Zenith El Primero A384 – tropical panda – 1971 Gay Freres Ladder

This watch will always have a special place in our hearts.

When we bought this 1971 Zenith A384 ElPrimero in May 2022, we flew over to Milan for picking up this piece in person. It was a great pleasure to meet the seller and some other watch enthusiasts. The watch was in original condition (no service parts etc) and in the hands of its seller for more than 3 decades.
The panda dial developed a beautiful brown tropical patina.

We had the watch serviced at Zenith’s headquarters in June 2022, without replacing any critical parts (dial, hour, minute and second hands, crown, bracelet etc) and waived a polishing.

This watch was part of our private collection for the last two years and it’s still a joy looking at the tropical patina and all the beautiful details.
With its 37mm case diameter, it’s a gorgeous looking piece on the wrist. Super cool watch, for sure!

The A384 probably marks the most important point in Zenith’s history, making this watch a legendary and very collectible piece. 

Original and full length (21cm) Gay Freres ladder bracelet with original “ZKM” end-links. The “big wheel crown” is still the original one from 1971 and has never been replaced by a service part. These original crowns sell for about 1000 EUR on second hand market places.