Its advanced design is credited with saving Zenith in the 1980s when the brand was struggling to recover from the effects of the quartz crisis - the industry upheaval caused by the move to quartz watches.Īfter its takeover by its namesake, the American electronics producer The Zenith Radio Corporation in 1971, the new management ordered the disposal of the tooling required to produce the El Primero - but, according to lore, employee Charles Vermot squirrelled away the equipment in the factory attic where it remained for a decade before being brought back into use when mechanical watchmaking underwent its renaissance.įrom 1988 until 2002, El Primero movements were supplied to Rolex which modified them for use in its Cosmograph Daytona model - orders that helped to keep Zenith alive prior to its purchase and reinvigoration by the LVMH group 20 years ago. The El Primero is available in 23 versions (all based on the original). This enables the movement to record elapsed times down to one-tenth of a second rather than the one-eighth of a second achievable by a 4Hz mechanism. Seen here in deconstructed form, the movement contains 280 parts and differs from conventional chronographs in having a balance wheel that oscillates at 5Hz or 36,000 vibrations per hour (VpH) against the more usual 4Hz or 28,000 VpH. Inside, the original’s hand-wound A384 movement has been replaced by the latest version of the El Primero which, 51 years after its launch, is still regarded as one of the best and most precise chronograph mechanisms. To mark the discovery, Zenith has created the Chronomaster Revival Shadow watch which features a version of the prototype 37mm case that differs from the steel original as it is made from microblasted titanium. The watch, which had not been seen since the early 1970s, was in a box along with tools, drawings and discontinued models in the attic of the factory in Le Locle, Switzerland, where the company began in 1865. It’s a fantastic mix between the traditional side of the shape of the A384 and the modern aspect of the micro-blasted twist.” It’s a fitting designation not just for the achromatic color scheme but also the way it wears: Thanks to the ultra-light case material, the $8,100 watch seems to lay weightless on your wrist.Most people believe that the first all-black wristwatch on the market was Porsche Design’s Chronograph I of 1972 - but the discovery of a long-forgotten prototype suggests Zenith beat Porsche to it by two years.Īccording to the LVMH-owned brand, a single example from a handful of blackened steel chronographs was found last year during preparations for the 50th anniversary of the maker’s El Primero movement, the first self-winding chronograph mechanism to enter production. And if you prefer a smaller size the 384 fits that bill, but you should try on the Speedmaster before deciding as it wears smaller. They can be had for less on the secondary though for about the same price as a Speedmaster Racing so if youre not tied to new, could be worth looking at.
“We decided to mount it in the A384 case with micro-blasts titanium. The 384 is great but at nearly 9k its a bit too much IMO. Zenith El Primero Revival A384 Shadow 97.T384.4061/21.C822 Condition: Excellent Model: 97.T384.4061/21.C822 Movement: Automatic Strap Length: Adjustable. “A little less than a year ago, we were looking for documents and archives and things in one part of the attic, where we usually don’t go, and we found a box with one of the three prototypes, made in 1971, that were previously thought to be lost,” says Zenith CEO Julien Tornare. In a dark, hidden corner of the manufacture’s attic. The new model is called the Shadow because the prototype on which it was based was discovered A recreation of a Zenith chronograph prototype that dates back to the 1970s. Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow (97.T384.4061/21.C822) Image By: Watch Shopping. Over 400,000 watches covered by Chrono24 Buyer Protection Search through 547,504 watches from 126 countries. Zenith kept the prototype’s angled case shape, black dial with white markers and practical 37 mm size, but outfitted the new Shadow with the revered El Primero 400 movement originally found in the A384 model-something the 1970 version never had. Find the best prices for Zenith 97.T384.4061/21.C822 on .uk. Yet, based on a previously lost prototype from the ’70s. Zenith’s newest El Primero model, the mysteriously named Shadow, might be its most exciting version The A384 made its debut in 1969 as the face of the El Primero that figured on launch press cuttings and on the cover of the first El Primero brochures.
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