Its 38mm stainless steel case with pump-style pushers is an exact reproduction of the A386 from 1969 using the blueprints of the original to preserve the proportions of the iconic chronograph. To make the watch standout, it is being produced as a revival piece. The only thing these watchmakers were certain of was that such a striking dial had to be brought to life. With no records of what these dials were meant for, present day watchmakers could only assume that these dials were also prototypes intended as an alternative to the A386 dial or for a different model. One dial was the signature El Primero tri-color dial of the A386 that became a design icon while another was a different version of the tri-colored dial using three different shades of blue. However, this unassuming box contained a number of well-preserved dials from the seventies. Last year during the 50th anniversary of the El Primero, while going through countless artifacts and preserved remnants from the seventies, workers discovered an unlabeled box no different from what is used to store spare parts and other non-descript items. It is viewed as a time capsule where secrets from the past remain to be uncovered.
The grenier or attic where Vermot kept the plans and tools safe is still revered until today. A decade later, his wish would come true and his legend as the “savior of the El Primero” would forever be remembered. He hoped that one day Zenith would come to their senses and resume the production of mechanical movements. Defying management orders, he secretly gathered all drawings, design plans and tools necessary to produce each and every El Primero movement and stash them away at the Manufacture’s walled-off attic (known as the grenier in French). Going back to the story, Charles Vermot was extremely disappointed with the decision of his bosses during the mid-seventies as the company decided to cease production of mechanical movements and focus on quartz watches as the times dictated. Vermot didn’t realize it back then but his actions would greatly impact not just the El Primero movement but the chronograph line of Zenith up to this day. In order to fully appreciate the significance of this watch, the first ZenithEl Primero Chronomaster Revival Manufacture Edition (Chronomaster Manufacture Edition will suffice but for internet search purposes, I had to put in the key search words), we have to delve into the heroic act of one Charles Vermot, one of the original watchmakers who worked on the El Primero movement some fifty years ago.
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