Little love for Zenith cal 420 watches?

[NT931]

On a quiet Fri night I was idly browsing and came across these cal 420 Zeniths from the late 90's.

(picture from Google Images)

I learned that the underlying cal 420 was a EP movement with the rotor removed (apologies in advance if I've gotten the technicalities wrong). These were thus manual wind chronos. I liked the 38mm / 11.5 mm size case, and the overall somewhat retro look (oval pushers), but wasn''t too fond of the date window, nor the finishing visible through the display back (a solid case back would've been better)

It seems though that these cal 420 watches aren't too popular, and are thus priced accordingly. Do people perceive the cal 420 as an emasculated version of the EP? Or are there other reasons?

Just wondering if the Zenith cognoscenti could share their thoughts. Thanks!

 

[RRMagyar]

I once owned a Zenith EP Hand Wind watch (Cailber 420) and I loved it. I enjoyed being able to see the movement without the rotor getting in the way. Others, however, suggest the HW movement 'defeats' the heritage of the Zenith EP being the first automatic chronograph on the market. In any event, I still regret a bit having parted with this watch and still think about getting one again. My watch, by the way, was marked on the dial, on three lines as, Zenith, El Primero, HW.

 

[NT931]

Thanks RR! And based on the paucity of other responses, I guess cal 420s aren't that popular.