Marking the second time Swiss watch manufacturer Zenith has collaborated with Revolution & The Rake, the Chronomaster Revival A3818 “The Airweight Cover Girl” resurrects a classic, bringing back the covetable El Primero ref. A3818. Introduced in 1971 for a brief time in highly limited quantities, the El Primero A3818 earned its “Cover Girl’ sobriquet after featuring on the cover of Manfred Rossler’s book Zenith – Swiss Watchmaking Since 1865.
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With the Swiss watch manufacturer not one to shy away from self-referential revivals, the Zenith x The Rake Chronomaster Revival A3818 “The Airweight Cover Girl” remains faithful to its predecessor in appearance. However, it’s provided with a contemporary twist when it comes to material choice, crafted entirely from titanium, providing the watch with a featherweight feel.
Differentiating itself from both the original and collaborative 2020 revival, the Chronomaster Revival A3818 “The Airweight Cover Girl” utilises a combination of brushed and mirror-polished surfaces, creating a delicate interplay with the light. For the first time, the iconic Zenith ladder bracelet originally designed by the famed Gay Frères company in the 1960s takes on a titanium construction, distinguished through the introduction of a polished centre link that provides the watch with a slightly dressier feel.
“At Zenith, our tradition has always been to push boundaries as we did all the way back in 1969 with the introduction of the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement,” said Zenith CEO, Julien Tonare. “We had used titanium for some of our A386 style cases such as our Chronomaster “Shadow” limited edition but, so far, not yet in a bracelet. But we thought this would be the perfect time to try it.”
The dial takes form in Superman blue with a vertically brushed finish, slightly brighter and more vibrant than its predecessors. The shark tooth scale, pulsometric and tachymeter scales, central hour and minutes hand, and subdials remain faithful to the original, however, are treated to a coating of luminous white SuperLumiNova, adding a modern sensibility to the timepiece.
Visible through the sapphire glass caseback is the in-house El Primero 400 calibre. Descended from the original 1969 El Primero automatic high-frequency chronograph movement, the El Primero 400 runs at a frequency of 36,000 VpH and features a 50-hour power reserve. The Zenith x The Rake Chronomaster Revival A3818 “The Airweight Cover Girl” comes on a titanium ladder bracelet and is also available with a blue Cordura-effect rubber strap with white contrast stitching for a more casual appearance.
Limited to 250 pieces, the Zenith x The Rake Chronomaster Revival A3818 “The Airweight Cover Girl” is priced at $14,000 AUD and is available via the Zenith webstore and through Revolution & The Rake.
Words by T. Angel
