This week at Baselworld, Zenith debuted the Heritage Pilot Café Racer, a watch inspired by the “Café Racer” bikers movement born in England in the 1920s. Distinguished by beige lume on large black ruthenium-plated and facetted hour and minutes hands, as well as on the Arabic hour numerals, the slate-grey grained dial creates an excellent juxtaposition of surfaces, resulting in a bold easy to read timepiece.

The dial also features a printed minute/second track in white, with orange accents, and dual registers, one for the small seconds, and the other to count chronograph minutes.

Further enhancing the retro design of the timepiece is the aged stainless steel case (measuring 45 mm x 14.25 mm), with large flat ribbed pushers and crown, designed to evoke the details from a Cafe Racer bike.

This is a chronograph from Zenith, and so, naturally, the famous El Primero movement is inside. El Primero caliber 4069 runs at 5Hz (36,000 vph) and has a minimum power reserve of 50-hours, with an an oscillating weight with “Côtes de Genève” the automatically winds the watch. A total of 254 components, including 35 jewels, make up movement, which is designed and manufactured in Le Locle.

Functions include hours, minutes, small seconds, and a chronograph with a 30-minute counter.

The case is 100 meters water resistant, and protected on the front by a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, and a titanium caseback with a special Café Racer Spirit engraving on the back.

Completing the timepiece is a vintage style green oily nubuck leather strap with protective rubber lining and titanium pin buckle. (Ref. 11.2430.4069/21.C773)