, housed in a blackened steel case – a rarity for the time. Only a handful of this spectral prototype was made, but the model was never officially produced or commercialized. Many watchmakers and longtime employees of Zenith had heard of and even seen one of the rare prototypes, even though official records about this piece are extremely scarce.

Fast-forward to 2019. As Zenith began celebrating the 50th anniversary of the seminal El Primero chronograph calibre, the team at the manufacture began to go through the secret walled-off attic where Charles Vermot had once hidden all the plans and parts necessary to produce the El Primero movement. There among the countless artifacts was a box and in it, the original prototype of the black chronograph that hadn’t been seen by anyone since the early 1970’s. For the team, surely this couldn’t be a coincidence, but fate calling. It was enthusiastically agreed that the timing was perfect to complete the black chronograph project that had begun almost 50 years ago.