For many years, the words El Primero held little meaning outside of serious vintage watch enthusiast and collectors groups. But that all changed a few years ago when Zenith began reissuing many of its famed designs from the 1960s and 1970s.

The El Primero was the culmination of a years-long research and development process undertaken by Zenith to develop the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. While other brands had sought to achieve the same feat — including Heuer (in concert with Breitling and Hamilton) and Seiko — Zenith intended to make the El Primero something entirely unique. Instead of taking an automatic module and merely sandwiching it onto the chronograph, Zenith fully integrated the two; moreover, the movement is a high-beat calubre offering significant added accuracy.

Zenith announced the El Primero on January 10, 1969, at a press conference. This was four years later than Zenith had intended: the brand had begun developing the calibre in 1963, hoping to bring it out for Zenith’s centennial in 1965. Nevertheless, on that winter day in 1969, Zenith proudly displayed a working model of its chronograph.

The A386 was the first model to be fitted with the El Primero movement, and therefore commands a hefty premium among collectors for its horological import. A few years ago, Zenith partnered with HODINKEE on a special, limited-edition timepiece that takes the A386 platform and pairs it to a stunning, contemporary dial that never existed in the vintage Zenith catalog.

Dating to 2022, the Zenith Chronomaster Original Limited Edition for HODINKEE is housed in a 38mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, dual barrel pushers, and a polished bezel. It features a luminous, matte salmon-colored opaline dial with an inner 1/10th-second tachymeter scale, applied indices, a luminous white and black ‘baton’ handset, a triple-register chronograph layout in white, light grey, and dark grey, and a subtle date window at 4:30. 

Powering this gorgeous watch is the El Primero Calibre 3600, a hi-beat, automatic movement with a notable — and rare — 1/10th-seconds complication. Paired to a stainless steel multi-link bracelet with a signed, locking clasp and featuring a sapphire exhibition caseback, it comes with its factory goodies.

The El Primero — in all its guises — is a historically important, beautiful series of watches and movements. This particular, limited-edition iteration, however, is truly a work of art. Don’t sleep on it!