The period between LVMH Watch Week and Watches & Wonders is usually pretty quiet on the watch release front, but Zenith teamed up with Revolution to drop a new edition of their ongoing series of “Cover Girl” reissues that is almost certainly the most radical rethinking of the concept yet. We’ve covered both of the previous Zenith x Revolution collaborations that sought to resurface one of the most famous references in Zenith’s vast archive. The first, introduced in 2020, was a fairly straightforward recreation of the vintage reference. The second was a titanium version, and just a little more esoteric. The third, though, is a real departure, crafted from carbon fiber for a dramatically different look and wearing experience.
The headline here is the weight. On a hook and loop strap, the Cover Girl Carbon weighs just 55 grams, significantly lighter than even the titanium version released a few years ago. It’s a little more if you opt for the full carbon fiber bracelet, but more on that in a minute. The case is in the classic A384, tonneau shape, which measures 37mm in diameter and 12.5mm tall. According to Zenith and Revolution, the carbon fiber used here is of the high modulus variety, similar to what’s seen in high end bicycles and sports cars.
The dial is also made from carbon fiber, which creates a coherent and aggressive look for the entire piece. It’s matte black and features the same “shark tooth” outer register that is common to the other Cover Girl reissues, as well as the original. The watch runs on the El Primero caliber 400, an automatic chronograph movement with 50 hours of power reserve. It’s worth pointing out that this is not the next gen version of the El Primero capable of timing events to the tenth of a second.
OK, let’s talk about the bracelet. Only ten examples of the Carbon Cover Girl will be made with what we can only assume is a very difficult to produce “ladder” bracelet in the style of the classic Gay Freres design. Anyone who has worn one of these Zeniths on a ladder bracelet (vintage or modern) knows what a cool, barely there wearing experience it is. One would imagine that in carbon it truly disappears given the light weight of the material. But that experience comes at a cost. While the standard version of the Cover Girl Carbon (which is limited to 150 pieces) comes in at $12,320, on a bracelet it’ll set you back $27,210. That’s one of the steepest premiums for a bracelet we can think of offhand.
While I’m not sure it yet represents a “trend” in the traditional sense, it does appear that carbon fiber is having a moment in the watch world, with a number of high profile releases over the last year or so in the material. Of course, carbon is not new, and there are plenty of nuances that differentiate “forged carbon” from “carbon fiber” and other variants of the material, and there are corresponding massive pricing differences between the high and the low in this niche. A full carbon fiber bracelet, though, is a big swing, particularly in this ladder configuration. The price is aggressive, but one would suspect Revolution and Zenith have lined up serious collectors who would be interested in such a thing.
The new Zenith x Revolution Chronomaster Revival A3818 ‘Cover Girl Carbon’ is available now. More information can be found via Revolution here.
