![]() With rumours abound in late 1968 that the Chronomatic Group were to announce their movement just prior to the Basel Fair, Zenith opted to make an earlier announcement to local media, and did so on January 10 th 1969, announcing and showcasing working prototypes of their El Primero automatic chronograph, where El Primero means The First. The race to develop the first automatic chronograph had been underway for many years before 1969, with Zenith targeting an announcement of their movement at the 1969 Basel Fair in April. There are three contenders vying for this accolade: the Chronomatic Group (championed by Heuer and Breitling) with calibres 11 and 12, Zenith with the El Primero, and Seiko with the 6139 automatic chronograph. Ultimately, the ‘right’ answer will depend on what your definition of “first” might be. Making an assertion as to which movement was “the first automatic chronograph” can, in some quarters, provoke a lively and impassioned debate. It took a while to get hold of one to check out in person, suffice it to say it was worth the wait! Zenith El Primero Revival Shadow During 2020, they also announced a further A384 Revival piece – the Shadow. ![]() The legendary Zenith El Primero movement first appeared in 1969, and to mark the 50 th anniversary of this in 2019 Zenith released a special edition ‘A384 Revival’ with an angular tonneau case shape inspired by the reference A384 from 1969. ![]()
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