Zenith expands its Revival collection of retro-inspired releases with the new Chronomaster Revival A3817, a faithful reproduction of a 1971 Zenith El Primero chronograph notable for its pyramid-pattern “shark tooth” seconds scale.
The original tonneau-shaped A3817 chronograph, with a three-color dial that mimicked the dials on better-known, round-cased El Primero A386 Zenith revived in 2019 and 2020, has been a design Zenith enthusiasts have long sought at auction. Zenith made only 1,000 of the watches in 1971, which only enhanced their desirability among collectors.
Zenith has built its Chronomaster Revival A3817 using the same 37mm angled tonneau-shaped case (with pump-style pushers) as the original. The watchmaker explains that it utilized original blueprints so it could preserve the watch’s original proportions and finishes.
The new watch echoes its 1971 forebear with a white lacquered dial set with chronograph subdials of grey and blue, with a running seconds counter at 9 o’clock. And of course the dial stands out among Zenith chronographs for its 1970s ‘shark tooth’ seconds track, which Zenith faithfully reproduces. Finally, Zenith includes an outer tachymeter scale, as on the original, that serves as a pulsometer.
The primary technical and aesthetic differences between this homage and the original design are most visible when turning the watch over. There, you’ll see a sapphire caseback instead of a solid steel caseback, allowing a clear view of the new-generation El Primero 400 high-frequency automatic chronograph caliber.
Zenith offers the Chronomaster Revival A3817 with either a steel “ladder” bracelet that is a modern remake of the Gay Frères bracelets Zenith used in the early 1970s on many of its early El Primero watches, or with a light brown calf leather strap.
The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival A3817 is priced at $8,400 and is available at Zenith Boutiques as well as on its online shop. The strap version is sold separately for $7,900.
Specifications: Zenith Chronomaster Revival A3817
(Reference 03.A384.400/3817.M3817)
Movement: El Primero 400 Automatic, 36,000 Vph (5 Hz), Power reserve of 50 hours.
Dial and Functions: White-lacquered with three different-colored counters, hours and minutes in center, small seconds at nine o’clock. Chronograph: central chronograph hand, 12-hour counter at six o’clock, 30-minute counter at three o’clock. Tachometric scales, pulsometer scale, date. Hour markers and hand are rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with beige SuperLuminova.
Case: 37mm steel, water resistant to 50 meters.
Bracelet: Stainless steel “ladder” bracelet and double folding clasp.
Price: $8,400 (bracelet), $7,900 (strap).
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