Zenith watches has collaborated with the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones for a new limited watch called the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tribute to the Rolling Stones. It was just a few days ago that we spent some time with Zenith as they exhibited in Las Vegas, and it was then that we learned a major partnership was coming up really soon.

While we could sense they were very excited about it, they remained extremely secretive about it until this very moment: today it became official that the brand will start a unique collaboration with the absolutely remarkable rock band The Rolling Stones. We will note that deep inside we had hoped they would not repeat the rather upsetting fiasco of the limited edition in part dedicated to Che Guevara… and to our most pleasant surprise they went for this much more positively exciting collaboration. The first piece dedicated to this partnership is the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tribute To The Rolling Stones.

The legendary El Primero chronograph movement inside has seen countless different variations and we have several articles about what is widely accepted to be the first wristwatch movement with a chronograph function and automatic winding. This time around, it is housed in the 42 millimeter wide retro-inspired case and is partially revealed by the “open-heart” dial.

Speaking of the latter, while it sports the trademark El Primero colors from 1969 with the silver base color and grey and blue sub-dials, Zenith decorated it with what has to be one of the most famous and widely recognized logos in the history of popular music: the unique “Tongue and Lip Design” logo of The Rolling Stones, created by John Pasche in 1971.

Located in the sub-dial at the 6 o’clock position, this distinct design element is what sets the 250-piece limited edition of the El Primero Chronomaster 1969 apart from its non-limited counterparts. And while it may not be noticeable from across the room, true fans of “The Stones” will certainly love this unusual mixture of modern and retro design elements, stirred up with the addition of one of the world’s most instantly recognizable symbols of rock and roll.

While Zenith remains unclear about how this partnership will continue, or what other models may be dedicated to “The Stones” and the timeless rock and roll lifestyle they represent, we can totally imagine the band wearing one of these tribute pieces on stage. The price for one of the 250 pieces of the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tribute to The Rolling Stones is $9,800. zenith-watches.com