True to its values of daring, authenticity and pleasure, Zenith has signed in 2014 a partnership as official timekeeper of the Spindrift racing team, led by skippers Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard.
Designed to beat the most formidable crewed ocean records, maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 has already set ten records around the world since its launch, including the Trophée Jules Verne. On Sunday November 2nd, she will cross the start line of the Route du Rhum, the legendary solo transatlantic race that takes place every four years between Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre, with Yann Guichard at the helm.
In its capacity as official timekeeper for the Spindrift racing team, notably during the 2014 Route du Rhum, it was quite natural for Zenith to enrich its El Primero line with a timepiece equipped with a chronograph function in tribute to this exceptional human adventure.
Click on the large image at the top of the page to see all the photos
The understated yet technical dial of the El Primero Stratos Spindrift racing has two particularities. The first is the opening onto the escapement at 10 o’clock, while the second lies on the inside face of the inner bezel ring bearing the inscription “Spindrift racing” at 12 o’clock. It consists of the telemetric scale serving to calculate the distance of a visible and audible phenomenon. The inscription and the team logo engraved on the oscillating weight bring to mind the connection between this top of the range sports watch and the forthcoming sailing challenges both on Lake Léman and on the oceans around the globe.
The automatic El Primero 4061 is equipped with a lever and escape-wheel in silicon and a column wheel, a sure token of high-quality calibres. It is fitted inside a 45mm case, waterresistant to 100m, equipped with a rotating bezel and available in two different two-tone options: in rose gold and DLC titanium, enhanced with a black dial, or completely black, in DLC steel with a carbon fibre dial. These two resolutely masculine versions are coated in DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon), giving the watch its spectacular matt black colour as well as considerable hardness and resistance to scratches.
The flexibility and robustness of the strap stem from its design: a rubber core into which a thick, structured fibre fabric is inserted.
