The new Zenith El Primero A384
Up close on
Zenith’s new
Defy El Primero
21 Carbon
Except for the case metal, this new
white gold anniversary edition El
Primero A386 Revival reproduces
the initial characteristics of the
1969 Zenith El Primero. And, it’s
got a 50-year warranty.
the hands and hour-markers and pushers and lugs, it differs with updated El
Primero movement (now El Primero Caliber 400), a clear caseback, a new
logo on the crown and the case metal. Zenith offers these El Primero A386
Revivals in white gold, pink gold or yellow gold. Each is offered as a limited
edition of fifty pieces, and each is guaranteed for fifty years.
LATEST REVIVAL
At our deadline, Zenith added another dimension to the yearlong El Primero
celebration with a steel-cased El Primero A384 Revival watch, which it
debuted not as a limited edition.
The new watch echoes the A386 Revival in that it reproduces just about
everything from the original watch thanks to Zenith’s “reverse engineering“
approach to the project. As a result, each component has been being faith-
fully re-created.
To do this, Zenith digitized each component, from the 37mm faceted steel
case to the lacquered white and black ‘panda style’ tachymeter dial to the
shape of the pushers. However, Zenith did veer from this replication process
when it came to the crystal, the caseback and the movement itself. That’s
why on the new model, Zenith uses sapphire crystal instead an acrylic glass,
a display back instead of the solid steel caseback and the latest version of
the El Primero 400 chronograph movement.
The caliber, which Zenith places into several models within its current
lineup, still offers a frequency of 36,000 vph with a column-wheel chrono-
graph mechanism.
Keeping with its retro appeal, the El Primero A384 Revival comes on a
black alligator leather strap, though with a modern black rubber lining. An
integrated metal “ladder” bracelet option is also available, mimicking the
look of the one from the original 1969 El Primero A384.
SUMMER 2019 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 55