It gives us great pleasure to introduce: Zenith x Revolution Chronomaster Revival A3818 ‘Cover Girl Carbon’. This release tops off the trilogy of collaborative releases based on the Zenith A3818, following the original ‘Cover Girl‘ release from 2020 and ‘Airweight Cover Girl‘ in 2022.

This featherweight revelation has been achieved through the audacious use of carbon fiber — in its case, crown, pushers, dial, and even an ultra-limited Gay Frères-inspired ladder-style bracelet. Revolution founder Wei Koh shares his thoughts on our latest limited edition collaboration below.

Of all the materials the Gods of High Performance have bestowed upon mankind, none has been more irrevocably era-defining or more tectonically game-changing than the introduction of carbon fiber to performance sports and auto-racing. Because there is no substance on this planet that boasts a higher strength-to-weight ratio, stiffness-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance than carbon fiber. None. Zero. Nada. Furthermore, carbon exhibits almost zero environmental degradation, possesses extraordinary dampening abilities and has a theoretically infinite fatigue life. It is, simply speaking, the Nietzschean Superman of performance materials.

To top it off, carbon fiber parts from BST motorcycle wheels to Lingenfelter intake manifolds to Pinarello bicycle frames to Vorsteiner air splitters just look so damnably cool! Carbon fiber screams purpose, speed, agility and stiffness like a modern-day winged helmet of victory snatched off a Greek demigod’s head. When wielded with sculptural dexterity by the likes of Gordon Murray, creator of the McLaren F1, Horacio Pagani, or Alois Ruf Sr. of RUF Automobile, carbon is capable of expressing a machine art beauty that eclipses even the seminal works of the Italian Futurists, such as Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space. It is for all of these reasons that we were inspired to create the third and final chapter in our trilogy of the Zenith “Cover Girl” chronograph in forged carbon fiber.

“No substance on this planet boasts a higher strength-to-weight ratio, stiffness-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance than carbon fiber.”

“Carbon fibre is…32 percent lighter than titanium or aluminum, with infinite fatigue life and with shock dampening that is 10 to 15 times better.”

We made this watch in high-modulus forged carbon fiber, and by that we mean the case, the pushers, the crown and even the dial are made of this featherweight material. Says Zenith’s dynamic Chief Product Officer, Romain Marietta, “All of the carbon parts are first forged into solid blocks by our supplier that comes from the aerospace industry and then painstakingly CNC-machined at our manufacture. The idea of using high-modulus carbon for almost every part was both aesthetic and functional.

From a performance perspective, there is no material that is stronger, lighter and more shock and fatigue resistant. The objective was to create the very lightest and most shock resistant A384- and A3818-style watch we’ve ever made. The end result is a watch that is 55 grams (on a carbon fiber Velcro strap), which literally feels like you’re wearing nothing.”

Creating the world’s lightest production automatic chronograph was never our sole objective. Instead, we pursued a holistic goal—balancing lightweight construction, ergonomics, style, comfort, resistance, and performance.

Zenith had already explored ultra-light watches in 2013 with the 45mm, 74-gram “Lightweight,” then the world’s lightest automatic chronograph. It featured a ceramized aluminum case topped with carbon fiber, a carbon bezel and caseback, and titanium pushers and crown. Even the movement’s bridges and plates were crafted from titanium. Priced at $22,000, its watch head weighed just 42.68 grams, with a total weight of 74 grams including the strap.

Since then, we’ve seen other lightweight chronographs emerge—F.P. Journe’s Centigraphe Sport in aluminum (2011-2014) at 55 grams, and Richard Mille’s 2017 RM 50-03, an ultralight split-second chronograph weighing an astonishing 40 grams, strap included.

While the Cover Girl Carbon delivers the same ultra-light sensation as the Centigraphe or RM 50-03, it offers key advantages: it’s an automatic rather than manual-wind and costs $167,000 less than the Journe, and approximately $1 million less than the Richard Mille. Remarkably, it’s even $10,000 cheaper than the Zenith Lightweight launched over a decade ago—making it, in our view, a true value proposition.

If you genuinely want to get technical, the new Cover Girl Carbon or “CGC” on its full carbon fiber Gay Frères-style “ladder” bracelet weighs just 4 grams more at 59 grams. In comparison, the steel model Cover Girl Revival we made in 2020 was 110.6 grams, and the grade 5 titanium model named the Cover Girl Airweight introduced in 2022 was 78.2 grams. Says Marietta, “The Cover Girl Carbon is by far the lightest watch we’ve made and it’s seriously effortless to wear. So much so that I forgot I had it on all fall and winter when I was running and hiking.”

