Zenith El Primero “Cover Girl”

This is a circa 1970 Cover girl in wonderful condition. For purists, its sports the entirely original patina filled dial. For perfectionists, it has been sent back to Zenith SA for a complete overhaul. At only 1000 units produced total, this girl is a catch.

– Sold –

Overview:

Most would agree that the El Primero line is in many ways the “zenith” of Zenith. In our humble opinion, the reference A3818 “Cover Girl” is the zenith of the El Primero line as a whole.
The moniker attributed to A3818 stems from it gracing the cover of Manfred Rossler’s book “Zenith: Swiss Watch Manufacture Since 1865“. This decision made sense for any multitude of reasons. The production of this watch was limited to only 1000 examples. It sports a 37mm tonneau style case with a canted date window that falls right into view on your wrist. The 3019 PCH movement that drives this watch has significance in both directions. It was the first widely produced self-winding chronograph, and it later served as the basis for the Zenith caliber 400 (later evolving into the mostly unchanged caliber 4030 powering the Rolex Daytona from 88-00.) Yet when asked why he chose this watch as the centerpiece of his book, Rossler was quoted as saying “The beautiful blue colour led to this decision. I like blue dials”. Hard to disagree with that.

This Watch:

This particular example was recently sent to Zenith for a full service. A beautiful patina on the dial remains, as does the serial number that so often is polished away on these watches. The case has been lightly polished by Zenith SA yet retains the correct finish you would expect from this watch new. No box or warranty papers are included, but service papers can be provided on request.

Details: