Never mind the ETA and Valjoux based movements. Most modern entry level chronograph movements today are not even close in terms of design.

Possibly the best looking and performing automatic chronograph movements ever made – the El Primero is the essence of the Manufacture. A debatable benefit/aesthetic choice, but an open sapphire caseback is definitely a perk. The domed sapphire front with double sided anti-reflective gives the watch dial clarity and scratch resistance that the old hesalite hadn’t. A central red seconds hand with a rectangular luminous well is the cherry on the cake.Īnother benefit of the revival edition, apart from modern manufacturing and reliability, is the open caseback. Applied hour markers are filled with superluminova as with the hands. The dial is a lovely panda, with contrasting black subdials on a white lacquer dial. Complete with the pump pushers and a replica of the original ladder bracelet, the A384 is as close as it gets to the original. Zenith’s A384 has elements of the same design era but the revival piece shows greater quality in finishing and manufacturing. Grand Seiko re-marketed the concept with their branded ‘Grammar of Design’ – think 44GS and 62Gs. Strong bold lines and sharp break edges in case design were synonymous with 70’s watch cases. Contrasting polished chamfered edge outlines the case, which curves symmetrically peaking at the center. The new A384 revival is sized in the original 37 mm size and has a beautifully crafted tonneau-esque case. Zenith started early as well, close to a decade ago, but they succumbed to the 41 mm case sizes. Grand Seiko, Tudor, Rolex, Patek, Audemars Piguet, Omega are all beneficiaries of catching the homage trend.

The 70’s styling is increasingly embraced today. A lesson out of the Speedmaster playbook but it works, and fortunately so, for vintage Zenith fans. Since the revival, we have seen several limited edition iterations, with cosmetic variations of this truly iconic watch. And given the trend of smaller case sizes, they dispensed with the need to modernize the case and reissued the original 37 mm 1969 case. The Zenith A384 is a truly exciting piece to see homaged. The last time they hit a home run with the A386 revival limited edition, and now they have found their Speedmaster. And all they had to do was to revive a past great icon.

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