There will just 40 in total. An icon issued in a limited edition, the El Primero Chronomaster World Stratos Meeting. To mark the 40th anniversary of clinching three straight victories at the World Rally Championship in 1976, lovers of the feisty Italian automotive beauty congregated for a weekend in its historical home town of Biella. Organised alongside the “Rally Lana Storico” Italian classic car championship also sponsored by Zenith, this exclusive event highlighted a world of passion, emotion and expertise.
In tribute to the Lancia Stratos HF, the El Primero Chronomaster World Stratos Meeting boasts a powerful engine and streamlined bodywork. This paragon of performance and reliability beats at the brisk pace of 36,000 vibrations/hour, enabling it to provide a tenth-of-a-second display. The silver-toned dial, adorned with a dedicated medallion, is punctuated by luminescent facetted hour-markers, swept over by equally luminescent facetted hours and minutes hands, as well as a red central chronograph hand. Its emblematic 11 o’clock opening reveals the engine throbbing inside: El Primero Calibre 4061, chronometer-certified by the COSC and a worthy descendant of the world’s most precise series-made chronograph developed by Zenith in 1969. Powering central hours and minutes functions, along with chronograph and tachymeter functions, while enjoying 50 hours of autonomy, this high-frequency mechanism is housed in a 42 mm-diameter stainless steel case topped with a domed sapphire crystal and flanked by a ratcheted crown as well as red and green-accented pushpieces.
Oozing Italian style sporting elegance, the El Primero Chronomaster World Stratos Meeting is equipped with a black alligator strap with red topstitching, secured by a triple folding clasp. In an ultimate reference to the mean machine that inspired it, the timepiece is delivered with a miniature model of the car in a white lacquered wooden presentation box adorned with the Italian flag and featuring a lining reminiscent of the upholstery of the original Lancia Stratos.
