Jun 13, 2013
Reading time 3 min.
The Watch that Broke the Sound Barrier: Zenith's Tribute to Felix Baumgartner
On October 14, 2012, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner made history, becoming the first man to break the sound barrier in freefall, jumping from the edge of the stratosphere from a space capsule and landing in the New Mexican desert, 38,969.4 meters below. The watch he wore while making the jump was a Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th.
Zenith, the venerable Swiss watch brand that has sponsored Baumgartner and his Red Bull Stratos team in its daring aerospace missions, and served as official timekeeper for the milestone jump, has this year released a new, personalized edition of the now-famous chronograph wristwatch, the Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner.
Like the original Zenith El Primero chronograph, released in 1969, the tribute timepiece has that model's groundbreaking tri-color subdial arrangement: light gray for the small seconds (at 9 o'clock), dark anthracite gray for the chronograph minutes counter (at 6 o'clock), tallying up to 60 minutes; and deep blue for the chronograph 60-seconds counter (at 3 o'clock). The date is in a window at 6 o'clock.
The watch contains Zenith's world-famous in-house automatic chronograph movement, Caliber 4057 B, nicknamed El Primero, which beats at a super-quick frequency of 36,000 vph. And, unlike with other high-frequency movements, you can actually see this one in action: the center-mounted chronograph hand makes a complete revolution around the dial in 10 seconds rather than the usual 60. Thus, the chronograph hand is capable of recording elapsed times to 1/10 second.
Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner
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Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Baumgartner - reclining_560
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The stainless steel case measures 45.5 mm in diameter and is 14.15 mm thick and has a black ceramic bezel that rotates in one direction. The watch's domed sapphire crystal is treated with nonreflective substance on both sides. The main dial is silver-colored with a sunray finish; the hour indices and hands are faceted, rhodium-plated and coated with Super-LumiNova for nighttime legibility. The solid steel caseback is engraved with the Stratos mission logo, framed by the words "FIRST WATCH TO BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER" and Baumgartner's motto, "LEARN TO LOVE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO FEAR."
The Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner is available on a steel bracelet (pictured) or a black rubber strap, with a steel triple-folding clasp. The price is $10,400.
Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Baumgartner - back
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Zenith's El Primero Caliber has a 50-hour power reserve and a rotor finished with côtes de Genéve.
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Felix Baumgartner wore a Zenith Stratos (right arm) for his record-setting jump.
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