Manufacturer: Zenith Year: 2020 Reference No: 97.A384.400 Movement No: 643'565 Case No: 543'444 Model Name: El Primero Revival A384 "Edge of Space" Material: Titanium Calibre: Automatic, cal. 400, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Zenith rubber strap Clasp/Buckle: Titanium Zenith pin buckle Dimensions: 37mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement, buckle and strap signed Accessories: Accompanied by Zenith International Warranty, leather card holder, product literature, Zenith hang tag and Zenith x Mr. Porter outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
In 2019, the Zenith El Primero movement - the first automatic chronograph calibre serially made, a true milestone of horology - celebrated its 50th anniversary. Zenith homaged this recurrence with a selected number of re-editions of the original two models fitted with the movement: the round A286 and the tonneau-shaped A384.
The present model is indeed one of these anniversary versions, and it is the result of a collaboration with not one but two very well-known firms in the world of luxury items: Mr. Porter and Bamford, an "alliance" which had already worked the previous year on a reinterpretation of a vintage model (the "Heritage 146").
With the A384 "Edge of Space", the design tweaks dramatically alter the overall aesthetics of the watch for a result that is an incredibly modern and appealing reinterpretation of one of the great classics of the brand. The entire case - crowns, pushers and buckle included - is realized in sandblasted titanium; the dial is midnight blue with black subsidiary dials.
Offered in absolutely mint condition and complete of all its original accessories, the present piece is number 8 of 25 made in total and will delight and fascinate the most novice of collectors as well as the most refined and knowledgeable ones.
Since Zenith's beginnings, founder George Favre-Jacot sought to manufacture precision timepieces, realizing quality control was best maintained when production was housed under one roof. Zenith remains one of the few Swiss manufacturers to produce their own in-house movements to this day.
Today, the brand is best known for the "El Primero," the firm's most successful automatic chronograph movement. In an interesting twist of fate, the company that owned Zenith during the 1970s decided to move on to quartz movements and therefore sought to destroy the parts and tools necessary to make mechanical movements. One watchmaker realized this folly and hid the tools and parts before they were destroyed. In 1984, he returned them to Zenith so they could once again make the El Primero movement.
