Based on the same case as the A384, meaning a 37mm cushion-shaped block of steel, it stood out thanks to its dial, with a warm colour and, something new for the industry, a dégradé smoked effect – according to Zenith, this was “ the first smoked dial ever to be made in the watch industry” (something that would need to be verified…) While the two other watches in the trilogy were a bit more classic in their design, the A385 was bold. The El Primero A385 is a very distinctive watch. A vintage example of the 1969 Zenith El Primero A385 – photo by While the A386, with its more traditional case and tri-colour dial, is the most famous of the lot, there was also the A384 with its tonneau-shaped case and panda dial – which is now available from Zenith’s Revival collection – and another, even more original watch, the A385. The column-wheel, 5Hz movement, which is still in production thanks to a fascinating human story – fully explained here – made its debut in three stainless steel models. It has seen the introduction of the world’s first automatic high-frequency chronograph, the El Primero. Together with 1865 (the year the brand was created), 1969 is, without doubt, the most important year in Zenith’s history. But in 1969, three manufactures will unveil their own vision of the automatic chronograph – namely Zenith with the El Primero, Seiko with the Calibre 6139 and the Chronomatic/project 99 consortium uniting Heuer-Léonidas SA, Léon Breitling SA, Hamilton-Büren and chronograph specialist Dépraz & Co with the Calibre 11.Ī copy of an old Zenith catalog, showing the 1969 “El Primero trilogy” Surprisingly, before the introduction of not one but three of these architectures, all chronograph movements were hand-wound. It is the year the industry unveiled a game-changing concept, the automatic chronograph movement. Thus, if we mention the year 1969, it should give you an indication of what the rest of the article should be about… 1969 has been a year of innovation for the whole industry, but also for Zenith. If you’re reading MONOCHROME, you probably already have some watch culture. And today, we give a closer look at this very cool launch. Now, in 2021, the brand gives the last and third model its moment of glory, with the new Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385. Last year, it was time for the panda watch, the A384, to be re-edited. In 2019, for its 50th-anniversary, Zenith commemorated this legendary calibre with multiple “Revival” editions of the A386 model, the most sought-after watch in the 1969 trilogy.
With its column-wheel architecture, its high-frequency, and multiple small but necessary upgrades, it has managed to stand the test of time. This, along with the thick navy-blue border behind the minutes markings, a red chronograph seconds hand, and bold, faceted rectangular rhodium hour indexes, results in a dial much more sporty than subdued, staying true to the heritage of this line.Even after more than 50 years of loyal services, the El Primero remains one of the most fascinating movements to be manufactured. Still, relative to the size of the case, the registers are quite large. Lastly, the color of the 30-minute blue register references a sort of middle ground as an important unit of measurement for the chronograph, minutes aren't as fleeting as seconds or imperceptible as hours. At 6 o'clock, the 12-hour register is colored dark grey, a reminder of the long duration of time the column-wheel chronograph is capable of recording. The 60-second register at 9 o'clock is colored light silver to denote the ethereal, fleeting nature of time. Interestly, there is more conceptual depth to those boldly colored registers, long a trademark of the El Primero. While it was great to see a conservatively-sized case, at first glance, the dial, with less real estate than its 42 mm contemporary brethren, seemed congested with its large intersecting tri-color registers. When I first tried on the Zenith El Primero Original 1969, with its 38 mm case (based on the original 1969 dimensions), I wasn't immediately blown away.
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