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FHH | The Quirky Backstory Of The Zenith El Primero
The Quirky Backstory Of The Zenith El Primero_1

Quirky Backstory. Quirky Backstory. Quirky Backstory. Quirky Backstory. Quirky Backstory

Zenith El Primero. Zenith El Primero. Zenith El Primero. Zenith El Primero

01 January 2026

The Quirky Backstory Of The Zenith El Primero

education

by @watches_and_culture

In 1969, while crowds were headbanging at Woodstock, several watchmakers — Zenith, Tag Heuer, Breitling, Hamilton, and Seiko — were locked in a fierce race to launch the world’s first automatic chronograph. While experts still debate who was technically first, it is widely accepted that the Zenith El Primero was the first fully integrated, high-frequency chronograph to reach the market.


 

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Beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, the El Primero caliber is a true marvel of engineering and innovation. Its performance was so impressive that Zenith supplied the movement to other major brands such as Rolex, Movado, and Ebel throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Yet the story nearly ended in 1976, when Zenith’s management became convinced that quartz technology was the future and decided to dispose of all the tools and materials required to produce the El Primero.


 

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Thankfully, a Zenith watchmaker named Charles Vermot, a passionate defender of mechanical watchmaking, secretly hid the presses, tools, and blueprints in the attic behind a wall. When the mechanical watch renaissance emerged in the 1980s, Zenith was able to relaunch the caliber — effectively resurrecting the El Primero. Vermot’s foresight saved the movement and preserved Zenith’s chronograph expertise. Today, the El Primero remains in production and stands as the brand’s most iconic collection.

FUN FACT: 
The El Primero was the first wrist chronograph capable of measuring 1/10th of a second.