Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Watch review archives can be found here.
Post Reply
User avatar
TimelessLuxWatches
Posts: 920
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2014 12:14 pm
Name: Brett

Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by TimelessLuxWatches » Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:56 am

Image


Let’s just get right to it: the Zenith El Primero A384 Revival is, in my opinion, the best new-for-2019 chronograph you can actually buy.

Image


You may have noticed my not-so-subtle qualifier. That’s because, arguably, the A386 is the best new-for-2019 chronograph, but although you probably want one, you are unlikely to be able to get one, due to the fact that they made so few and they are, owing to the fact that they’re either gold or in a box set, quite expensive. But that doesn’t matter, because you can get the A384.

Image


And that’s because, among other things, the A384 is not simply an El Primero-which would certainly be enough on its own to warrant joining a collection-it’s the El Primero, the very first watch to ever receive this legendary movement, all the way back in 1969.

Image


The dial of the A384 Revival is, near as makes no difference, a perfect reproduction of the original. Note the lack of fake aged lume, for instance, which separates this from something that’s merely vintage-inspired. This is virtually identical to the watch as it would look if you were buying it in 1969, not a romanticized interpretation of what it would look like. Despite the wild case, or perhaps because of it, the dial is somewhat more subdued than its more famous A386 counterpart, lacking its legendary tri-color dial. Instead, we have a simple black subdials against a lacquered white dial.

Image


The main hands are a callback to the distant past of Zenith. For example, the seconds hand lacks the star-counterbalance found in most Zeniths these days, and instead has a luminous rectangular tip. But it’s clear from the design of the watch that telling the time was of secondary importance, thanks to that bright red chronograph seconds hand that draws your attention.

Image


White subdial hands are far more legible than the minute and hour hands against their black backdrops, further demonstrating that the first El Primeros prioritized chronograph legibility over all else.

Image


The subdials have a fine guilloche finish beneath them, but you’ll only be able to appreciate it on the 6:00 subdial. The other two have finishes so fine that they cannot be seen with the unaided eye, or at least, my aging unaided eyes. In practice, they give the subdials a slight sunburst effect.

Image


As it would have interfered with the subdial were it at 3:00, the date has been located out of the way, just like the original. It has no applied date frame, but rather a gentle step down into the date window, which looks quite nice. Thankfully, the date changeover is instant, a simple, oft-overlooked feature that I always appreciate.

Image


The lume on the A384 is surprisingly good, certainly enough to use in a movie theater or to see next to your bed at night. Oddly, the A384 easily outperforms the far larger and more expensive Defy Inventor I reviewed parallel to it in this category.

Image


Next we must discuss this wonderful case. Although the A384 kicked off the El Primero legend, it never got the credit it deserved compared to its more conventionally-cased A386 brother, and that’s a shame. While I love the A386’s case as well, the A384’s funky design is so much more unique, and given that the 1970s were coming up, somehow more forward-thinking. Like the JLC Reverso, I think this is a design that many won’t appreciate until they see it on their own wrist.

Image


This is where most brands screw it up. They reach back to an important historical milestone for the company, and then they try to modernize it, or worse, to make it artificially old. The watches get bigger and thicker, they get fake aged lume, they make various stylistic changes necessary because the subdials are in different places owing to a new movement. But not the A384 Revival.

Image


Take the thickness, for instance. Here is where I should copy and paste my standard complaint about how the chronograph is too thick and it’d be nice if they could work on making it smaller. But I don’t have to today, because it’s 12.6mm thick, despite its enormous box crystal. It could easily drop another millimeter if it used something more conventional, but it’s also worth remembering that this is a full-featured automatic chronograph with a date. I found myself praising the also-superb Omega Apollo 8 last week for its 13.8mm thickness, and that was a hand wound with no date. This is what we’re asking for. Zenith is a brand paying attention.

Image


Likewise, had most other manufacturers attempted this watch, it would have gone from its original 37mm size to 42mm or even 44mm. But not the A384 Revival. Zenith had the brilliant idea to not mess with something that was already done correctly. They have succeeded where most others have failed merely by doing nothing. Is 37mm too small for larger wrists? Probably, but given the vast numbers of large and XL chronographs on the market, it’s so nice to see something geared towards those with small and medium wrists, an increasingly rare circumstance.

