A rendition of Zenith‘s classic triple calendar-chronograph with a subtle twist, the the El Primero 410 Singapore Edition is a 45-piece limited edition made for Zenith’s first store in Singapore. The Singapore Edition has two unique features, the more obvious being the striking deep blue dial, a darker shade of blue than found in other Zenith timepieces.

A more subtle detail is the “El Primero” in italic script, exactly the same style as found on vintage Zenith chronographs. The El Primero 410 Singapore Edition is the only timepiece in the Zenith collection now with this retro-style logo.

Though it is a minor detail, the italic logo gives the watch a readily apparent vintage feel, especially when compared with the standard issue El Primero 410. That logo sits under three lines of text, and together they do a good job of filling up the space on the dial, and giving it balance.

Though the watch is large compared to the movement, Zenith has done a good job in giving the dial balance and proportion. A wide tachymeter ring reduces the apparent size of the dial.

The watch is laid out in typical triple calendar style, with windows for the day and month on the top half, and a date window in between four and five o’clock. Integrated into the hour counter is the moon phase.

Because this is a triple, rather than an annual or perpetual calendar, it requires adjustment at the end of every month that does not have 31 days.

The indices are applied with a facetted shape, and filled with Super-Luminova, as are the hands.

The steel case is the same 42 mm with pump-style pushers as used in several other El Primero models, with well defined edges on the lugs, with a mirror finished bevel and brushed top and side surfaces.

The Singapore Edition is so engraved on the case back, along with the serial number.

45 was chosen as the edition size as 2014 is the 45 year of the El Primero, which was first introduced in 1969 as one of the first self-winding chronographs. And the triple calendar was the first complication added to the El Primero, that very same year.

And the crystal is sapphire, with a slight dome that completes the vintage-inspired aesthetic.

The El Primero 410 Singapore Edition is delivered on a dark grey crocodile strap with blue stitching. Only 45 numbered pieces will be made, with a price of 15,900 Singapore dollars with 7% tax, equivalent to about US$12,700.

They are available only at the Zenith boutique in Singapore located at:

8 Bayfront Avenue
Marina Bay Sands #B2-200
Singapore 018955
Tel: +65 6688 7744

MB&F has finally unveiled its first timepiece in an exotic material, the HM5 CarbonMacrolon in polycarbonate resin reinforced with carbon nanotubes, a dense and hard material that looks and feels like steel.

Though MB&F has made black coated timepieces in the past, they were made of traditional alloys like titanium and gold. Now for the first time the brand has turned to alternative materials of the sort popular with its peers with the HM5 CarbonMacrolon. Inspired by the seventies Lamborghini Miura and styled as the driver’s watch of the future, the HM5 is now available in polycarbonate, a hard plastic also known as Makrolon and used to layer bulletproof glass, strengthened with carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are microscopic cylindrical structures of carbon that are light and strong, versatile enough for uses as varied as batteries and body armour. That being said, the polycarbonate and carbon nanotube material used for the HM5 CarbonMacrolon is actually dense and weighty.

Developed by a materials specialist, the case material is looks and feels like a metal alloy with a coating. And because it is a black material, rather than a black coating, it will not suffer delamination – a problem common with coated cases where the hard coating peels off due to impact. 

So the case is finished just like a steel case, with brushed and contrasting mirror finished surfaces – an unusual treatment for a case in a synthetic material.

In terms of size the HM5 CarbonMacrolon is identical to the earlier HM5 variants, measuring 51.5 mm by 49 mm and standing 22.5 mm high. The case construction is also identical, with an inner steel capsule containing the movement.

The movement capsule

The movement is the same as before, with a jumping hour and minutes displayed on a crystal prism. Though the time display is actually flat, on the same plane as the movement, the sapphire prism reflects it onto the vertical time display.

Developed by Jean-Francois Mojon of Chronode, the time display module features a bidirectional jumping hour, meaning it can be set both backwards and forwards. The base calibre is the Girard-Perregaux 3300, found in most Horological Machines. Limited to 66 pieces, the HM5 CarbonMacrolon is priced at 58,500 Swiss francs, or about US$62,600, exactly the same as the first edition HM5 in zirconium.