The Swiss manufacture's final anime-inspired edition.

 

In 1967, the first serialized edition of Lupin III, was published by the magazine Weekly Manga Action, which would become one of Japan's legendarily popular cultural exports. The manga series was written and illustrated by the artist Kazuhiko Katō, known by the pen name Monkey Punch.

 

His protagonist Arsène Lupin III is the great-grandson of the artful thief from Maurice Leblanc's novels, Arsène Lupin. It was the new series by the same name launched on Netflix in 2021 which sparked a resurgence of interest in Lupin, not Zenith, although the watch manufacturer beat the streaming service to it.

 

Zenith paid tribute to the Japanese manga series two years before the Netflix series was released starring Omar Sy. In 1971, the manga graphic novels were transferred to the television screen as an anime series, where Lupin III's partner in crime Daisuke Jigen was seen sporting a watch which looked like the high-frequency A384 chronograph with the revolutionary El Primero movement.

 

It was admittedly a custom version with a black dial, lighter gray counters and gilt markings. This color scheme had never been used for an El Primero before. Well, not until 2019, when Zenith launched the A384 Revival ‘Lupin The Third’ Edition. The anime series later featured another El Primero.

 

This animation was also brought to life in 2020, when the Zenith Chronomaster A384 Revival Lupin The Third - 2nd Edition debuted with a panda dial at the company's new Ginza Boutique in Tokyo. Zenith decided to mark the beginning of 2022 by completing the popular trilogy.

 

Only two versions of the chronograph were seen in the anime series but the designers at Zenith have found a brilliant way around this by creating a "Frankenstein" watch for the third edition which incorporates the two dials in one watch. Leaving aside the dial's color composition and the difficulties it presents in terms of dividing the surface in two equal halves, the model remains true to its historical roots.

 

Zenith 50th El Primero Anniversary El Primero A384 Revival Lupin The Third Edition
Zenith 50th El Primero Anniversary El Primero A384 Revival Lupin The Third Edition
Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third Second Edition
Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third Second Edition
Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third - Final Edition
Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third - Final Edition

The Chronomaster Revival A384 Lupin the Third - Final Edition is limited to a series of 250 pieces. The model has a 37 mm titanium barrel-shaped case with proportions that mirror the silhouette of the A384 from 1969. The case is secured on an unusual type of bracelet originally designed by the company Gay Frères known as a ladder bracelet and used on historic models. 

 

The novelty houses the automatic El Primero 400 movement. This high-frequency movement beats at 36,000 vph and has a 50-hour power reserve. The watch's caseback is transparent but the illustrated outline of Daisuke Jigen may draw eyes away from the movement.