ZRC Grands Fonds Heritage CHESNUT: a reunion
ZRC first made an impression on me with the Grands Fonds 1964 Spirit Bronze Édition Maier, which I had the chance to wear after meeting the founder of the Maier boutique in Lyon. From that few-day loan by the shores of Lake Annecy, I kept a wonderful impression and the desire to follow ZRC even more closely.
To my great delight, I am reunited with the brand through a model rich in character and history: the ZRC Grands Fonds Heritage CHESNUT, this time by the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
Vintage inspiration
The Chesnut is a reinterpretation of the Grands Fonds® S2 from 1964, with a nod to the 1970s. Everything about its styling looks to the past without ever slipping into pastiche.
The dial sets the tone. This glossy brown unfolds in a deep circular gradient that darkens towards the edges. In the official images, the effect is already striking, perhaps a touch too pronounced for my taste. In reality, the result is even more convincing: the gradient is more restrained, more muted, and gains in subtlety. It does not draw the eye excessively, contrary to what I had feared.
White lettering adds a little legibility. At 12 o'clock sits the brand logo along with the words "GRANDS FONDS", "Z.R.C" and "ETANCHE" (meaning "waterproof" in French), the little vintage touch.
The lettering at 6 o'clock is a reminder that this Chesnut belongs to the HERITAGE™ range, that it is automatic and, above all, that it is water resistant to 300 metres, which, as we shall see, is an understatement given how much more this watch is capable of.
The applied indexes carry on this vintage thread. Their design draws on the ZRC Electron from the 1970s. These indexes catch the light thanks to their polished finish, and give the dial a relief that painted markers would not necessarily have offered.
At their centre and outer tip, Super-LumiNova® with an intense, long-lasting glow in the darkest conditions has been applied. It should delight all lovers of reading the time in the dark, myself included.
Another feature makes telling the time even easier once the sun has set. A little further towards the centre of the dial, small dots of Super-LumiNova® underline the indexes. As I had noted on the Grands Fonds 1964 Spirit Bronze Édition Maier, these dots form small domes, adding a little more relief to the dial.
The hour and minute hands stay in the same register, understated, serving legibility rather than ornament. Here too, they carry very effective luminescent material. Finally, lovers of the lollipop will be delighted with the seconds hand on this ZRC.
This watch features a complication that is useful day to day: the date. The ZRC Chesnut has a date window at 3 o'clock, framed and polished. I might have regretted the presence of a white date disc, but as I had noticed on the Ebel Sport Classic, with the dial finished in a sunburst gradient it would have been difficult to apply the same finish to the date disc. It is therefore easily forgiven. Another feature of this date disc is worth noting. The even dates are printed in red while the odd dates are in black. A detail for some, an element that for me adds a pleasing little twist.
The bezel insert, finally, plays its full part in this period look. Black and bearing a silver-grey minute scale, it adds personality. Made of aluminium, this insert will be more prone to scratches than a ceramic one. On the other hand, it should bear witness to the passing of time as it develops a patina. At 12 o'clock, the insert features a triangle with a strong visual presence, filled with Super-LumiNova®, allowing dive times to be tracked.
Cutting-edge construction
The Chesnut's case concentrates all the expertise ZRC has built around the Grands Fonds. It is a monobloc case, machined from a single piece, with a programmed-deformation case back designed so that the material absorbs pressure rather than enduring it. This principle, a signature of the brand, explains a water resistance guaranteed to 300 metres but tested down to 1000. The watch is muscular, yet it remains modest on the wrist. At 39 mm in diameter in brushed amagnetic 316L steel, it offers a contained format.
On its flanks, this case features a raised ridge, a ZRC signature. It creates an interesting play of light and gives the watch a "tool-watch" spirit.
The crown is the other iconic ZRC signature. Positioned at 6 o'clock and protected by the Crown Protection System™, it is screwed down, with double sealing. This placement frees the back of the hand from any contact. Above all, this system rules out any accidental immersion with the crown unscrewed, as the bracelet then comes into direct contact with it, preventing the fortunate owner from putting the watch on the wrist. This safety net comes with a trade-off: it is not possible to operate the crown while the watch is on the wrist. Once the watch is removed from the wrist, operating the crown calls for a small adjustment that quickly becomes second nature. Above all, you often catch yourself trying to unscrew and screw it in the usual direction, then remember that the thread is reversed.
The bezel, unidirectional and notched over 60 divisions, completes the diving equipment. It is neither too stiff nor too loose, and the clicks are highly precise. No play is felt once the bezel is set. The handling is excellent thanks to sharp teeth.
The crystal, finally, is a domed sapphire of 2.40 mm with anti-reflective treatment, whose curve recalls the acrylic crystals of vintage divers while offering the hardness of modern sapphire. It rises proudly above the case band and produces beautiful visual distortions depending on the angle.
A proven heart
Beneath the dial beats a Sellita SW200-1 calibre in its "Elaborated" grade. Running at 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz, it offers a maximum amplitude of 315° and a power reserve of 41 hours. Automatic winding, hours, minutes, seconds and date: the essentials, without excess.
The "Elaborated" grade also brings a step up in finishing and regulation over the standard base. You will not, however, be able to see it, as the case back on this ZRC is solid, but that is not the point. Given what the watch is built for, what you mainly want is a movement that is reliable, robust and precise enough. That is very much the case here.
A bracelet born right
The Chesnut comes on a Milanese mesh bracelet, that tightly woven steel that defines its "sport vintage" character and lets it move from the office to the water's edge without missing a beat.
In use, the feeling is one of great build quality. The bracelet is comfortable, supple, and its solid sliding clasp proves as precise as it is reassuring. This system allows fine adjustment during the day, without tools, which is valuable when the wrist tends to swell.
One reservation perhaps: this quality comes with a weight, in the literal sense. The Milanese mesh adds a not insignificant mass to the whole, which you feel on the wrist. It did not bother me personally, as you quickly forget the watch on your wrist, but it may put some people off.
This Milanese mesh is made from 304L steel rather than 316L steel. The first reflex is to assume that cost alone dictated the choice. Knowing ZRC's DNA, it comes as no surprise that this is not the case: harder to work, 304L steel is more resistant and has a better shape memory than 316L steel. It is therefore logical to have chosen it for a bracelet that will, by its very nature, take knocks.
Another particularity, worth knowing without letting it become a barrier to purchase: changing the bracelet requires a small operation using a little tool supplied with the watch, which lets you unscrew the screws on either side of the bracelet.
Above all, the attachment system at 6 o'clock does not allow a two-piece third-party strap to be fitted. That said, you simply need to order a set of two tubes from the brand, which will hold the screws mentioned above. You will then be able to fit the leather straps and NATOs you love. Nothing insurmountable, then, but a step that those used to standard lugs will not necessarily think to anticipate.
A successful reunion with the ZRC Grands Fonds Heritage CHESNUT
The first ZRC took me back to the brand's roots, by the shores of Lake Annecy where the Grands Fonds was born. This one accompanied me closer to home, by the shores of Lake Neuchâtel. The same fresh water, the same pleasure of wearing, day to day, a watch built for the great depths and, more broadly, for every adventure.
The reunion with ZRC did not disappoint. The Chesnut convinces through the rightness of a whole designed to last and to be worn in all circumstances, thanks to a mastered vintage inspiration coupled with the modern construction that is ZRC's own.
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