Light is not just an adjective. Instead, it stands for a set of the most advanced current technical solutions that are being implemented in an era when watchmaking is increasingly moving towards watches that are comfortable to wear, made of high-performance materials and capable of demonstrating their qualities. The Zenith El Primero Lightweight dedicates these three attributes to serving a featherweight watch. First of all, comfort, a highly subjective term. You have to slip the watch onto the wrist to feel… how little you feel it. This is naturally related to its weight, but to make it even more discreet, the strap of this new El Primero is made of canvas-clad rubber. This soft, smooth and extremely supple band manages to make the wearer forget all about it. Moreover, the watch fits smoothly on the wrist despite its 45 mm diameter.
When it comes to materials, Zenith has enlisted the three main stars of the horological lightness scene: aluminium, titanium and carbon fibre. The first composes the structure of the case, its fundamental framework. The second material serves its purpose within the movement itself, which represents the greatest difference between this watch and others seeking to contend in the featherweight category. Instead of brass, the plates and bridges of Calibre 4052 W are thus made of titanium. The latter is notoriously hard to machine and reduces the movement’s weight from 21.10 grams to 15.45 grams, meaning 36% lighter.
To drop even further would mean changing the composition of the oscillating weight, which would in turn be detrimental to its robustness and to the efficiency of the winding. The rest of the case, including the pushers and bezel, features carbon fibre. This soft, matte material is 10 times more resistant to abrasion than steel and contributes to keeping the weight of the watch “head” (minus the strap) down to 46.65 grams compared with 72.20 g for its closest cousin, the steel Zenith El Primero Striking 10th. But while these two watches are equipped with the same complication – a central chronograph seconds hand sweeping around the dial in 10 seconds (instead of 60), the latter measures 42 mm in diameter, as opposed to 45 mm for the Lightweight.
54% lighter than its standard counterpart, this El Primero expresses its difference in figures. Alongside this tangible evidence, it proclaims its lightness through certain design features, notably including the openworked dial revealing part of the El Primero flyback chronograph calibre. The lugs are slightly hollowed to lighten up the model both weight-wise and visually.
The only heavyweight aspect of the watch is its price tag, which is inversely proportional to its trimmed-down design. In a field where many other brands simply rework the material used for the case, Zenith has taken things considerably further, and that naturally comes at a premium. This 100-piece limited edition is a pioneer and the Lightweight concept is set to become a potential variation option for other Zenith models. Will it be taken quite as far – or even further? Let’s hope for the latter...
