Developed in partnership with one of Zenith’s trusted dial suppliers at the time, the dial immediately stood out with its boldly alternating colours that recall a poker chip, earning it the nickname. The G383 was introduced in 1969 and is among the rarest and most sought-after iterations of the early El Primero variants.Ĭlearly a design with roots in the psychedelic era of the late 1960s, and reminiscent of the A386 and its tri-coloured dial, the G383 was characterised by a wildly sectored layout, making it one of the most extravagant designs of the decade. Affectionately nicknamed “Poker Chip” by collectors, the G383 is considered one of the most intriguing models in Zenith’s archives. Singapore, November 15, 2021: Zenith and SJX Watches present a sleek reinterpretation of one of the brand’s most desirable vintage watches with the Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip”, inspired by the El Primero G383. It’s refreshing to strap on a 37 mm chronograph and still feel massive wrist presence, which is accomplished here by the depth of the faded blue dial and the exceptionally bright polishing of the stainless-steel case.Products - NovemZenith Chronomaster Revival “Poker Chip” ![]() However, that might have tipped the colorway a little too far toward the Stars-n-Stripes.Īnyone who has put on one of these chronographs knows how comfortable they are-they regularly trounce Speedmasters and even Daytonas for wearability on smaller and larger wrists alike. A fellow collector commented that he’d have preferred that the hands on the totalizing subdials at 3- and 6-o’clock matched the red and white chrono hand, as this is a common way to group the stop-watch information. The red and white stripes of the chrono seconds hand are certainly a nod to the flag of the USA, but with only the date wheel text and the strap stitches in red, there’s just enough of a tie in to make the design hold together without clobbering us with patriotism. The effect is fumé-esque and quite striking. Zenith’s blue dials were traditionally not given any vignetting effect, but on the Liberty Revival we have a rather striking fade to darker blue at the edges of the dial. ![]() The greatest difference, of course, is the colorway. ![]() The Liberty Revival watch also uses a sapphire box crystal on the front, which most collectors of vintage-inspired recreations accept as a great alternative to an acrylic crystal, because you get all the fun distortions and vintage vibes with greater clarity and durability. It wasn’t until the 1990s, for example, that Zenith included a sapphire caseback on the El Primero (a common nod to the massive uptick in mechanical watch fanaticism of that decade). 400’s 50-hour power reserve and 5 atm of water resistance aren’t anything to write home about, though these aren’t uncommon specs for vintage-inspired chronographs (including the water-fearing Speedmaster and the Rolex Daytona with its modest 10 atm of water resistance).īeyond the case and movement, the Chronomaster Revival Liberty begins to deviate from vintage specs. The Caliber 400 El Primero movement is, of course, a modern machine, but the 400 remains faithful in being an in-house automatic mechanical chronograph that is more an evolution of-rather than a replacement for-the original 3019 PHC integrated auto-winding chronograph of 1969. The white subdials here give the Liberty a distinctly vintage layout that you won’t see on many modern El Primeros, and sometimes we hear this colorway called a “blue panda.” ![]() The dial here has many deviations from the original blue-dial El Primeros, but the fact that the sub-dials do not overlap on the Liberty Revival (as they do on so many later El Primeros) is a direct reference to the A384 of 1969.
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