Image


One of the few things they did change was the crown, if only to update the logo. As you would suspect, this does not screw down, and typical to the wonderful and weird world of El Primero movements, pulling it will not cause the movement to hack. Far weirder is the fact that, on an El Primero movement such as this, the first crown position is actually for setting the time, while the second is for changing the date. The El Primero may be famous for its place in history and its performance, but it’s also a charmingly eccentric movement too.

Image


It should be no surprise that the original El Primero features an El Primero movement, the first and still one of the very best automatic chronographs. It’s astonishing how ahead of its time the El Primero was. Most manufacturers, looking to announce the first automatic chronograph, would have focused only on that feature to save time and beat the competition to an arbitrary milestone. Zenith, however, was more focused on making the best chronograph in the world. The program was so complex that it began in 1962 with an expected release date of 1965. In reality, it took over twice as long to release the watch, which came out in 1969. But doing things right is preferable to doing them fast. Zenith no doubt could have rushed out a simple automatic chronograph by ’65, and they would have a nice little historical footnote instead of the legend in this watch. Also worth noting is the biggest change from the original A384, namely that the new one has a sapphire back so you can see the movement, a change I entirely welcome.

Image


The El Primero has had enough written about it that you could fill a library at this point, so I won’t go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that this movement set the bar so high in ’69 that it’s still extremely competitive 50 years later. I will say, without reservation, that this is singularly my favorite chronograph movement ever made. I’ve always been a fan of high frequency movements, and the El Primero is one of very few mass produced high beats, alongside one of my other favorite movements, the GS 9S85. Another aspect of the El Primero I like is that it’s an integrated chronograph, as opposed to modular, and this goes to that desire to do things correctly from the beginning. In the race to announce the first automatic chronograph, Zenith faced off against its chief rival, a consortium consisting of a number of companies which included, among several others, Heuer and Breitling.

Image


Together, Zenith’s opponents developed the Chronomatic, a modular chronograph, which basically means they developed a chronograph mechanism that could be attached to an existing 3-hand movement, an approach to movement design that’s still quite popular today. The big advantages of modular movements, whether chronographs or otherwise, is that they can be (relatively) quickly and cheaply developed, piggybacking off of the R&D that was invested into an existing movement. Speed, obviously, was of the upmost importance in the race for the first automatic chronograph, but it does come with some compromises, most notably thickness. The Chronomatic, despite using a micro rotor instead of the El Primero’s full-sized automatic winding system, was still unable to compete in terms of thickness.

Image


With the advent of new Zenith movements, like the El Primero 21 and the revolutionary Zenith Oscillator found in the Lab and Inventor, it’s interesting to go back to 1969 and think about how the original El Primero had pretty much the same effect. Zenith had not only been the first Swiss company to announce an automatic chronograph, but they had created a gorgeous, 36,000 BPH, integrated movement. Simultaneously, the three watches that housed this new movement were eye catching and avant garde in their own right, from the funky A384 here to the iconic tri-color dial in the A386. The original El Primeros are legendary watches that earned their reputations both by style and by substance, just like this new one.

Image


But even if we totally disregard the pedigree, I still think the A384 Revival (03.A384.400/21.C815) is the best new-for-2019 chronograph you can buy. It’s reasonably thin, reasonably small, it looks amazing, it has one of the best movements on the market and it’s not a limited edition so you can actually get one. This is, without any reservation, the chronograph I’d buy from 2019.

Image


It’s priced at $7,600, an increase of a thousand dollars over similar El Primeros on leather like the 03.2040.400/69.C494, but in exchange you get something very special, a truly restrained reproduction of one of the most important watches ever made. As the El Primero lineup begins to dwindle in favor of increased attention on Defy, it’s good to know there are still some brilliant new non-LE additions to the collection.

If you’d like to see the product page for the A384, please click here.

User avatar
logan2z
IT Admin
Posts: 11739
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:08 am
Name: Andrew
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by logan2z » Sat Aug 31, 2019 1:27 am

If this doesn't look silly small on my 7" wrist I'm a buyer. Terrific job by Zenith on this re-edition.

User avatar
demer03
Current Forecast: Vintage Doxa
Posts: 19576
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:41 pm
Name: Mike
Location: Lake Michigami

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by demer03 » Sat Aug 31, 2019 2:16 am

I’d rock it. It’s gorgeous.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen

Image

User avatar
dukerules
Posts: 15049
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:32 pm

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by dukerules » Sat Aug 31, 2019 7:14 am

Much want.

