download zenith el primero a384 revival shadow

From collecting the watch in central London, where it looked instantly at home in Britain’s second watch capital (after WatchGecko HQ in Tewkesbury!) it was straight to Heathrow on the underground: a normally tedious journey that passed quickly as it was spent admiring the A384 on the wrist.Ĭheck-in and straight to the lounge, where it was time to relax with a coffee and some biscuits, before boarding a flight to Barcelona. And we went on a bit of a journey together. It goes with saying that the timekeeping was fastidiously accurate throughout my tenure it was just a watch that was incredibly easy to live with. The Zenith branding looks particularly gorgeous on the flanks of an Italian sportscar: just check out this. The Frenchman used to be a Formula 1 driver (who credits Ayrton Senna with saving his life by coming to his aid after a particularly vicious accident) but then switched to historic rallying with a Lancia Stratos, with the help of Zenith. Interestingly, both have a motorsport connection: the Autavia was championed by Formula 1 stars, including Jochen Rindt (a man who holds the unfortunate accolade of being the only world champion to be crowned after his death) while Zenith was a long-time sponsor of Erik Comas.

I’m fortunate to own a TAG Heuer Autavia – another chronograph with a similar story, being a reissue of a model that first appeared in the late 1960s – and there’s a lot that reminds me of it aesthetically, although the Zenith is much lighter and less chunky. In diameter, it’s 37 millimetres, while thickness is a relatively modest 13 millimetres: although there are much thinner watches out there. Pick it up and it feels more delicate than you might imagine: it’s not a heavy watch at all, and it also comes in a case size that is a little smaller than current trends (which, however, are returning to smaller sizes).

It’s very much a watch of its time, and yet the current focus on retro also makes it quite contemporary. The Zenith El Primero A384 Revival is a watch that catches the eye, and the first thing that everybody asks you is whether or not you’re wearing a vintage piece. The Zenith El Primero A384 Revival on the Vintage Otley Leather in Brown - Image Credit: WatchGecko Online Magazine

Download zenith el primero a384 revival shadow