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Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 El Primero 400 37mm Automatic Mens Watch
Ref. 03A384400/385M385
The original A385 was one of just three references that carried the El Primero out of Le Locle in 1969, when Zenith, Heuer and Breitling were all racing to put the first automatic chronograph into production. Zenith won, and the A385 was its vehicle — notable then for a fumé brown dial that graduated from warm amber at the centre to near-black at the edge, a treatment rare enough in 1969 that most contemporaries were not doing it at all. This Revival is a direct reproduction of that reference, not a reinterpretation: the tonneau case, the box-profile sapphire, the pump pushers, the white subdials against the smoked ground, the red central chronograph hand — all of it follows the original production drawings. The movement inside is the El Primero 400, running at 5Hz, which gives the chronograph seconds hand a sweep that genuinely reads differently from a standard 28,800vph calibre. The column wheel and lateral clutch are not marketing language here; they produce an actuation that is notably cleaner than a cam-and-lever alternative, and the 50-hour reserve means a weekend off the wrist costs nothing on Monday morning. At 37mm across and just 12.6mm deep, the tonneau sits close and flat — this is a chronograph that disappears under a shirt cuff in a way very few can manage — and the Gay Frères ladder bracelet, with its open central links, is the correct period companion for it rather than a generic signed strap.
- Reference
- 03A384400/385M385
- Brand
- Zenith
- Collection
- Chronomaster
- Case size
- 37mm
- Case thickness
- 13mm
- Lug width
- 19mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Tonneau
- Dial
- Brown
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed tachymeter
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- El Primero 400
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date, Small seconds, Tachymeter
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Condition
- Ex-display
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 47mm
- Power reserve
- 50 hours
Learn more about Zenith
Georges Favre-Jacot founded Zenith in Le Locle in 1865, aged twenty-two, with an idea that was radical for the Swiss industry: bring every trade needed to make a watch — movement, case, dial, hands — under one roof and one management. The integrated manufacture was largely his invention, and the Le Locle site he built is still in use.
The approach produced results at observatory trials, where Zenith accumulated more precision awards than any other manufacture. The name itself came from a calibre Favre-Jacot considered the summit of his work.
Its defining achievement is the El Primero of 1969, developed over seven years and announced in the same year as the Heuer-Breitling consortium's Calibre 11 and Seiko's 6139. It was an integrated automatic chronograph beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, allowing measurement to a tenth of a second — a frequency almost nothing else matched for decades.
It nearly did not survive. When American owners ordered the mechanical tooling scrapped during the quartz crisis, a watchmaker named Charles Vermot hid the plans, presses, and cams in a walled-off attic. When demand for mechanical chronographs returned, Zenith could restart production because of him. Rolex used the El Primero in the Daytona from 1988 to 2000.
LVMH acquired Zenith in 1999.
- 1865
- Georges Favre-Jacot founds the integrated manufacture at Le Locle.
- 1969
- The El Primero automatic chronograph debuts at 36,000 vph.
- 1975
- Charles Vermot hides the El Primero tooling from destruction.
- 1988
- Rolex adopts the El Primero for the Daytona.
- 1999
- Acquired by LVMH.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Zenith Chronomaster range (19), Back in Stock (4,847), Stainless Steel Watches (3,197), Automatic Watches (1,736), Chronograph Watches (1,234), Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (344) and Tonneau & Cushion Watches (134).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 37mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 El alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 03A384400/385M385 | 116200 | 278559-3025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £7,110 | £7,155 | £7,990 |
| Case size | 37mm | 36mm | 36mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 100m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 50 hours | 48 hours | 42 hours |
| This watch |
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Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 50 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
19mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 47mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 37mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £7,110, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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