Zenith Chronomaster Revival El Primero A384 Reference 03.A384.400/21.C815 - It has the Pedigree and its Genesis is Remarkable, A Review (plus Video)

The year 1969 was defining period for the horologists as it was the year the first truly automatic chronograph movement was born. In fact, three independent designs were launched that year by the three separate groups. The first was Seiko, the second was Zenith and the third consists of Breitling, Heuer, Buren-Hamilton with the help of Dubois Depraz.

In conjunction to the 50th anniversary of that momentous event, members of all three groups created commemorative timepieces to celebrate that occasion. Seiko created the Seiko Prospex Automatic Chronograph 50th Anniversary Limited Edition SRQ029J1, Hamilton created the 

Hamilton American Classic Chrono-Matic 50 Auto Chrono Limited Edition while Zenith created the Zenith Chronomaster Revival El Primero A384. I was able to acquire the first two and today, finally I was able to complete the 'trinity' with the acquisition of the third piece, the Revival El Primero A384. 

This acquisition is also memorable as this is the first Zenith to join the collection.

The Genesis of the Automatic Chronograph

The three designs by the three groups were launched about the same time. A basic description of the designs are as follows:

1. Zenith Watch Company created the El Primero, a high-frequency but traditional horizontal clutch and integrated movement with a central rotor. 
2. The consortium comprising Heuer, Hamilton and Breitling watch companies in association with Buren for the base movement and Dubois-Depraz for the chronograph module. The output was the Calibre 11 or Chronomatic, with micro-rotor automatic base and chronograph plate on the backside. 
3. Seiko created the 6139, a chronograph with an integrated architecture, where the chronograph parts are not added to an existing movement but integrated into a single design. This design, which has the combination of a column wheel and a vertical clutch would later become the genesis for high-end chronograph movements.

The 1969 El Primero Release

In 1969 Zenith launched a trifecta of the new El Premero engined chronographs. The first was the A385 then followed by the A384 and A386. The A385 has the same tonneau-shaped design of the A384 while the A386 has the more traditional round casing. Of the three, the A385 is the rarest as only 2,400 examples were ever produced. 

Photo taken from the internet

The original A384 was only produced between 1969 to 1971, with roughly only 2700 pieces produced. With the revival of this piece, fans of the original timepiece will have a chance to own a part of Zenith’s history, with a watch that housed the very first El Primero movement.

The History of Zenith Watch Company

Before I start reviewing the Revival A384, it would be good for me to cover a bit about Zenith since this will be the first watch of the brand entering the collection.

In 1865, watchmaker Georges Favre-Jacot founded the Zenith Watch Company in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. Hewas the first watchmaker to ensure that all aspects of watchmaking were brought under one roof. Today, Zenith is one of very few watchmakers that produce its pieces entirely in-house and continues to create hand-crafted watches in the same location. 

It is generally said that a Zenith watch will spend its first nine months of being in the brand's Swiss factory. This is the typical time it takes from creation to completing a Zenith watch. Approximately 80 different craftsmen would be involved in producing a Zenith timepiece. During this long gestation period, each watch will undergo extensive tests to ensure its quality.

In 1969, Zenith launched the El Primero, one of the most iconic movement in the history of horology. It was one of the first automatic chronograph movements, and packed with many breakthrough innovations. This movement requires the attention of 20 watchmakers, who perform 5,500 steps to assemble it. One famous test of its capability was made in 1970 when an El Primero was strapped to the landing gear of a Boeing 707 during a flight from Paris to New York. Despite the extreme stresses of pressure and temperature, the watch continued to operate normally as designed with no loss of accuracy noted. 

Zenith has faced a considerable number of ups and downs over the years. One of its most difficult periods was during the 1970s, when quartz watches affected the entire watch industry. Ownership transferred to an American entity - Zenith Radio Corporation of America. The company returned to Swiss ownership in 1978, but decision was made to concentrate on production of solely quartz timepieces . Tooling and other machinery necessary for mechanical movement production would be scrapped. 

In 1981, Zenith was approached with an order for mechanical movement from Ebel. Luckily, there was still a stock of unsold mechanical components, and Zenith was able to fulfill that order. In 1982, Zenith was approached by Rolex, who were looking for a self-winding chronograph movement for the Daytona. In 1988, the first automatic Daytona was introduced, the reference 16520, which used a version of the El Primero running at 28,800 BPH. 

How Zenith was able to accept the ten-year contract from Rolex was thanks to a Charles Vermot, a senior engineer at Zenith who had the foresight to not only refuse the order to throw out the tooling necessary to make the El Primero, but to also carefully hide machinery, dies and detailed written record of the manufacturing process in a storage attic at Zenith.

That experience sparked an old fame in Zenith and the company immediately reversed its focus back to mechanical timepieces. Today, Zenith has a modern and sophisticated manufacturing facility and churns out innovative designs. LVMH is currently (since November 1999) the owner of the company.

The Watch

Made out of stainless steel, the Revival A384 has a tonneau or cushion-shaped case that succinctly defines the 1970s. It has the look and feel of the original with the same 37 mm diameter and 12.6 mm height as the original. A few obvious departures from the original is the domed sapphire crystal on top instead of acrylic glass as well the addition of a display back.

It comes with a water resistance of 50 meters.

Some say that the Revival A384 is not a vintage-inspired watch but the accurate reproduction of the 1969 timepiece. Semantic aside, I don't agree to this assertion. I believe it to be a vintage-inspired design, choosing the best aspects of the 1969 icon and incorporating the latest technologies of manufacturing and design. 

