The Zenith x Revolution Chronomaster Revival A3818 Cover Girl Carbon

Back in 2020, watch magazine Revolution introduced its first limited edition Zenith Chronomaster Revival, a watch with a bold dial layout inspired by a 1971 version of the legendary El Primero nicknamed the A3818 “Cover Girl”. This first edition was made in steel and was followed in 2022 by the Chronomaster Revival A3818 “Airweight Cover Girl” in titanium. Now, in order to top off the trilogy, both parties have decided to go even lighter, even bolder, with a version made of high-modulus carbon fibre, tipping the scales at just 55 grams. And it even includes a quite crazy-looking Gay Frères-inspired ladder-style carbon fibre bracelet…

While the El Primero movement appeared in three models – A384, A385 and A386 – other important early adopters of the legendary calibres came on the market, including the rare reference A3818, one of the rarest El Primero references, with about 1,000 examples produced. This specific watch, known for its blue dial with a “shark tooth” chronograph scale, earned the nickname “Cover Girl” after appearing on the front of Manfred Rössler’s book Zenith: Swiss Watch Manufacture Since 1865. In 2020, watch magazine Revolution introduced a faithful re-edition of this watch in stainless steel, based on the A384 and A385 architecture. It was followed by the titanium A3818 “Airweight Cover Girl” in 2022, and today, our Asian colleagues are closing the books with the third member of the trilogy, a bold, modern and feather-light interpretation that could be compared to a restomod in the automotive world.

While the base specs have not changed compared to the two previous A3818 Cover Girls, of that matter, any of the Chronomaster Revival A384 or A385s, there are notable and very obvious upgrades on the side of the materials. Introducing modern carbon fibre in a historically shaped watch… The A3818 Cover Girl Carbon, as its name suggests, employs this modern, durable and lightweight material to a deep extent. Not only are we looking at a carbon case, but more elements of the watch have been made using this material. In fact, we’re talking about high-modulus forged carbon fibre.

The case, the pushers and the crown are crafted using this featherweight material with random patterns. All of the carbon parts are first forged into solid blocks by a supplier from the aerospace industry and then CNC-machined at Zenith’s manufacture. This specific version of carbon fibre is stronger, lighter, and more shock- and fatigue-resistant than most materials used in the case. Shaped into a vintage A384 and A3818-style watch, the result is a watch (head + strap) that is 55 grams only – which makes it one of the lightest automatic chronographs on the market (the current lightest automatic chronograph, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic, is 49.5 grams) and the lightest automatic chronograph ever made by Zenith. A domed sapphire crystal tops the Chronomaster Revival A3818 Cover Girl Carbon, and the caseback and central container are made from PVD-coated titanium.

The use of carbon extends to the dial, which is also made in high-modulus forged carbon fibre. Yet, classic retro design has been kept alive with the striking shark tooth racing track, a double pulsometer and tachymeter scale at the periphery and two-toned sub-dials. All elements are generously coated in SLN, including the chronograph scales.  The dial retains the classic A3818 handset and date window at 4:30. Inside the case, there are no surprises either, as this watch relies on the emblematic calibre 400 version of the El Primero, with its 5Hz frequency and capability to measure elapsed times to the 1/10th of a second. The movement is visible through the sapphire back.

Let’s now talk about the strap and bracelet options. The first option, which will be the standard way to secure the watch to the wrist, is a Velcro strap that’s also partially made from textured carbon fibre with carbon fibre hardware. This will come standard on 150 pieces, but then 10 other very special pieces will also be offered with something genuinely cool: a forged carbon fibre ladder-style bracelet – the Gay Frères with cutting-edge material – adding only 4 grams to the total balance compared to the strap. Revo and Zenith are aware of the huge jump in price for the bracelet version, which reflects the reality of the cost of making low-volume bracelets.

The Zenith x Revolution Chronomaster Revival A3818 Cover Girl Carbon will produced in 150 pieces on a strap (EUR 12,870 or USD 12,320) and only 10 pieces on a carbon bracelet (EUR 28,400 or USD 27,210). Also, Zenith and Revolution’s founder Wei Koh will be donating 5% of proceeds from this release to the Los Angeles Fire Department – the launch event was planned to take place in Los Angeles, which has, of course, been cancelled due to the wildfire situation in the area.

For more details, please visit RevolutionWatch.com and Zenith-Watches.com.