A timepiece shrouded in mystery. Its existence has eluded collectors and Zenith collaborators alike for decades. As the legend goes, in 1970, not long after Zenith debuted the groundbreaking El Primero caliber, the manufacture had produced a prototype of a manual-winding chronograph, housed in a blackened steel case – a rarity for the time. Only a handful of this spectral...

Zenith is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the El Primero. It's taking the opportunity to unveil this cult movement in its modernized version, fitted in the emblematic Chronomaster. The new El Primero lineage is inaugurated with the Chronomaster 2, a series of 250 titanium models featuring an original ceramic bezel and skeleton dial. Reinterpreted to ensure greater modularity, the El...

The time has finally come: 50 years since its introduction in 1969, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the El Primero caliber, as well as the anniversary of the first watch to feature the revolutionary movement, the El Primero A384. With its distinct and instantly recognizable design, the A384 brought a new sense of style and substance to the...

The legendary El Primero high-frequency chronograph celebrates half a century of avant-garde and precision. In tribute to its legendary destiny, Zenith is offering aficionados an anniversary boxed set containing three chronographs with emblematic tricolor counters. A reissue faithful to the first El Primero model of 1969; a Chronomaster El Primero with optimized movement; and a Defy El Primero 21 to...

It all began with the Defy El Primero 21, the revolutionary hundredth-of-a-second chronograph. Then came the first Defy Lab, the world’s most accurate mechanical watch with an unprecedented oscillator. At Zenith today, the future of watchmaking can be summed up in four letters: D-E-F-Y. A modern collection encompassing various degrees of horological complexity. A gateway into this futuristic universe, the...

Swiss watch manufacturer Zenith has a century and a half behind it and is resolutely taking its place in the third millennium with a new 100th of a second chronograph movement. While remaining true to its legendary roots, the 21st century Defy El Primero flaunts standout performance: a COSC-certified in-house movement driving a hundredth of a second display by means...