Zenith Chronomaster Revival

Post Reply
User avatar
koimaster
Founder
Posts: 46158
Joined: December 16th 2009, 11:00pm
Location: Oregon, Thanks for visiting! Now go back home!
Contact:

Zenith Chronomaster Revival

Post by koimaster » May 26th 2020, 7:59pm

As the crown jewel in last year’s 50th anniversary tribute to its famous El Primero chronograph caliber, Zenith launched a highly period-accurate reissue of the Ref. A384 model from 1969. This year, Zenith unveils another vintage-look El Primero homage piece, this one built around a never-before-seen prototype dial discovered in a secret attic of the company’s historical manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland.

The story behind the Chronomaster Revival Manufacture Edition, which launched exclusively on Zenith’s recently established e-commerce platform, begins with the discovery of a small, unlabeled box in the now-legendary hidden attic where foresighted Zenith employee Charles Vermot stashed all the company’s El Primero documents and materials to preserve them through the 1970s Quartz Crisis. Inside the box was a handful of tricolor dials similar to the one used on the now-familiar Ref. A386 El Primero watch. However, unlike that model’s blue-gray-silver combo, these prototype dials, which were apparently never used on a commercial model, featured subdials in three shades of blue.

https://www.watchtime.com/wristwatch-in ... 728bd6f117
Image

1946-2006

“Your heart was warm and happy

With the lilt of Irish laughter

Every day and in every way

Now forever and ever after."
User avatar
MKTheVintageBloke
Master of Time
Posts: 3792
Joined: December 7th 2016, 2:47pm
Contact:

Re: Zenith Chronomaster Revival

Post by MKTheVintageBloke » May 27th 2020, 12:19pm

It's a cool watch. However, after frauds like Panerai's limited edition with the "NOS" Angelus movements (in fact, modified desk clock movements), the whole Mare Nostrum shite and a "1930s anonymous dial" LE that was a camouflaged nod to the Kampfschwimmer 3646, I'm really not inclined to believe any such revelations.
Zenith isn't exactly a paragon of virtue, either - they've been showing off Louis Bleriot's watch, making tons of suggestions that it was the one that he wore on his flight over the Channel. The watch, meanwhile, was Zenith's take on the "1928 Pattern" pilot's watch, and given both its design and dial font, couldn't have existed at the time that Bleriot was making his historic flight.

TL;DR : Such "revelations" by companies tend to be a load of bollocks, and the companies themselves - full of shite. Zenith is guilty of that as well, and I see no reason to believe them on this one.
I always hope for the best. Experience, unfortunately, has taught me to expect the worst.
Elim Garak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Rule of Acquisition no.285
User avatar
bbattle
Senior Member & WIS
Posts: 2846
Joined: July 11th 2019, 2:51pm
Contact:

Re: Zenith Chronomaster Revival

Post by bbattle » June 3rd 2020, 5:44pm

They not be tryin' to rip off a certain greek letter company and their frisky dominator model timekeeper? I believe I've seen them sub dials before.

Yeah, that whole attic thing sounds so StartKicking. Who did they hire for their marketing group lately? Surely not some millennial snowflake with zero classes in History?
Post Reply

Return to “Zenith”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests