A Legendary Calendar-Chronograph Gets Upgraded With the World’s Most Beautiful Rock

Zenith produces some of the most impressive mechanical watch movements on the planet, mostly built on its legendary El Primero chronograph.

However, the true beauty of the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar is how discreetly it carries multiple advanced complications, creating space for the dials and cases to shine.

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Zenith debuted the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar in 2024 with several steel references, then put the entire luxury chronograph market on notice with an 18-karat rose gold and black upgrade earlier this year.

The master Swiss watchmaker has shockingly leveled up the Triple Calendar, as I’ll call it for short, once again with some unexpected artistic flair.

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Rather than relying on precious metals, Zenith use a rare but relatively affordable stone with enormous historical significance.

The new Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli uses the distinctive blue stone for a dial plate, creating a starry, mesmerizing appearance. Each plate is cut from a single stone and retains the veins of pyrite, also known as “fool’s gold,” that create the glittery texture.

History’s blue

Watch fans love a good backstory, and few naturally occurring materials have a better one than lapis lazuli.

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Archaeological evidence shows that humans have mined and crafted lapis lazuli since at least 7500 BC, during the oldest periods of the Indus Valley Civilization in modern Pakistan and India.

It was favored in the Middle East from the Mesopotamian period through the Persian Empire and was cherished in Ancient Egypt, even appearing on multiple Pharaoh’s funeral masks.

In Europe, it had an enormous impact not as jewelry, but as a powder that created a new pigment for paint. Rich blues began to appear in European art during the Renaissance because of lapis lazuli.

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Fortunately, this European watchmaker keeps the lapis lazuli intact, cutting against the grain of the pyrite veins to create the starry speckled pattern. Since the metal naturally occurs randomly, every watch will have a distinct dial.

A discrete masterpiece

The Triple Calendar is Zenith’s most discrete timekeeping masterpiece. Its 38mm case, at a distance, resembles a common chronograph.

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Powered by the impressively complex in-house El Primero caliber 3610 automatic movement, it has a 1/10th-second chronograph registered on the 100-unit chapter ring, with the central seconds hand rotating fully every 10 seconds.

Three silver-toned subdials are decorated with fine snailing that can only be appreciated up close. Running seconds are registered on the dial at nine o’clock, while a 60-second chronograph counter resides at three o’clock and a sixty-minute counter sits at six o’clock.

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The moon phase dial is tucked behind a crescent-shaped cutout in the chronograph minutes dial. It is decorated with vertical brushing and covered with tiny silver stars and moons.

As the name suggests, a calendar is displayed through three small rectangular windows. The date is at 4:30, the day is above the running seconds dial and the month is above the chronograph seconds dial.

Aside from the lapis lazuli plate itself, the dial’s most striking attribute is the depth created by layering the various elements. All three chronograph dials and the chapter ring are set below the stone plate. Silver-toned applied hour markers and the Zenith star are placed on the stone plate.

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Zenith consistently differentiates itself from other luxury watchmakers by relying on artistic craftsmanship rather than audaciously complex construction and flashy materials.

The master Swiss watchmaker prefers to let its mechanical precision speak for itself and fully understands that beautiful engineering shines brightest in measured quantities.

Availability and pricing

The Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli is available now from Zenith for $22,700.

It comes with a dark-blue leather folding clasp strap and a three-link stainless steel bracelet.

Unlike the vibrant blue limited edition designs rolled out for the brand’s 160th anniversary, this watch is a regular production model.

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Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Zenith El Primero caliber 3610 automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $22,700 at Zenith

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