 
The white dial with panda-style sub-dials features a layout and an internal tachymeter scale, with oversized sub-dials for the chronograph minutes and running seconds. The chronograph hour sub-dial is slightly smaller than the other two. The sub-dials have a fine guilloche finish beneath them.

 

To be consistent with the original A384, the red chronograph seconds hand does not have the "star" counterweight that typifies most modern El Primero chronograph watches. Instead, it has a luminous rectangular tip for easier referencing in the dark.

 

 

 

The applied hour markers have Superluminova luminous paint that creates a soft green tone lume. The date window is between 4 o'clock and 5 o'clock with a sculpted frame and line markers (where the frame intersect the tachymeter scale). 

 

The white sub-dial hands are far more legible than the minute and hour hands (both with luminous strips) against their black background. 

All the main text (with different fonts, sizes and styles) and logo is centered in the middle of the top half of the dial. At the bottom of the dial, you will find a small print with the words "-SWISS MADE-" in small font.



Protecting the dial is the box sapphire crystal. This makes the overall thickness of the watch to 12.6 mm. Since the width of the watch is only 37 mm, the thickness is obvious. Nevertheless, I am not complaining as the design is just unique. 

The Zenith logo can be found on the top of the crown. This is not a screw-down crown and pulling it will not cause the movement to hack. Unlike other movements, the first crown position is for setting the time, while the second is for changing the date. Meanwhile, the pushers are classic plunger design with clean polished surfaces similar to the original A384. 

 

 

A black alligator leather strap is standard with this model. Fitting the 19 mm lug width, the strap tapers down to 16 mm at the buckle. Zenith chose a simple signed pin buckle instead of an elaborate deployant-style or butterfly-style clasps. 

 

As highlighted earlier, the Revival A384 has luminous paint on the dial.  Using the proprietary Super-LumiNova®SLN C3 paint, it gives a nice soft green tone in the dark. Below is the photo of the lume on the Revival A384. 

The Movement

Unlike the original A384, the newer version has a display screw-down case-back. Around the edge of the sapphire crystal window, some basic information about the watch such as the water rating, its progeny and the serial number are etched on the metal surface. Through the window you will be able to see the heart of the machine.

The movement inside the A384 Revival is the latest El Primero 400 calibre. The El Primero 400 is an in house column-wheel chronograph automatic movement that has the standard 36,000 BPH frequency typical of an El Primero calibre. It has 278 components, 31 jewels and comes with a power reserve of approximately 50 hours. 

The El Primero 400 is almost exactly identical to the El Primero of 1969. Nevertheless, several technical details have been upgraded in the intervening half century, including the shape of some chronograph levers and cams. As a result, the modern-day El Primero is slightly more robust and easier to service.

Perhaps more relevant is the aesthetics of the movement; the El Primero 400 has been decorated substantially compared to the original. As you can see from the photo, the column-wheel chronograph movement is beautifully displayed. The blued finish makes it stand out. The movement is nicely decorated: sandblasted surfaces, brushing, perlage, Geneva waves, polishing and thermal blueing. The skeletonised rotor-weight is decorated with the brand’s name and logo with black accents.

The accuracy of the watch has been listed to perform between -10 to +20 seconds per day (SPD). Since this particular model is not COSC rated, the numbers given is not surprising. Some of you may find the numbers disappointing but I suspect Zenith under-promise their products' capabilities so that that likelihood to disappoint a customer with a warranty claim is substantially reduced. In fact, if you go to watch forums, most owners will report accuracy performance to be within -5/+5 SPD. In my case, my watch also performed perfectly on the first try. Below is a test I did using the Toolwatch app. 

The Wearing Experience

I must say that I am getting quite comfortable wearing sub-40 mm wide watches. As one gets older, one tends to go back to basics. The Revival A384 is one such watch that ticks all the right boxes. Below is a video of the watch on my wrist (for reference, I got a 6.75 inch wrist).



I must admit that Revival A384 is one of the best option for a chronograph you can buy. It has the pedigree and its genesis is remarkable. You can get it easily as it is not a 'limited edition' production model. Relatively speaking, it is affordable and the possibility of getting a good discount is high. 




Specifications

Movement: El Primero 400 automatic column-wheel chronograph
Movement Diameter: 30 mm
Movement Thickness: 6.6 mm
Components: 278
Jewels: 31
Frequency: 36,000 BPH (5 Hz)
Power Reserve: Approximately 50 hours
Finishes: Oscillating weight with “Côtes de Genève” motif

Case Diameter: 37 mm

Case Length: 46 mm
Dial Diameter: 32.3 mm
Case Thickness: 12.6 mm

Lug Width: 19 mm
Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides
Case-Back: Transparent sapphire crystal
Case Material: Stainless steel

Weight: xxx gm
Water Resistance: 5 ATM

Dial: White-lacquered dial with black-coloured counters
Hour Markers: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with Super-LumiNova®SLN C3
Hands: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with Super-LumiNova®SLN C3

Strap: Black alligator leather

Clasp: Stainless steel pin buckle

Functions: 
- Hours and minutes in the centre
- Small seconds at 9 o’clock
- Chronograph with central hand; 12-hour counter; 30-min counter 
- Tachymetric scale
- Date 

Serial Number: 543963

Vendor: Swiss Watch Gallery

MSRP: RM32,800

Purchase Date: 11 September 2020

Purchase Price: RM21,812

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