EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER WORLD STRATOS MEETING EDITION

EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER WORLD STRATOS MEETING EDITION

An authentic “summit meeting”. On June 24th and 26th, in Biella, Italy, the “Zenith El Primero World Stratos Meeting” is celebrating a legendary racing model: the Lancia Stratos HF that won the world rally championship title for the third consecutive season in 1976. To honour this historical three-peat, 40 owners of the fabled competition car are congregating for a tribute to the illustrious rally queen. As a partner of the event, Zenith is presenting an exclusive edition of its iconic El Primero Chronomaster.

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 are congregating 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 highlights a world of passion, emotion and expertise. The El Primero Chronomaster World Stratos Meeting special series embodies this spirit of technical performance expressed through remarkable aesthetics. 

Rally queen

While the Lancia Stratos HF with a Dino V6 Ferrari engine enjoyed its heyday in the 1970s, its accomplishments and its unique look made an indelible imprint on motorsports and won the hearts of aficionados the world over. Produced in cooperation with the Lancia racing department, the Stratos HF was presented in 1971 at the Turin motor show. Its sheer power and its sophisticated design built for competition found their place in the history books with a first victory in the Tour de France Automobile in 1973, followed by the historical three successive wins in the World Rally Championship from 1974 through 1976. Also nicknamed “the winning beast”, the rally queen picked up three European Championship titles from 1976 to 1978, four in the Italian Championship from 1976 to 1979, and also won the European Rallycross Championship in 1976. Today, the famous Lancia Stratos, with French driver Erik Comas at the wheel, is enjoying a new lease on life by competing in the FIA European Historic Rally Championship in the colours of the “Zenith El Primero Stratos Team.”


Horological icon

In tribute to the fabulous destiny of a cult car, 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. A collector’s model already!