Zenith has one of the most important movements in watchmaking history sitting at the center of its catalog and not enough people in the collector community are paying attention to what that means.
The El Primero was one of the first automatic chronograph movements ever made. Zenith developed it in secret during the late 1960s race to produce the first automatic chronograph, finished it in 1969, and then nearly lost it when the quartz crisis hit and management ordered the destruction of all tooling. Jean-Claude Biver, then a young employee, hid the parts and machinery in the attic of the manufacture. The original Rolex Daytona actually used Zenith movements.
That story isn't marketing hype. It is the actual history of one of the most significant calibres in the industry, and it lives in every Chronomaster that Zenith produces today.
The current CEO Julien Tornare has been pushing the brand in two directions simultaneously. The Chronomaster line keeps the El Primero heritage front and center. The Defy line pushes into avant garde territory with the oscillator concept, a silicon component that replaces the traditional balance wheel and hairspring entirely.
Both arguments are serious. The brand making them doesn't always get the credit it deserves.
Do you consider Zenith when you're building your collection?
WRITTEN BY JOHN MARCHIANDO — JUST WIND IT, NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN