Zenith: The Star of Watchmaking & the El Primero — The Watch That Saved the Chronograph
The Direct Answer
Zenith is a Swiss watch manufacture founded in 1865 in Le Locle, Switzerland, by 22-year-old Georges Favre-Jacot. It is best known for the El Primero — the world’s first automatic chronograph movement, introduced in 1969 and still in production today. Zenith is part of the LVMH Group and produces approximately 20,000 watches per year, making it one of the most prolific genuine manufactures in Switzerland. Its signature is the five-pointed star — the zenith of the sky, the highest point of the celestial sphere.
The Star and the Sky: Zenith’s Origin Story
In 1865, Georges Favre-Jacot was 22 years old and already a watchmaker of exceptional talent. He founded his workshop in Le Locle — the same Swiss Jura town that would later become home to Patek Philippe’s movement manufacture — with a vision of creating a fully integrated watch manufacture: a single facility where every component of a watch, from the mainspring to the case, would be designed and produced under one roof.
In 1911, on a quiet evening, Favre-Jacot walked beneath the stars and looked up at the night sky. The cosmic revelation came to him: the vast celestial system revolving around the North Star mirrored the complex, precise structure of a watch movement — gears revolving around a central axis with extraordinary precision. He decided to name his manufacture after the highest point of the celestial sphere: Zenith. The five-pointed star became the brand’s emblem — a symbol of the highest aspiration in watchmaking.
By 1920, Zenith had produced over 2 million timepieces. The manufacture accumulated 1,565 design awards, including more than 50 prizes for precision movements. Its subsidiaries extended from New York to Paris, from Moscow to Tokyo — a global presence that reflected the universal appeal of its watches. The craftsmen of Zenith pursued beauty, truth, integrity, precision, and complexity with equal dedication — values that remain the foundation of the brand today.
The El Primero: The Movement That Changed Everything
On 10 January 1969, Zenith introduced the El Primero — the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. “El Primero” means “The First” in Spanish — and it was: the first self-winding chronograph movement ever produced, beating Rolex, Heuer, and Breitling to the market by a matter of weeks.
The El Primero’s technical achievement was extraordinary. It beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour — 5 Hz — compared to the 28,800 vph (4 Hz) of most Swiss movements. This higher frequency allows the chronograph to measure time to one-tenth of a second rather than one-fifth, making it the most precise chronograph movement of its era. The higher frequency also produces the El Primero’s characteristic smooth sweep of the chronograph seconds hand — a visual signature that distinguishes it from lower-frequency movements.
The El Primero’s timing was both triumphant and tragic. Introduced in January 1969, it was immediately threatened by the quartz crisis that swept through Swiss watchmaking in the early 1970s. Zenith’s management ordered the destruction of all tooling and machinery for the El Primero movement — a decision that would have erased one of the greatest achievements in watchmaking history.
One man saved it. Charles Vermot, a watchmaker at Zenith, disobeyed the order. He hid the complete tooling, blueprints, and components for the El Primero movement in the attic of the Zenith manufacture, concealed behind a false wall. When Rolex approached Zenith in 1974 seeking a high-frequency movement for its Daytona chronograph, Vermot retrieved his hidden treasure. The El Primero was reborn — and it powered the Rolex Daytona for the next 15 years.
Charles Vermot’s act of defiance is one of the great stories of watchmaking history. Without him, the El Primero would have been lost. Without the El Primero, the Rolex Daytona of the 1970s and 1980s would not exist. The attic of the Zenith manufacture in Le Locle is now a place of pilgrimage for watch collectors.
The Three Faces of Zenith in 2026
1. El Primero Skeleton Moon Phase
The El Primero Skeleton Moon Phase represents the ultimate expression of Zenith’s technical heritage. Its dial is divided: one half reveals the skeleton movement — the gears, bridges, and balance wheel of the El Primero visible through the open dial — while the other half displays the time, date, and moon phase on a traditional silver dial. The combination of skeleton watchmaking and moon phase complication in a single watch is technically demanding and visually dramatic.
The moon phase display tracks the lunar cycle with an accuracy of one day’s error every 122 years. The date window — showing the date in a large aperture — is immediately legible. The El Primero movement beneath beats at 36,000 vph, its balance wheel visible through the skeleton portion of the dial.
