Like the eye-catching panda dials of 1969, the Revival Liberty uses a gradient matte blue background to offset the two white chronograph counters and the small seconds indicator. The red, white and blue colour scheme and the name ‘Liberty’ are clear references to America’s flag and the Statue of Liberty. The only features that are not historically accurate are the domed sapphire crystal (the original had an acrylic glass) and the display caseback (the original was sealed). The finishes are also faithful to the original with its radial-brushed bezel and polished bevels, pushers and crown. To ensure utmost accuracy, Zenith used the original blueprints and production plans of 1969 to recreate the angular architecture of the tonneau-shaped case. Unlike many vintage-inspired watches on today’s market, the case isn’t historically inspired it is an accurate reproduction made in stainless steel which respects the original 37mm diameter and 12.60mm height. The Chronomaster Revival Liberty flaunts a faithful reproduction of the case of the A384 of 1969. A year later, a stealth-inspired Revival El Primero A384 Shadow hit the scene with its matte grey titanium case and matte black and grey dial. To ensure the accurate reproduction of the A384, each part of the original El Primero A384 from 1969 was digitised. The standard El Primero A384 Revival, with panda dial.Īs you can imagine, the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the El Primero in 2019 resulted in a flurry of homage editions, including a highly coveted 1:1 re-edition of the A386 (part of a set) and a faithful revival of the A384, as well as the introduction of the El Primero 3600 calibre, a 21st-century take on the El Primero high-frequency movement. Epic events, the first marked America’s dominion in the space race, the second marked Zenith’s first place (El Primero) in the race to create an automatic chronograph movement – and a high-frequency calibre to boot! Two significant events took place in 1969: on 20 July Neil Armstrong took man’s first step on the surface of the Moon and, albeit on a smaller scale and entirely influenced by our bias for mechanical watches, on 10 January the watchmaking world got wind of the first fully integrated high-frequency chronograph movement. Today Zenith releases another revival of the A384 decked out in red, white and blue exclusively for the North American market in a limited run of 150 watches. With its tonneau-shaped case and panda dial, the A384 was a true child of its time and captured the zeitgeist of the Age of Aquarius to a tee. One of these was the famous reference A384. Following the introduction of the calibre in 1969, a trilogy of watches was released bearing the winning chronograph movement. Something to fill the desirability gap for that unattainable Daytona? Or a uniquely cool watch on its own terms? It’s both.Zenith celebrated an important milestone last year when the world’s first high-frequency automatic chronograph movement, the El Primero calibre, turned fifty. The overlapping sundials, pump-style side pushers and 41mm case remain. The “quintessential Zenith sporty-chic chronograph” now comes in new models with new case materials: 18kt rose gold with a rose gold bracelet and two-tone 18k rose gold with a stainless steel bracelet. It means it can record elapsed time down to not just the second, but to 1/10th of a second, a breakthrough in watchmaking. Plus, Zenith equipped its new Chronomaster with its proprietary “El Primero” movement, a mechanism with an uncommonly high frequency – way faster than Rolex’s. Rolex’s icon with the ceramic bezel and panda dial is one of the best-looking designs ever made. The similarities to Rolex’s Cosmograph Daytona were much-remarked upon when it came out last year, but if you’re going to be compared to one watch, it may as well be that.
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