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Hard stone and heavy metal come together for what might be the coolest Zenith El Primero yet

Hard stone and heavy metal come together for what might be the coolest Zenith El Primero yet

Felix Scholz

Imagine, if you will, that you’re a watch fan in the 1990s or even early 2000s. Through some incredible new complication (I suspect Urwerk’s invention), you’re jumped forward in time to 2019. While some things remain the same, the changes are pretty incredible. Take, for example, this watch. It’s a one-off piece made by Zenith, designed by Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo). Not only is the thought of an auction house designing a unique watch — which they’ll then sell (for charity) at their Geneva Watch Auction X next month — kind of bonkers, but it’s also amazing just how really, really good-looking it is. 

Let’s start with the dial. Sure, it’s blue and pretty vintage in a way befitting the mighty El Primero, but that doesn’t begin to express how special this piece is — because it’s made from a slender slice of lapis lazuli, a vivid blue stone flecked with golden inclusions. It’s patina of an entirely different kind and it looks awesome. Add to this the fact that the case is platinum — and you’ve got an even more compelling proposition. And Zenith CEO Julien Tornare says this will be the only platinum A386 ever made, so this is shaping up to be one very special (and drop-dead gorgeous) watch. 

It’s going under the hammer on 9-10 November in Geneva, and we’ll be very interested to see how much it brings.