An original Rainbow Flyback Chronograph is a great watch to have. Expect to pay about $3,000 – $4,000 on average for one, though some versions are close to $2,500. These original Rainbows are pretty sought after and can reach prices of up to $5,000 when in good condition. More so, the Rainbow collection grew to include some three-hand models as well. Oddly enough the original Zenith Rainbow wasn’t just one chronograph watch with a colorful dial, but was also the name used for the exact same watch with a simpler black and white dial. Today the same movement is used in a lot of Zenith watches, and found its way into the 2010 Defy Rainbow, as well as the Stratos Rainbow of today (though it just says 405) on the movement. Apparently Zenith produced this movement specially for the Rainbow collection, which added a flyback complication to the 405. The El Primero Rainbow was a rather popular sport watch at the time of its debut and included the in-house made El Primero 405Z automatic chronograph movement with a flyback mechanism. Zenith said that they made it for the Aero-Club De France, which is a French aviation club, and that the colors on the dial were simply “aviation colors.” It is one of my favorite older Zenith sport watches, and I was really happy to see a fresh version for today. The cult classic Rainbow aviation watch began life in the 1990s with the 40mm wide Zenith El Primero Rainbow Flyback.

The official name of the watch is the Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Rainbow Boutique Edition watch, and it will be limited to only 250 pieces. It will be a version of the lovely Zenith Stratos, and we have an early hands-on look. 2013 will see the debut of a new version of the famed Zenith Rainbow as a limited edition.

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