Posts Tagged ‘El Primero’
Tropical Dial A384 Zenith El Primero
Zenith in 1969 was firing on more than all creative cylinders. They went up to 11, 12, and then 36,000. The cases went for pure revolution over evolution. Gay Frères invented a new, very summery, and very 70s bracelet. Wether the calibre 3019 PHC was the first automatic chronograph or not, it was certainly the…
Read More‘Cover Girl’ A3818 Zenith El Primero
I’ll just say it, people who don’t appreciate vintage Zenith are philistines. Zenith were wildly experimental with case design and developed the most technically proficient automatic chronograph movement of the decade, still in use today. And yet, everyone still conflates them with 90s televisions. But don’t take it from me. So good was the 3019…
Read More‘Cover Girl’ A3818 Zenith El Primero
Easy, breezy, and a total dime, Zenith’s ‘Cover Girl’ is named aptly. This ref. A3818 is about as niche as Zenith collecting gets, with the possible exception of the A3817. Yet somehow, even still today, Zenith collecting as a whole is still low-key. If you’re not the sort of person that reads Hairspring, the standard…
Read More8136901 Ebel ‘El Primero’ Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
When I was growing up, Lululemon didn’t make socks. The 90s were tall white Nikes. Then for all of the 2000s and early 2010s, if a sock extended above your ankle you were a virgin. Now, the youth who say things like ‘rizz’ and ‘that slaps’ are wearing Nikes almost up to the knee again.…
Read More01.0040.418 Zenith El Primero Espada Sub Sea Moonphase
Everyone knows the 3019 El Primero story. But, after, not everyone paid attention to just how far Zenith pushed the boundaries of what an El Primero could be. If one needed convincing that the El Primero is not only one of the longest lived chronograph lines, but also one of the most diverse, interesting, and…
Read MoreMk3 A386 Zenith El Primero
Whoever came up with idea to make the three subdial registers of the A386 tri-color is a genius. In watch design, the gold standard is being distinctive enough to be recognized from across a room or mid-distance. Most meaningful designs nail this trick, but there are surprisingly few. Why does this matter? The majority slice…
Read MoreA384 Zenith El Primero
There’s nothing quite as brave as finishing second and handing yourself a jersey with ‘THE FIRST’ on the back of it. And yet, that’s this Zenith’s story. It’s not just brave though, it’s eccentric. Zenith also crossed the finish line with more style than anyone else by some margin. And that’s what really counts. Hence,…
Read More01-0150-415 Zenith El Primero Sub Sea
With one glance at the El Primero Sub Sea, you get the feeling this is the sort of watch Zenith couldn’t create today. Not because LVMH don’t have the technical ability, far from it. But because there are committees, cohesive brand strategy, and focus groups. I adore Zenith and belive they’re doing exceptional work. But…
Read MoreMk2 A386 Zenith El Primero
‘The want’ is very strong with vintage Zenith. As a blanket term, ‘vintage Zenith’ covers so much: the original covergirl, G381, A277, Moonphase Calibre 3019 PHF Prototype, I could go on. In that list most definitely lies the A386. Its design is attractive, the contrasted overlapping big-eye subs uniquely lovely. The automatic cal 3019 is…
Read More01.0210.415 ‘Surf’ Zenith El Primero
The El Primero story is lore, not only for its extreme ambition in engineering but equally that the world almost lost the calibre through the quartz crisis. Thank god for Charles Vermot, the watchmaker who disobeyed Zenith’s head office instructions to sell off all things to do with mechanical watchmaking, hiding away the plans, spares,…
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