$8700 special edition watch from Zenith is the perfect match to the 2018 Range Rover Velar

As Land Rover unfurled its new 2018 Range Rover Velar to the global public at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, a new special chronograph from Zenith is being displayed beside this newest member of the Range Rover family, also with the name Velar. It is not surprising though, since this special watch celebrates the launch of the new Range Rover Velar.

It is a small watch with a lengthy moniker -- “Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar Special Edition.” If you are planning to the purchase a new 2018 Range Rover Velar (which comes with a starting price of $50,895), then this special watch would be the perfect complement ($8,700). Actually, it is the first time that Land Rover and Zenith had collaborated. It can be remembered that Zenith also created a special chronograph to celebrate the launch of the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic in September 2016.

Velar is not an entirely a new moniker for Land Rover. In 1969, Rover started a project that would lead to the creation of the Range Rover in 1970. Around 26 pre-production Range Rover prototypes were created but were needed to be concealed from others by the carmaker’s development engineers. To conceal its existence, these engineers referred to the prototypes as Velar, as derived from the Latin term ‘velare’ that means to veil or to cover.

Incidentally, at the same year, Swiss watchmaker Zenith unveiled a prototype of the world’s first self-winding chronograph movement. This watch was named as the “El Primero,” which means the first. El Primero was considered to be the most accurate wristwatch by then, as it could record elapsed times down to one-tenth of a second thanks to its ‘high beat’ oscillator.

Now, a special edition of the El Primero watch is being offered, this time also bearing the Range Rover and the Velar names. The El Primero Velar -- co-developed by design and technical engineering teams – features a ceramic aluminum case as well as a beat movement of 36,000 vibrations per hour (VpH). Featuring a 42mm case finished in high contrast burnished copper, the El Primero Velar comes with a brushed slate grey dial as three chronograph sub-dials, and a date indicator at six o’clock. On the partially transparent underside, the words “Range Rover” and “Velar” have been engraved.

The El Primero Velar wraps around the wrist of its user through a strap made of sustainable rubber and it is coated with dark grey diamond-perforated calfskin – the same Scottish leather used in the interiors of Range Rover models. El Primero Velar is secured on the wrist of its wearer by a triple folding clasp made from DLC-treated titanium.

PRESS RELEASE

NEW ZENITH CHRONOMASTER EL PRIMERO RANGE ROVER VELAR WATCH COMPLEMENTS FOURTH MEMBER OF LUXURY SUV FAMILY

To celebrate the launch of the new Range Rover Velar, the fourth member of the Range Rover family, Swiss watchmaker Zenith has unveiled the new Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar Special Edition watch.

Partnership between Range Rover and watchmaker Zenith deepens with second instalment from the exclusive El Primero timepiece series
New Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar Special Edition is a lightweight, contemporary and high performance watch perfectly suited to the urban landscape
Co-designed and engineered by Range Rover and Zenith specialists, the latest chronograph in the series shares its official world debut presentation with the new Range Rover Velar at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show
To celebrate the launch of the new Range Rover Velar, the fourth member of the Range Rover family, Swiss watchmaker Zenith has unveiled the new Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar Special Edition watch.

In 1969 the Rover car company embarked on a project that would go on to define a new category combining luxury and all-terrain capability in a vehicle – the premium SUV was born. The new vehicle wore Velar badges in testing, taking its name from the Latin velare – translated ‘to veil’ or ‘cover’ – before being christened Range Rover at launch in 1970.

That same year, Swiss watchmaker Zenith presented a fully working prototype of the world’s first self-winding chronograph movement, which it named ‘El Primero’ – ‘the first’. Capable of recording elapsed times down to one-tenth of a second with its ‘high beat’ oscillator, it was the most accurate wristwatch ever made.

Almost half a century later, this spirit of innovation continues as an integral feature in the DNA of both brands, with the simultaneous introduction of the all-new Range Rover Velar mid-size luxury SUV, and that of a complementary new time-piece. Today in Geneva the Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar Special Edition – the second product in a long-term partnership between the two – was presented for the first time.

Specially co-developed by design and technical engineering teams working in close harmony, the El Primero Velar chronograph features a custom ceramised aluminium case and a high beat movement of 36,000 vibrations per hour (VpH). El Primero Velar is a wrist-worn symbol of the lightweight high performance, elegant simplicity and visually reductive qualities of the all-new member of the Range Rover SUV family.

Following the first co-developed chronograph from the two brands’, the El Primero Velar maintains its position as the most precise series mechanical movement on the market. The El Primero Velar features a 42mm case finished in high contrast burnished copper, a brushed slate grey dial, three chronograph sub-dials, date indicator at six o’clock, and a robust winding crown paired with two functional push pieces.

The underside of the watch reveals the Range Rover and Velar names engraved on the oscillating weight and the retaining ring of the transparent caseback. El Primero Velar is presented with a new co-developed strap, in sustainable rubber and coated in with dark grey diamond-perforated calfskin. The strap’s calfskin is of the same fine Scottish leather as featured in acclaimed Range Rover interiors, secured with a triple folding clasp in DLC-treated titanium.

Mirroring the glamour, modernity and elegance of the Range Rover Velar SUV, the El Primero chronograph has been designed following an unwavering philosophy of reductionism, while incorporating groundbreaking technology, compelling style and absolute attention to detail. Perfectly optimized proportions and functionality symbolize the elegant simplicity, sophistication and refinement befitting the Velar nameplate.

The Range Rover Velar brings a new dimension of modernity, elegance and a touch of glamour to the Range Rover family. The Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar, created with these very same principles, comes with a bloodline like no other and is refined for every occasion. It will stir the emotions. GERRY MCGOVERN, LAND ROVER CHIEF DESIGN OFFICER

Zenith stands for art, tradition, culture and precision timekeeping. It is essential that we preserve these qualities, as they all belong to our more than 150-year-old DNA. The Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar shows how both companies share a determination to find a harmonious way of connecting our tradition to the future, while showing respect for our iconic products. JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER, ZENITH CEO AND PRESIDENT OF LVMH WATCH DIVISION