We've all been party to the controversy surrounding the new Chronometer Sport, however that's not the first El Primero that has looked like a Daytona. Consider this 06.0050.400. Look familiar? It's from 1990.

 

The El Primero Rainbow line of the 1990's and 2000's was even closer with screw crown and pushers. The bracelet is different but the bezel, crown guard and pushers are very similar.

https://www.chrono24.ca/zenith/el-primero-chronograph--id18739088.htm

 

They supplied movement to Daytona for many years!

 

Rolex 'borrowed' the EP movement when they needed an auto chrono - so maybe Zenith felt they could do the same with the Daytona case and dial then they needed some sales??!

 

I dunno. Zenith has its own illustrious sport chrono heritage to draw on, including as mentioend above supplying the movements to Rolex's early Daytonas, so I don't think I would call the new release a Daytona homage. But I may be biased by what I am wearing right now:

 

Would own that any day of the week and twice on Sunday’s over any Daytona.

 

If there's any brand that can have a similar watch and not be called a homage it's Zenith due to their intertwined history with the Daytona. Look at some of the early 90s El Primeros and you can see design cues taken from the Daytona of that time period. There's no denying the finance from The Crown for the movements would have helped the Zenith balance sheet and at the same time helped prove there was a market out there again for mechanical chronographs when Quartz was dominating. Both firms benefited from the relationship back then.

 

I used to have ( and sold here) a Zenith Deluca Panda. You could say the modern ceramic Daytona is a homage to that watch.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/red...-luca-1st-gen-white-panda-375-produced.29499/

 

That’s a very nice watch! What’s the reference?

 

Having seen this before either. Would definitely wear well.

 

A277

 

early Daytonas? No. Daytonas started about 1962 in reaction to the Speedmaster. The Zenith movement was used from 1981 to 2000 or so. Hence much closer to today than the early ones.

Nice piece though!

 

“Earlier” Daytonas.

 

what exactly is the controversy?

 

It looks like a Daytona homage (but differentiates itself by adding a ridiculous bezel “function”)

 

That would be this one then...

Still going strong!

 

Ah..... amazing!! Hi there !!

 

Is there anything more ridiculous than a tachy on a modern watch? It’s the Daytona that looks silly in this comparison.

 

the point is well taken, and I don’t think there’s any denying that a tachy is at best a historical attraction - much like the idea of a mechanical watch itself. That said, a tachy may at least still be put to some use even if for the novelty of it. I can time how many units I’m producing over a period of time, speeds, and the several other functions to which a tachy could be put. But still, novelty.

But to answer your question, yes, there is something more ridiculous than a tachy... a bezel/function that “measures” 1/10th of a second.

The average human reaction time involves 2-4/10ths of a second error. To operate the watch a human has to both start and stop the watch. Accordingly, there is a collective 4/10ths to 8/10ths per second error rate on a bezel that “measures” 1/10th a second. Put differently, the bezel/watch is capable of measuring something the human hand/eye can’t operate toward any utility at all.

As useless as a tachy may be, a 1/10th second bezel makes the tachy look like mission critical equipment.

Just one idiot’s personal opinion/soapbox