My First Zenith - "Collector Grade" A386

ChicagoFrog

Well, after three years of searching, I finally acquired one of my true "grail" pieces - an A386. I had always been a fan of the aesthetic, but it really bit when I tried on one in-person and loved how flat the case wore on the wrist. The contrast between the matte dial and the glossy, multi-colored subdials was also more apparent in-person than in pictures. The thing that held me back for the past few years was the general condition of most examples that came up for sale - either the case was always polished or the lume had blackened (this being the most typical issue), so I was forced to continue waiting as prices slowly rose. I'm quite glad that I waited, though.

This example came from Bukowski's auction house, and the moment the catalog was posted, I knew I was willing to out-bid whoever my competition was. This is truly a collector's dream, as the case is as sharp as it was the day it rolled off the production line and the dial is truly perfect. Seeing as how it was in Sweden, my good friend @marturx helped to facilitate logistics and even got to wear the watch for a few days...love how the forum can bring us all together from across the world.

Happy to finally join the A386 Club! Now for the pics...