Buying my first Zenith, A384 LE vs A3817?

[IS2000]

I’m thinking about picking up my first Zenith watch and have narrowed it down to two vintage looking Chronomaster Revival references. The first one is a NOS A384 Lupin III 200 pieces LE (2nd edition). The other piece that I’m looking at is the A3817 boutique edition watch. The LE watch is around 20% cheaper but I’d need to buy it on Chrono24 and pick up in Hong Kong in person. Both would end up costing roughly the same at the end. So do you guys think that it’s worth traveling to get the LE piece or just getting a regular production piece from my local boutique? I like both of them equally but I’m also having a thought that a LE watch might be more collectible in the long term.

[charger_vital]

I dunno about collectibility between the two. But traveling to get a watch sounds more fun.


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[corky]

Travelling to get it might establish a connection to the piece.

[rolexpatek363]

I confess I'd never heard of the Lupin III, but it's certainly a striking look! That very bold half-black, half-white dial might limit resale. The A3817 looks like a replica of the first EP and is probably a safer bet if you need to move it on.

FWIW, I have a Ref. 03.2150.400/69.C713, the so-called El Primero Original 1969, which I bought new in 2016, and just this week I finally tracked down a black dial Ref. 01.0500.400 after a five-year search for the right one. Most of these have the silver dial...

They are great watches, and make a nice alternative to the Daytona at a fraction of the price.

Lupin review:
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ze...-final-edition

[IS2000]

That’s a very striking watch. Those watches still carried some premium over stickers though. The one I’m looking specifically is the Lupin III 2nd edition which has a clean panda design. These are selling around retail price.

https://monochrome-watches.com/zenit...ands-on-price/

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

I confess I'd never heard of the Lupin III, but it's certainly a striking look! That very bold half-black, half-white dial might limit resale. The A3817 looks like a replica of the first EP and is probably a safer bet if you need to move it on.

FWIW, I have a Ref. 03.2150.400/69.C713, the so-called El Primero Original 1969, which I bought new in 2016, and just this week I finally tracked down a black dial Ref. 01.0500.400 after a five-year search for the right one. Most of these have the silver dial...

They are great watches, and make a nice alternative to the Daytona at a fraction of the price.

Lupin review:
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ze...-final-edition

[rolexpatek363]

Ah, apologies, wrong watch.

Both your choices look very nice to me, so I guess as always it boils down to which one you prefer.

[rolexpatek363]

Here's my most recent acquisition:



..and the 1969

[IS2000]

Beautiful pieces!
I have finally decided to go with the A384 LE and will be traveling to get the watch next week.

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

Here's my most recent acquisition:



..and the 1969