According to Zenith, it was “ the first smoked dial ever to be made in the watch industry” (something we’d like to verify). Indeed, the case is the same as the A384, but the colours used for the dial were impressively modern. The A385 was noticeably different due to its dial. A vintage Zenith El Primero A385 – Photo by Hodinkee Shop While the A386, with its more traditional case and tri-colour dial, is the most famous of the lot, there was also the A384 with its tonneau-shaped case and panda dial – which is now available from Zenith’s Revival collection – and another, even more original watch, the A385. The movement, which is still in production thanks to an incredibly human story – fully explained here – made its debut in three stainless steel models. 1969 was the year that the Zenith El Primero, the world’s first automatic high-frequency chronograph, was unveiled to the world. It is also an important year for the watchmaking industry as a whole since three game-changing movements were introduced, all being amongst the first automatic chronographs ever created. A copy of an old Zenith catalogue, showing the 1969 “El Primero trilogy”ġ969 is probably, together with 1865 (the year the brand was created), the most important year in Zenith’s history. Problem solved, with the launch of the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385.

And while two of them have already been reissued in Zenith’s Revival collection (the A384 and A386), one was missing. There were watches too, in fact, a trilogy of models coded A384, A385 and A386. Launched in 1969, it was amongst the very first automatic chronograph movements introduced by the watch industry, and with original specifications, having a column wheel, a horizontal clutch and, mostly, a high frequency of 5Hz.

The El Primero, Zenith’s historical and undoubtedly iconic movement, needs little introduction.

Download zenith chronomaster panda