“The caliber survived the 1970s quartz crisis when an in-house engineer hid the tooling rather than scrap it.”

GRAIL ATLAS · ZenithShare

Photo by jcw (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Le Locle, Switzerland

Zenith

Brand history

Founded by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle; the El Primero, the first high-beat automatic chronograph, was designed and made here in 1969.

Founded 1865 in Le Locle by Georges Favre-Jacot. The El Primero (1969) is one of the three competing automatic-chronograph caliber launches of that year and is universally acknowledged as the most-advanced of the three, high-frequency (36,000 vph), column-wheel, and continuously in production for over half a century. The caliber survived the 1970s quartz crisis when an in-house engineer hid the tooling rather than scrap it.

• 
  El Primero (first generation, A386) · A386

  luxuryvintageZenith Cal. 3019 PHC: El Primero automatic column-wheel chronograph, 36,000bph, 50h PR, 31j; 1/10s chronograph precision; launched 196938mm1969–1971editorial
  Open
• 
  Defy Skyline · 03.9300.3620/51.I001

  luxurymodernEl Primero 3620 (1/10s seconds, 60h reserve)41mm2022–presenteditorial
  Open
• 
  Chronomaster Sport · 03.3100.3600/69.M3100

  luxurymodernEl Primero 3600 (1/10s chronograph, 60h reserve)41mm2021–presenteditorial
  Open
• 
  Chronomaster El Primero 42mm · 03.2040.400/69.C494

  luxurymodernEl Primero 400B (36,000 vph, tri-color integrated chronograph)42mm2017–2021editorial
  Open
• 
  Elite 6150 · 03.2010.6150/01.C493

  luxurymodernElite 6150 (automatic, 28,800 vph, 50h reserve)40mm2014–presenteditorial
  Open
• 
  Defy Classic · 10.9000.670/01.R782

  luxurymodernElite 670 SK (automatic, skeleton, open-worked)41mm2017–presenteditorial
  Open
• Chronomaster Revival A385 · 03.A384.400/385.C855

  luxurymodernEl Primero 400: in-house automatic column-wheel chronograph with horizontal clutch, 36,000 vph (5Hz), 278 components incl. 31 jewels, 50h reserve37mm2021–present
  Open
• Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Bronze · 29.2430.679/21.C753

  luxurymodernElite 679: in-house automatic, 3-hand, 28,800 vph (4Hz), 126 components, 25.6mm dia. x 3.85mm height, 50h reserve45mm2015–2022
  Open
• Defy Extreme Mirror · 03.9102.9004/90.I001

  luxurymodernEl Primero 9004: in-house automatic column-wheel dual-escapement chronograph, 36,000 vph (5Hz) timekeeping + 360,000 vph (50Hz) chronograph for 1/100th-second precision, 53 jewels, Time Lab chronometer-certified, 50h reserve (time) / 50min reserve (chronograph)45mm2023–present
  Open
• Chronomaster Revival El Primero A384 · 03.A384.400/21.M384

  luxurymodernZenith El Primero 400: self-winding column-wheel chronograph, 36,000 bph, ~50h PR, 278 components37mm2019–present
  Open

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