Introducing The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition

If you’re looking for a great story, check the attic. Zenith knows this all too well as the story of the revival of the famous El Primero movement revolves around the attic of their Zenith Manufacture building. In 1975, now Zenith legend Charles Vermot hid all the technical plans and tools necessary to produce every component of the famous El Primero movement.  Among them, a box of prototype dials for the El Primero A386 that were never used in production. Until now, with the introduction of the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition.

It has been great to see that Zenith has been gracing us with a string of excellent releases lately. The most loved ones amongst watch enthusiasts are, without a doubt, the Revival pieces. And I have to say the brand has found great inspiration from their past lately.  The Revolution × Zenith A3818 “Cover Girl” was a stunner. We wrote about it here. And it was followed, just a couple of weeks ago, by the Chronomaster Revival Shadow. It’s an A384 inspired by a black PVD prototype from 1969. By using darker colors, the Chronomaster Revival Shadow gets a dose of seriously understated cool. This week the brand surprises us with the release of the Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition.

The A386 Revival in steel

Many enthusiasts had hoped for a steel A386 last year when the El Primero movement celebrated its 50th anniversary. Although the re-edition in steel did technically happen, it wasn’t available as a separate piece. Michael reported on the release of the Zenith 50 Years of El Primero Anniversary Set containing three pieces, including the steel re-edition of that original A386 from 1969.

Although the box set was impressive, it was limited to only 50 pieces. A lot of vintage Zenith enthusiasts would have rather seen the release of a separate A386 Revival in steel. Instead, Zenith decided to release three golden re-editions of the A386 as separate pieces. As Michael stated in his article about them, it was a better homage to the original watch from 1969 than the exclusive set but still no steel re-edition. But word came out that Zenith wasn’t planning on producing a steel re-edition again as a separate piece. Fast forward a year, and we do get to see the release of a separate steel A386 Revival model.

The final version of the A386 Revival

To the surprise of many, Zenith announced the release of the Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition. It’s a stainless steel version of the A386 Revival that will be the last to feature the original Revival case. On top of that, it features a unique dial color configuration featuring three different shades of blue. It is based on prototype dials that were found in the grenier, or attic, of the historical Zenith Manufacture building.

They were part of the materials that Charles Vermot hid when Zenith stopped producing mechanical movements. That announcement came as a result of the ongoing quartz crisis. Vermot ignored company orders and secretly hid all the documentation and tools necessary for the production of the El Primero movements behind a sealed wall in the attic of the building. By doing so, it allowed Zenith to resume production of the El Primero movements easily in the mid-1980s. With his actions, Vermot saved the Zenith brand and has, quite rightly, become a hero to many.

The story of the dial

The story of this Manufacture Edition of the A386 is the story of the dial. The people from Zenith found a small unlabeled box that contained several dials in the attic of the Zenith Manufacture. In the box, the signature El Primero tri-color dial of the A386 with black, grey, and blue sub-dials. On top of that, well-preserved versions of another dial using three different shades of blue for the sub-dials were found .

There are no records of this dial, so they are presumed to be prototypes. They were kept with the dial that was used for the A386 when it was released back in 1969. Therefore the blue version is believed to be one of the original prototypes considered for the final production model. It was never officially produced, and believed to be hidden by Charles Vermot when he hid all the other El Primero tools. To honor the unique story of the dial and its beautiful colors, Zenith decided to produce this modern re-edition of the A386.

A change in colors

The Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition is in line with the previous Revival editions of the A386. The 38mm stainless steel case with pump-style pushers is an exact reproduction of the A386 from 1969. With the introduction of the different dial, Zenith steps away from the iconic overlapping black, grey, and blue sub-dial. What we get in return is a dial that is just as stylish by using three different shades of blue. From left to right, the blue sub-dial colors get increasingly darker.

All the other details of the dial are as we know them from the original watch. The white lacquered dial features applied Rhodium-plated and faceted hour markers coated with Super-LumiNova. A black minute track and black printed details provide contrast. The white hour and minute hands have white luminous and black inserts, and the chronograph hand is a bright red. The date aperture sits between 4 and 5 o’clock. The watch comes with a matching blue alligator strap with protective rubber lining and a stainless steel pin buckle.

The El Primero Movement

The El Primero 400 automatic movement powers the Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition. The high-beat column-wheel chronograph movement ticks at 36,000vph and has a 50-hour power reserve. In this modern version, the movement is visible through the sapphire case back. That is perhaps the biggest difference between this model and the one from 1969.

Pricing and availability

The price of the Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition is CHF 8,900. It comes in a special book-like packaging that has the Zenith Manufacture printed on its cover. Zenith had planned to offer this model for sale exclusively from its Manufacture. Due to the current situation we are in, Zenith has decided to offer the watch through its website until the Manufacture re-opens. The brand will roll-out the e-commerce site across different markets in stages. First up are Italy, France, and Switzerland in May. Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom will follow. The United States will follow shortly after that.

First Thoughts

The Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition shows how strong and iconic the design of the A386 is. The blue and white dial design proves to be as relevant as ever, despite it is over five decades old. The different dial is a beautiful variation on the original dial that will definitely appeal to a broad audience.

The fact that Zenith made clear a steel re-edition was off the table makes this Manufacture Edition even more special. I have no doubts that the A386 Manufacture Edition will find its way to buyers. Although the watch is a Manufacture exclusive, it is not a limited edition, and that makes it even better. The Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition is another excellent release in a string of great re-editions from Zenith. It will be interesting to see if there are more spectacular finds in the Zenith archives that the brand can surprise us with.