Zenith El Primero Owner Review : Unique, astonishing and iconic

The quest for the Grail! It was at the beginning of 2022 that I had my first real experience with the Zenith brand. After watching a video of an owner of a Zenith Defy with a TV Dial, my curiosity was piqued, and I wanted to know more about this manufacturer that was then rather unknown to me. I quickly came across a video presenting the Zenith Revival Shadow, and it was an immediate favorite. Its curves and case fascinated me from the first glance. So I went to the Zenith website to explore the brand and model further. And there, amazement! I discovered the A3818 and A3817 models, a real love at first sight. However, I browsed many sites presenting vintage watches, but I had never seen anything like it. Of course, I am far from claiming to know everything. Despite access to many photos and videos of watches, as well as abundant documentation, one can have the feeling of having "seen it all". However, the discovery of this A3817 shakes all my convictions. An impressive number of details that I had never noticed elsewhere: the "shark" type railway, the overlapping sub-counters, the red syringe-type hand, the sub-counters displaying different colors, the perfectly proportioned tonneau case, the ladder bracelet, the date window between 4 and 5 p.m. It is a real enchantment at the first discovery of this watch. It obsessed me for more than a year and a half. The planets aligned at the end of 2023, and I seized the opportunity.