“When wielded with sculptural dexterity…carbon fibre is capable of expressing a machine art beauty that eclipses even the seminal works of the Italian Futurists.”

And I can only agree with Marietta. I beta-tested the watch in Los Angeles last December and wore it hiking through Runyon, Franklin Canyon and Will Rogers State Park. I wore it at SoulCycle and even at an insane 1.5-hour bootcamp class presided over by Pauly “The Shogun” Solo, the most charismatic sadist I’ve met in recent memory. In every instance, I forgot I had it on.

Marietta adds, “Because we expect people to wear it during sports, we optimized every surface including the crown, pushers and caseback to be smooth.” On the subject of the caseback, it is the one part, along with a thin movement container, that is made of PVD-treated grade 5 titanium to ensure the watch’s 50 meters of water resistance that’s key for most sporting activities.

Throughout all the abuse we heaped on it, the Cover Girl Carbon performed flawlessly. I was also extremely impressed by the surface hardness of the high-modulus carbon fiber case, which proved to be remarkably scratch and ding resistant even with this extreme use. Says Marietta, “The reason the bicycle industry has adopted carbon fiber is because it allows for the creation of frames that are 32 percent lighter than titanium or aluminum, with infinite fatigue life and with shock dampening that is 10 to 15 times better. As such, a carbon case, as a vessel to protect a watch’s balance wheel from the constant micro-shocks it experiences, is extremely optimal.”

Fusing Function and Beauty

It’s a completely game-changing experience wearing a superlight, beautifully crafted mechanical sports watch. From a pure experiential perspective, strapping the CGC on gives you a similar sensation as wearing other ultra-lightweight timepieces that come at a vastly different price point. You genuinely forget you have it on until you look down on your wrist. Weighing a mere 55 gram on the carbon fiber Velcro strap, you genuinely forget you have it on until you look down on your wrist. It’s a featherweight vessel for the single most storied and iconic automatic chronograph caliber in all of Swiss watchmaking — the legendary Zenith El Primero.

Created in 1969, the Zenith El Primero was the very first Swiss integrated automatic sports watch movement offered to the public. It features a column wheel for its laterally coupled clutch and, even in the context of today, is groundbreaking for its superfast 5 Hz vibrational speed that allows the reading of 1/10th of a second. The movement is, of course, the stuff of legends powering every Rolex Daytona from 1988 to 2000 and even the stunning Urban Jürgensen Reference 1 watches created by Peter Baumberger and Derek Pratt that were made in 186 examples between 1982 and 1986. However, more than its light weight, more than its shock dissipation advantages, and more than the legacy of its incredible movement, the Cover Girl Carbon has turned out to have another major attribute; its aesthetics are just incredibly cool.

Says Drew Coblitz, car and watch collector as well as Revolution’s automotive editor-at-large, “When you told me about the Cover Girl Carbon, I was really intrigued. As a car collector and someone that drives on the track, I’ve always loved carbon fiber for its ability to enhance agility, speed, control and even safety. But what really got me about the watch was the great retro-modern design. It’s got this amazing push-pull effect between the two eras of the ’70s and the modern day. Here you have a watch that’s a smaller vintage size at 37mm, but that is totally transformed by focusing on the beauty of the performance material itself. The case, the dial, the pushers, the crown, they are all bare carbon and the way the material is laid-up creates these fantastic nuances between gray, white and black fibers.”

“It’s been explained to me that because each part is machined from a block of high-modulus carbon, every watch is unique. Now add to this the vintage design with elements such as that spectacular ‘shark tooth’ racing track, the unique combination of the tachymeter and pulsometer, those supercool two-toned subdials. The watch really reminds me of my Singer Porsche, which features the old-school, air-cooled Porsche design but is updated with the highest performance materials, in particular carbon fiber. To me, like my Singer, this new Cover Girl Carbon is kind of the best of both worlds — incredible elegant OG design combined with totally modern performance.”

“The watch really reminds me of my Singer Porsche, which features the old-school, air-cooled Porsche design but is updated with the highest performance materials, in particular carbon fiber.”

