I really think that Zenith dress chronographs are hugely underrated. They have so many things going for it, yet they remain largely underappreciated. Just take a look at this Zenith A 271 and you’ll see what I mean.

This Zenith A 271 was made in the 60’s and it is a true dress cross sports chronograph. It is stainless steel and sized at what would be considered an oversized 37mm, very large for its time. This means that despite its relatively understated design, it still has enough presence on the wrist while remaining discreet and elegant enough to slide under the cuff. Zenith achieved this by keeping the profile of the case quite thin.

Moving on to the dial design, this is truly a lesson in simplicity and restraint. Unlike modern-day brands where they are constantly trying to get their logo as big as possible on the dial, this A 271 keeps things proportionate with a small Zenith logo and applied star. Even the chronograph subdial font maintains this proportionality and the addition of a crosshair on the 9 o’clock subdial results in a very classic and easy to like look.

Flip the watch over and it is just as impressive. Powered by an in-house Zenith calibre 146 DP, it is a high quality, column wheel movement that was created by Martel and used by Universal Geneve before Zenith bought the rights.

The Zenith A 271 is one of the most versatile watches out there and paired with this beautiful Molequin Hunter Green Grained Calf Strap, it works just as well for casual wear as it does for dressier occasions.