Pre-Owned Zenith El Primero Revival G381 for HODINKEE 40991566/AS08907

For many years, the words El Primero held little meaning outside of high-intensity vintage watch enthusiast and collectors groups. But that all changed a few years ago, when Zenith began reissuing many of its famed designs from the 1960s and 1970s.

The El Primero was the culmination of a years-long research and development process undertaken by Zenith to develop the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. While other brands had sought to achieve the same feat — including Heuer (in concert with Breitling and Hamilton) and Seiko — Zenith intended to make the El Primero something entirely unique. Instead of taking an automatic module and merely sandwiching it onto the chronograph, Zenith fully integrated the two; moreover, the movement would be a high-beat calibre, offering significant added accuracy.

Zenith announced the El Primero on January 10, 1969, at a press conference. This was four years later than Zenith had intended: the brand had begun developing the calibre in 1963, hoping to bring it out for Zenith’s centennial in 1965. Nevertheless, on that winter day in 1969, Zenith proudly displayed a working model of its chronograph.

The A386 was the first model to be fitted with the El Primero movement, and therefore commands a hefty premium among collectors for its horological import. Recently, Zenith partnered with HODINKEE on the piece that we have here — a special, limited-edition timepiece commemorating 50 years of the El Primero movement.

It has many of the features that we love about the A386, with a a few changes. It comes in at a nearly perfectly sized 38mm 18k yellow gold case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, and barrel pusher. Inside, it has white 'panda'-esq dial three black subsidiary registers and a matching minute track — both with 'gilt' text, applied luminous indices, an outer white tachymeter scale, and a matching handset with a red chronograph hand.

Stunning, if you ask us!

Of course, powering this gorgeous watch is the El Primero Calibre 400 hi-beat, automatic movement, which is visible via a numbered sapphire exhibition caseback.

The El Primero — in all its guises — is a historically important, beautiful series of watches and movements. This particular, limited-edition iteration, however, is truly a work of art.

With just 50 united produced worldwide, theres no saying when another will turn up!