Zenith Chronomaster ref. CP-2 'Italian Air Force', Black 'A. Cairelli' Dial with Extras

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

Zenith has a long and rich history in watchmaking dating back to 1865, with the second half of the twentieth century regarded as their golden age. We're not ones to disagree, and how could we when they are credited with development and production of one of the first automatic-winding chronograph movements ever. That of course, is the El-Primeo high-frequency movement, which without a doubt all on its own changed the company. What we have here, is a chronograph produced with the Italian Military in mind (both Navy and Air Force) for navigation. Known as a Ref. CP-2, it dates to circa 1972 and features a 43mm case with a 22mm lug width — large by even the standards of today — with a rotating timing bezel, 'pump' pushers, and a signed winding crown. The dial inside is highly-legible, with two large subsidiary registers with 'concentric' finishing, 'Arabic' Tritium indices, and high-contrast white printing throughout. Simple, easy to read. On the lower half of the dial, an additional signature of the Rome-based distributor of these pieces, "A. Cairelli" is prominently featured. Powering this piece is Zenith's own Cal. 146DP manual-winding movement, tucked away behind a protective dust shield and snapback caseback. F lip it over and the military caseback engravings are clear and present. This piece is offered in exceptional overall condition, even retaining the steel -stretch' bracelet that these were issued on. The case remains unpolished with strong factory finishing visible throughout, it's original bezel assembly, and a beautifully-preserved dial and handset within. This piece was issued in 1973 to then-Lieutenant Gabriele Ingrosso of the Italian Aeronautica Militaire. Assigned from the Ghedi airbase, Ingrosso's distinguished career spanned aircraft from the Fiat G.91 and Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, to the Panavia Tornado, culminating in his historic 1982 flight delivering the first Tornado to the Italian Air Force. The watch accompanied him on most of his missions, totaling approximately 2,700 flight hours, over 1,500 of which were flown in the F-104. Accompanying this piece is a marble commemorative plaque and storage case, as well as a book that was given to Ingrosso on the 25th anniversary of his inaugural Tornado flight, where he is photographed and mentioned on multiple occasions. This then, is the kind of piece that really excites us. Manually-wound, rare, historically significant, and in excellent overall condition... ... and we're confident we're not the only ones who feel this way.