In the watch world, the ‘70s are the new ‘60s. While vintage styles remain popular, it’s the integrated bracelet styles and funky colors of the Me Decade that are taking over from the mid-century madness of the last few years. Now Zenith is jumping on the 1970s train with their latest Chronomaster Revival that brings back a legend from 1971, the A3817.
The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival El Primero A3817 is a faithful reissue of the groundbreaking early ‘70s original. That watch was a unique beast, as at the time, Zenith had two distinct categories for their El Primero chronographs: a sporty and modern tonneau-cased line, and a more classic round style. The A3817 mixed elements from both, putting the iconic tri-color dial from Zenith’s classic A386 into the then-of-the-moment tonneau case. For the revival, Zenith dug up the blueprints of the original to recreate the proportions and finishing of the case exactly, right down to the refreshingly conservative 37mm diameter. The dial is finished in white lacquer, just like the original, and other unique details have also been brought back, like the dual tachymeter/pulsometer scale and “shark tooth” minute track. And while just 1,000 examples of the original AC817 were produced, the revival is a non-limited addition to Zenith’s collection.
