Zenith

The El Primero automatic chronograph is one of a series of unique movements from Zenith. It became famous thanks to the high-frequency caliber named after it. Precise measuring instruments are just as much a part of the brand's identity as elegant wristwatches and exclusive vintage models. Georges Favre-Jacot, the founder of the Zenith brand, initially manufactured chronometers and precision pocket watches as well as wristwatches for aviation and the navy. With great creative energy, he developed a completely new type of watch production and built advanced factory buildings in the small Swiss town of Le Locle, which made the town famous far beyond its borders.  

Soon after its founding in Le Locle by visionary watchmaker Georges Favre-Jacot, Zenith gained recognition for the precision of its chronometers, winning 2,333 chronometer prizes in just over a century and a half—an absolute record. Famous for its legendary El Primero caliber from 1969, which enables short-time measurements accurate to a tenth of a second, the manufacturer has since developed over 600 movement variants.  

The El Primero model owes its continued existence to an exceptionally dedicated individual. Charles Vermot, a watchmaker at Zenith, was already working on the first El Primero in the late 1960s. He acted against his instructions when he hid the technical plans and tools for the movement in the attic of the manufacturer in 1975. The unique mechanics of the El Primero were no longer allowed to be used in favor of quartz movements. However, it is thanks to Charles Vermot's foresight and defiance that the Maison still produces automatic high-frequency chronograph movements to this day. 

Today, Zenith offers new and fascinating possibilities for timekeeping, including hundredth-of-a-second timekeeping with the Defy El Primero 21 and a completely new dimension of mechanical precision with the most accurate watch in the world, the Defy Lab of the 21st century. Strengthened by its newly forged ties with a proud tradition of dynamic and avant-garde thinking, Zenith is writing its future and the future of Swiss watchmaking.