Having an important background in pilot watches, Zenith showed off with the Zenith Heritage Cronometro Tipo CP-2 "Cairelli", a new limited-edition model inspired by a special piece for the Italian Air Force - F104 Starfighter pilots in the 1960s.
When it comes to Pilot watches, of course, one of the first brands to come to mind is Zenith ... It is possible to find many successful models in the brands past, which is almost as old as aviation history. Zenith adds another heritage model to its collection with the Zenith Heritage Cronometro Tipo CP-2 "Cairelli".
Named Tipo CP-2 (or “type CP-2” with “CP” being short for cronometro polso, “wrist chronometer”) after the military specification for the class of watches, the Zenith “Cairelli” chronograph was offered in only 2500 pieces during the 1960s, exclusively for the brand’s distributor in Rome “A. Cairelli”. The majority of the lucky owners are the pilots of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in the Italian Air Force.
Models produced for the Italian Armed Forces in the same period, which continue to supply watches from brands such as Leonidas, Breitling and Universal Geneve, generally have similar specifications. Many of the watches, known with the inscriptions MM (Marina Militare / Italian Naval Forces) and AMI (Aeronautica Militare Italiana / Italian Air Force) engraved on their casebacks, continue to decorate the dreams of watch collectors.
We can say that the modern version is quite similar to the original model. Made of stainless steel, the case offers an image that is faithful to the original model with a diameter of 43mm. There is a sapphire crystal glass with antireflective coating on the front side of the case where the diver’s type bezel can turn in two directions.
It is possible to say that the black colored dial prepared in the Bi-Compax arrangement is very similar to the inspired vintage model. In the modern version, the wider chronograph sub-dials are available in positions 3 and 9. In accordance with current standards, Super Luminova material is applied to the arms, and the indexes are among the details remaining true to the lines of the original model.
The most obvious difference from the original version is the movement inside... Unlike the vintage model, which was designed with a hand wound movement, the modern version is powered with the pride of the brand’s caliber Zenith El Primero Ref.4069 the modern version of arguably the first automatic chronograph movement.
Only 1000 pieces have been produced with a green textile strap and a stainless-steel buckle.