Coblitz continues, “Anyone that really loves the history of performance cars is going to have a love affair with carbon fiber, especially in the pioneering era of F1 with McLaren’s MP4/1 and later Williams’ FW18B. I associate carbon with cars like the Ferrari F50 and, of course, the legendary McLaren F1. To see the material used in such a great way in this watch is very satisfying.”

Evolving the Cover Girl

OK, now that you have reached this point of the story, you might be asking, “What exactly is the Zenith Cover Girl?” Well, as I said, in 1969, Zenith presented the El Primero movement — the Swiss industry’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement vibrating at a blistering 5 Hz. The movement was housed in two different style cases: a round model designated the A386, and a pair of barrel- or tonneau-shaped models dubbed the A384 and A385. In 1971, Zenith debuted an execution of the A385 that was destined to become a legend.

That watch, named the A3818, featured the barrel case and an integrated, ladder-style bracelet created for Zenith by the most famous bracelet maker of the era, Gay Frères. It was also characterized by a vibrant Superman Blue dial featuring vertical brushing, a “shark tooth” racing track that ran around the perimeter, and a supercool pulsometer and tachymeter. The scale worked such that you could read your pulse in 15 beats, and thereafter it was transformed into a tachymeter. The chronograph seconds hand was stoplight red and featured a small luminous paddle on it.

The overall effect was to create one of the most unique and stylish sports chronographs of all time. Over the last half century, the Cover Girl has become the single most coveted vintage Zenith chronograph and examples of this watch now trade at just under 30,000 U.S. dollars. It derives its name “Cover Girl” from its appearance on the cover of Manfred Rossler’s book on Zenith.

“The (El Primero) movement is, of course, the stuff of legends powering every Rolex Daytona from 1988 to 2000.”

All this, of course, begs the question of why we decided to go with a bare matte black carbon dial for the last edition of our trilogy. To be honest with you, we tested versions of a blue carbon fiber dial. But, in the end, standing around a table at Zenith’s Le Locle manufacture, everyone on the development team picked the all-raw carbon version of the watch, simply because it showcased the beauty of the material is such a great way.

The Zenith × Revolution Cover Girl Carbon or “CGC” will be made in 150 examples with a carbon fiber Velcro, textured leather strap and will be priced at USD $12,320. A further 10 examples fitted with forged carbon fiber ladder-style bracelets will also be made and these will be priced at USD $27,210. We acknowledge there’s a huge jump in price for the bracelet version and want to express that the cost of manufacturing it dictated the final price.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Julien Tornare, Benoit de Clerck and Romain Marietta for this collaboration spanning over five years and three amazing watches! To be able to revive the legendary A3818 “Cover Girl” and evolve it toward lightweight performance has been a dream come true for us.

A Note from Wei Koh

As we prepared to unveil our latest collaboration with Zenith, our sights were originally set on a launch event in Los Angeles, within the iconic Mel’s Drive-In location on Sunset Boulevard. The city was an ideal choice — not only as a nod to the car-centric inspiration behind the campaign but also because Los Angeles holds a special place in my heart. LA has been a backdrop to countless memories for me, including my wedding at the historic Beverly Hills Hotel in December.

However, the unfolding wildfire situation in the area has made it clear that proceeding with our plans there would not only be challenging but also inappropriate under the circumstances. The tragedy of these wildfires goes beyond the immediate devastation to the land; it touches the lives of countless individuals and communities who are forced to rebuild from the ashes.

In light of this, we made the difficult decision to relocate our launch event. While the change of venue represents a logistical shift, our hearts remain firmly with Los Angeles and those impacted by this crisis. In recognition of the city’s significance to us and to support its recovery efforts, Revolution and Zenith will be donating 5% of proceeds from this release to the Los Angeles Fire Department. These funds will aid in their crucial work, helping the city face this challenge and rebuild stronger. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.

Zenith x Revolution Chronomaster Revival A3818 “Cover Girl Carbon”

Movement: Self-winding El Primero caliber 400; 50-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case: 37mm; high-modulus carbon fiber; water resistant to 50m
Dial: Matte black carbon fiber with “shark tooth” chronograph scale; applied Super-LumiNova applied on each hand, indices, and chronograph scale markings
Strap: Carbon fiber Velcro or Gay Frères-inspired ladder-style carbon fiber bracelet, additional black leather strap supplied
Price: USD $12,320 / SGD 17, 950 (Velcro strap), USD $27,210 / SGD 39,685
Availability: Limited edition of 150 pieces with carbon fiber Velcro strap; 10 pieces with ladder-style carbon fiber bracelet