Zenith De Luca "El Primero"

 

The Zenith De Luca "El Primero" is widely known as the worlds best automatic chronograph. "De Luca" is actually a nickname, the name of Zenith's chief agent for Italy at the time, who inspired the original design. Beginning in 1988, this was Zenith's first major new series after the resurrection of the El Primero. The original series ("De Luca I") is characterized by 40mm steel cases with uni-directional rotating black diver's bezel (matte finish until the 4th generation when it became glossy), and either black or white dials with contrasting sub-dials. The first series generation came with brown leather straps. The steel De Luca bracelet was optional. In 1990, Zenith initiated three different style iterations with the De Lucas. The second generation of the De Luca I series underwent a significant transformation in dial design, for both white and black versions. The hour markers morphed to round, and "Mercedes" style hands were adopted. This particular De Luca, circa 1990, has what we feel is the most desirable of their dial choices. It is what is sometimes called a "Panda Dial" but we prefer to just call it fantastic. Any watch head will tell you that a chronograph is an essential item in any serious manufacturer's product line but Rolex did not have an automatic chronograph movement of their own at the time, so they contracted with Zenith to be their go-to-company for an automatic chrono. Rolex was delighted to be able to employ the Zenith movement since their line did not include a chrono from the mid 80's to mid 90's. The quality of the Zenith movement was untouchable and Rolex was not worried about competition because Zenith was not big enough to threaten the Rolex prowess in the market place. When the Daytona was launched with the El Primero movement, it was only available in limited numbers due to limited production of the movement. This limited supply created an unprecedented demand and resulted in a 5 year waiting list. Prices were at a premium selling at £6,000 each ($9660.00 at the time) when the retail price was a more humble £3,600 ($5796.00). Today there is quite a bit of cross-over between the Rolex Daytona, the Submariner, and the De Luca even to the point of sporting a "Mercedes" hour hand. I like the "Lollipop" sweep second hand as well. It really has every style perk going for it, not to mention the fantastic mechanical 31 jewel, automatic movement. What's not to like here...nothing! One of the interesting features, other than the cosmetics, is the position of the date window and the 4:30 position. Everyone here at Father time had to hook their drool cup up over their ears when this watch came into our hands. Yes it is a bit more expensive than your average bear, but boy is it worth it! Make sure you take a gander at the "Zoom In" photos so you can judge for yourself how nice this one is....don't let someone else snap it up. Remember all of our watches come with our famous one year warranty for parts and labor so that you may buy with confidence!

 

Price: $5895
Year: 1990
SKU: w2911

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