Embracing the originality above all else, these are the small details that make us love an honest watch. At 9 o’clock, there is a small 2mm dent from a previous owner many years back. The case remains unpolished showing its original finishing and bevels. The lug width is 19mm and the height is 12.5mm including the crystal. The watch is 38mm wide (with a lug-to-lug length of 45.5mm) and comes on the Gay Frères steel ladder bracelet.

Competing with the tri-colored subdials, the attributes of this watch are really a beautiful testament to the sports watches of yesteryear. The model’s hands and hour markers feature a pale yellow tritium that immediately catches the attention of the wearer.

Powered by the automatic high-beat calibre 3019, the highly emphasized red chronograph hand glides over the dial in the smoothest manner. A386 is one of the most horologically significant chronographs to have come from the Watches brand and one of the most important chronographs of all time.Introduced in 1969, the Zenith El Primero Reference A386 sits amongst the most celebrated chronographs in watchmaking.

It’s no overstatement to say that the Zenith El Primero ref. Additionally, the legendary Zenith caliber 3019 PHC movement would go on to become the base movement for many other important automatic chronographs - including the incredible sought-after Rolex “Zenith” Daytona. Powered by the ingenious Calibre 3019 PHC, the A386 was born an immediate classic with its instantly recognizable tri-color overlapping subdials, eye-catching red sweep second hand, and its original and distinctive “ladder style” bracelet. Both aesthetically and mechanically speaking, it was a wholly unique chrono! On January 10th, 1969, Zenith introduced the world’s first automatic chronograph caliber, the 3019 PHC El Primero, beating Seiko and the Chronomatic group (a joint venture between Breitling, Heuer, Hamilton, and Büren) in the competition to produce the world’s first automatic chronograph.

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