Who it’s for: The collector who wants Zenith’s technical heritage in its most visually dramatic form.
2. Star Moon Phase Chronograph (Diamond)
The Star collection is Zenith’s most elegant line — designed primarily for women, with diamond-set bezels, moon phase displays, and chronograph complications in cases of refined proportions. The Star Moon Phase Chronograph in white — with its diamond bezel, white dial, and white leather strap — is the most feminine watch Zenith produces.
The moon phase display at 12 o’clock is the Star’s most poetic feature — a large aperture showing the lunar disc against a star-scattered background, tracking the moon’s phases with the precision of the El Primero movement beneath. The chronograph subdials — three circular registers on the dial — add functional complexity to the elegant aesthetic.
Who it’s for: The collector who wants a feminine luxury watch with genuine mechanical complexity and diamond setting.
3. Star Moon Phase Chronograph (Noir)
The Star Moon Phase Chronograph in black — with the same diamond bezel and moon phase display as the white version, but with a black dial and black leather strap — offers a more dramatic, evening-appropriate aesthetic. The contrast between the diamond bezel and the black dial creates a visual impact that the white version cannot match.
The black and white versions of the Star Moon Phase Chronograph are often presented together — as in the original Zenith catalogue image — demonstrating the versatility of the design across different moods and occasions.
Zenith’s Technical Signature: 36,000 vph
The 36,000 vibrations per hour frequency of the El Primero is Zenith’s most important technical signature. This higher frequency — compared to the 28,800 vph standard of most Swiss movements — provides three advantages: greater chronograph precision (one-tenth of a second rather than one-fifth), a smoother sweep of the seconds hand, and greater resistance to positional errors caused by gravity.
The 36,000 vph frequency also makes the El Primero more demanding to produce and service — the higher frequency increases wear on the escapement components, requiring more precise manufacturing tolerances and more frequent servicing. This technical demand is part of what makes the El Primero a genuine achievement rather than merely a marketing claim.
Zenith and LVMH
In 1999, Zenith joined the LVMH Group — the world’s largest luxury conglomerate, which also owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hermès, Bulgari, and TAG Heuer. Under LVMH’s ownership, Zenith has maintained its identity as a genuine manufacture while benefiting from the group’s distribution network and marketing resources.
Zenith’s position within LVMH is complementary to TAG Heuer — TAG Heuer is the group’s accessible sports watch brand, while Zenith is its prestige manufacture. The two brands share some distribution infrastructure but maintain entirely separate identities and product lines.
About Aorawa Time
Aorawa Time is an independent luxury watch brand specialising in precision automatic timepieces. Our editorial team researches and reviews the world’s finest watch brands to bring you accurate, unbiased information about the watches that matter. → Explore our skeleton automatic watches.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zenith watches known for?
Zenith is known primarily for the El Primero — the world’s first automatic chronograph movement, introduced in 1969 and still in production today. It beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour, allowing chronograph measurement to one-tenth of a second. Zenith is also known for its Star collection of feminine luxury watches and its role in supplying the movement for the Rolex Daytona from 1974 to 1988.
What does El Primero mean?
El Primero means “The First” in Spanish — a reference to the El Primero’s status as the world’s first automatic chronograph movement, introduced by Zenith on 10 January 1969.
Did Zenith make movements for Rolex?
Yes. From 1974 to 1988, Rolex used a modified version of the Zenith El Primero movement in its Daytona chronograph. Rolex modified the movement to beat at 28,800 vph (rather than the El Primero’s 36,000 vph) and replaced several components with its own parts. Rolex Daytona watches from this era — known as the “Zenith Daytona” — are among the most collectible Rolex references.
Is Zenith part of LVMH?
Yes. Zenith joined the LVMH Group in 1999. LVMH also owns TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Hublot, and several other watch brands, as well as Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Hermès.
What is the frequency of the El Primero movement?
The El Primero beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz) — higher than the 28,800 vph (4 Hz) standard of most Swiss movements. This higher frequency allows the chronograph to measure time to one-tenth of a second and produces the El Primero’s characteristic smooth sweep of the chronograph seconds hand.