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Zenith

Founded in Le Locle in 1865, Zenith built El Primero - the first automatic chronograph accurate to a tenth of a second, and a movement still in production more than fifty years later. Haute Time covers the Chronomaster, the Defy and the manufacture that survived the quartz crisis because one watchmaker hid the tooling.
245Stories published
1865Maison founded
5Current collections
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero with meteorite dial
The Answer
Block

Zenith is a Swiss watch manufacture founded in Le Locle in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot and owned by LVMH since 1999. Its defining achievement is the El Primero calibre of 1969, the first automatic chronograph capable of measuring to a tenth of a second at 36,000 vibrations per hour, which remains in production. Current collections are the Chronomaster, Defy, Pilot and Elite. Zenith holds more chronometry prizes than any other watchmaker.

ZenithFounded 1865Le LocleLVMHEl PrimeroChronomasterDefyPilot36,000 vph

The Collection

Chronomaster Sport
Chronograph · 41mm
Cal. El Primero 3600
Chronomaster Original
Heritage chronograph · 38mm
Cal. El Primero 3600
Defy Skyline
Integrated bracelet · 41mm
Cal. Elite 3620
Defy Extreme
Sport chronograph · 45mm
Cal. El Primero 9004
Pilot
Aviation · 40-42mm
Cal. Elite 3620 / 670

Latest Zenith Coverage

All 245 Stories ›
News

Your Concise Guide to Integrated Bracelet Watches

By Andre Frois · June 30, 2026
News

Three More Collaborations Shaking Up Watchmaking

By Andre Frois · June 5, 2026
News

ZENITH & Naoya Hida & Co. Unite for the Exclusive G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed Limited Edition

By Haute Time · June 4, 2026
News

The 4th of July Comes Early: Meet the Zenith Chronomaster Revival Liberty II

By Andre Frois · May 28, 2026
News

Zenith Unveils Bold New Timepieces at LVMH Watch Week 2026

By Andre Frois · January 19, 2026
News

The Zenith Defy Zero G Keeps Things Looking Up

By Andre Frois · October 14, 2025
All 245 Zenith Stories

Milestones

1865
Georges Favre-Jacot founds the manufacture in Le Locle at the age of 22.
1969
El Primero debuts - the first automatic chronograph running at 36,000 vph, measuring tenths of a second.
1975
Watchmaker Charles Vermot hides the El Primero tooling rather than scrap it during the quartz crisis, allowing production to restart in the 1980s.
1999
Zenith joins LVMH.

Frequently Asked

What is the El Primero movement?
The automatic chronograph calibre Zenith introduced in 1969, running at 36,000 vibrations per hour - twice the usual rate - which lets it time to one tenth of a second. It was among the first automatic chronographs and is one of very few from that era still in series production.
Is Zenith a real manufacture?
Yes. Zenith designs and produces its own movements in Le Locle, including the El Primero chronograph and Elite automatic families, in a facility it has occupied since 1865. Very few brands at its price point can say the same.
Why does Charles Vermot matter to Zenith?
In the mid-1970s the American owners ordered the mechanical tooling scrapped in favour of quartz. Vermot, a Zenith watchmaker, catalogued and hid the El Primero presses and cams in a sealed attic. When demand for mechanical chronographs returned, Zenith could restart the calibre - almost nobody else could.
Where can I read Zenith reviews from a watch publication?
Haute Time has published more than 150 Zenith stories since 2006 - Chronomaster and Defy launches, LVMH Watch Week releases, and El Primero anniversary editions.
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