Overview
In February of 2020, Zenith partnered with Revolution Magazine to re-release one of the most coveted El Primeros ever made—the A3818. Nicknamed the “Cover Girl” by collectors thanks to its feature on the cover of Manfred Rössler’s book Zenith, the A3818 is a visual spectacle unlike any Zenith before it. The original watch was introduced in 1971 and produced in very limited quantities. While it shared the same tonneau case as the A384, the A3818 came equipped with a brilliant blue dial that contained several new features including a vertically brushed finish, gray accents, a shark’s tooth seconds track capable of measuring the movement’s 5Hz pulse, and an extensive use of lume across the tachymeter, seconds track, and text. The result is one of the most visually complex and distinctive El Primeros ever made.
Zenith and Revolution took great care to honor these details and incorporate them faithfully within their revival, the only differences being the usage of Super-LumiNova instead of tritium, a sapphire crystal instead of acrylic, and an exhibition case back. In addition, they seemed to take a cue from the original release in 1971 by limiting the production to only 100 pieces, thus preserving the rarity of the reference while offering an opportunity for collectors to own a modern rendition.
Specifications
Brand:
Zenith
Model:
Zenith x Revolution A3818 ‘Cover Girl’ Revival
Reference:
03.A3818.400/51.M3818
Year:
2020
Case Number:
543 593
Case Material:
Stainless steel
Diameter:
37 mm
Lug Width:
19 mm
Thickness:
12.9 mm
Lug-to-Lug:
46.9 mm
Dial:
Blue
Lume:
Super-LumiNova
Crystal:
Sapphire
Movement:
Automatic
Caliber:
El Primero 400
Bracelet/Strap:
Zenith stainless steel ladder bracelet
Max Wrist Size:
8in (13 links)
Hand model has a wrist size of 6.2 in
Condition
Case: The case is practically new with only a couple micro hairlines to the polished surfaces visible on close inspection. The brushed case top and case sides are perfectly preserved with no visible marks. The caseback condition is consistent with the rest of the watch with very few micro hairlines to note. The engravings remain sharp and detailed.
Dial, Hands, & Crystal: The blue dial and polished steel hands are in flawless condition. The Super-LumiNova plots across the indices, hands, tachymeter, seconds track, and text are fully functioning. The sapphire crystal is clean and scratch-free.
Bracelet/Strap: The Zenith stainless steel ‘ladder” style bracelet is in fantastic condition with no stretching. There are no signs of use outside of one shallow mark on the center link connected to the end link at 6 o’clock. The clasp retains its original protective stickers.
Performance
Functions: All functions including the crown-winding, time-setting, date changing, and chronograph start/stop/reset are working as expected.
Service History: None.