User avatar
Joeprez
Wants to see pics of your wife
Posts: 13843
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2013 5:36 am
Name: Joe
Location: Puerto Rico

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by Joeprez » Sat Aug 31, 2019 7:22 am

I really want to like it, but the case design doesn’t agree with me. Pretty cool that it is an actual reproduction and not an “inspiration” from the original watch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Image

Omega / Tudor / Rolex / Sinn / Doxa / Seiko

User avatar
abuemily
Posts: 903
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:08 am
Name: Michael
Location: God's Country

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by abuemily » Sun Sep 01, 2019 3:30 am

I would totally rock this. I’ll have to try it on for size first as the 37mm makes me a little nervous.

....and just saw the price, about 2K more than i’m up for. Pity, really like it.

User avatar
JP Chestnut
Posts: 17820
Joined: Mon May 27, 2013 10:40 am
Name: Jacob
Location: Ithaca, NY USA

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by JP Chestnut » Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:03 am

I can’t tell if it’s the photos, or what, but that case doesn’t look as nicely finished as I’d expect. The simple case doesn’t do it for me, though the size is primo.

User avatar
abuemily
Posts: 903
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:08 am
Name: Michael
Location: God's Country

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by abuemily » Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:51 am

I was looking at other photos of it on the ladder-style bracelet, and it gives it a whole nother look. I might have to see if one comes up used some time.

User avatar
logan2z
IT Admin
Posts: 11739
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:08 am
Name: Andrew
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by logan2z » Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:46 am

JP Chestnut wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:03 am
The simple case doesn’t do it for me, though the size is primo.
I love the case shape - different than the run-of-the-mill round case. The size is my only concern.

Different strokes...

User avatar
Jeep99dad
Grand-père
Posts: 32292
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:07 am
Name: Brice
Location: FlipVille, SC

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by Jeep99dad » Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:12 am

logan2z wrote:
JP Chestnut wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:03 am
The simple case doesn’t do it for me, though the size is primo.
I love the case shape - different than the run-of-the-mill round case. The size is my only concern.

Different strokes...
I was worried about both the case shape and size, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw it and tried it on yesterday. I mean it’s not a large watch by any means and I do wish it’d been 39-40 but it actually worked well on my wrist I thought.

The case finish is just fine by the way.

I want it. Image

ImageImageImageImage
Merde Alors! Et Vive Les Francais! :)

User avatar
logan2z
IT Admin
Posts: 11739
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:08 am
Name: Andrew
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by logan2z » Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:16 am

Jeep99dad wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:12 am
logan2z wrote:
JP Chestnut wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:03 am
The simple case doesn’t do it for me, though the size is primo.
I love the case shape - different than the run-of-the-mill round case. The size is my only concern.

Different strokes...
I was worried about both the case shape and size, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw it and tried it on yesterday. I mean it’s not a large watch by any means and I do wish it’d been 39-40 but it actually worked well on my wrist I thought.

The case finish is just fine by the way.

I want it. Image

ImageImageImageImage
Hoping the size works for me, I really like it. I've wanted an El Primero for a long time but can't stand the cramped, overlapping subdials on most modern Zeniths. This one looks perfect.

User avatar
gr8sw
Posts: 4804
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:30 pm
Name: Pedro
Location: under a palm tree

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by gr8sw » Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:44 am

so hot! looks great on you Brice! I'd rock this in a nano-second... good job, Zenith! :cheers:
‘I don’t worry about a thing, 'cause I know nothing’s gonna be alright’ Mose Allison

Image

User avatar
TimelessLuxWatches
Posts: 920
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2014 12:14 pm
Name: Brett

Re: Zenith El Primero A384 Revival Review

Post by TimelessLuxWatches » Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:36 pm

Jeep99dad wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:12 am
logan2z wrote:
JP Chestnut wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:03 am
The simple case doesn’t do it for me, though the size is primo.
I love the case shape - different than the run-of-the-mill round case. The size is my only concern.

Different strokes...
I was worried about both the case shape and size, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw it and tried it on yesterday. I mean it’s not a large watch by any means and I do wish it’d been 39-40 but it actually worked well on my wrist I thought.

The case finish is just fine by the way.

I want it. Image
Looks pretty much like the perfect size for you, actually. It wears a little larger than the 37mm size would suggest, although it's still on the small size, so those used to 42mm+ probably aren't going to like it too much on the wrist.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 65 guests