It performed at a rate of 36,000 oscillations per hour enabling it to measure 1/10th of a second.

The El Primero watch was the first automatic chronograph in the world. Some collections are relatively concise, while others contain a vast variety of watches made from various materials and fitted with movements with a wide assortment of features complications. Today, the brand's current catalog is broken up into the following five collections. Compared to a TAG Heuer Monaco from the same year or a Rolex Daytona from the 60's, vintage El Primero watches are still considered relatively affordable, and come with their own rich history as one of the watches that helped pioneer the entire industry. Zenith was acquired by LVMH in the year 1999 and is still associated with some of the highest quality watches in the entire world.Įarly pre-owned El Primero watches made in 1969 or soon after are often the more collectable timepieces. He won Grand Prix medals for timekeeping precision in Barcelona, Neuchatel, Paris, and Geneva, along with more than 1,595 first-place observatory prizes in chronometry.

Georges Favre-Jacot's creations became more complex and reliable, gaining him numerous achievements. The idea would reduce time and cost, quicken the watchmaking process, and ensure a more efficiently running workshop.

Today, the company logo star can be seen emblazoned onto each watch's dial underneath the iconic 'Zenith' lettering.įavre-Jacot had a vision to bring all the master craftsmen involved in the making of his watches under one roof. The small intricate components of the mechanical engines powering his watches imitated the way in which the stars revolved around the Pole Star - thus the name of the watch company was born - Zenith – the highest point in the universe. It took founder of Zenith, 22 year old Georges Favre-Jacot a while to realise that he had become a pioneer in the art of fine watchmaking. Zenith believes their unique approach to fine luxury watchmaking is leveraged by passing time-honoured manufacturing technique down the family line to forge innovations for the future. Other innovations developed by the manufacturer include their flyback features and double chronographs. The timepiece won the Best Complicated Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2011 and featured the Gravity Control module - a regulating mechanism to optimise the precision of the movement by ensuring the escapement and oscillation system remained in a horizontal position. Other masterpieces developed in-house by Zenith's prestigious team of skilled watchmakers, include the likes of the Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Equation of Time belonging to the Academy Christophe Colomb watch collection. This ground-breaking chronograph measures 1/100th of a second with a performance of 360,000 vibrations per hour as opposed to its ancestor measuring 1/10th of a second. The Zenith El primero 21 features two escapements: one escapement displayed the time – the other the chronograph functions. Zenith later went on to create the second generation of the El Primero in 2017. This performance allowed for a watch with a far more accurate timing than most watches operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, enabling it to measure short times to the nearest tenth of a second. It made history not only because it was the first of its kind, but because it operated at an impressive frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. Zenith watches are most closely affiliated with their iconic El primero movement – the world's first automatic chronograph caliber. Some of their timepieces rank among the most complex and intricately built in the entire world, gaining the company global recognition for their dedicated approach to creating in-house developed masterpieces. Since 1865, Zenith has been creating luxury wristwatches associated with precision and reliability.

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