The History of the Zenith El Primero
1969 El Primero Caliber 3019 PHC / Credit: Fondation de la Haute Horologerie
Christopher Columbus, the Wright brothers, George Washington - firsts, ‘official’ firsts at least, are always remembered in history, so what about the first automatic chronograph, Zenith’s El Primero?
Zenith revealed the first El Primero movement in 1969, its name meaning ‘the first’ in Spanish. 1969 was a particularly turbulent year, not only was there Woodstock and the first moonwalk, but 1969 was the beginning of the Quartz Attack, the year in which Seiko released the infamous Astron. The first Zenith El Primero movement, the Caliber 3019 PHC, was fully integrated, beating 36,000 vibrations per hour; making it the world's most accurate chronograph. In addition, it featured a 50-hour power reserve and a date window at 6. The Zenith El Primero couldn't have come at a better time for Zenith, considering that mechanical watch sales had plummeted, and Zenith was barely scraping by. Other manual chronograph movements, like the Valjoux 72, had become redundant in the face of quartz, but the El Primero did well; largely based on the fact that it was new technology.
Then there’s the survival of the El Primero itself; in 1971, Zenith was acquired by an American firm that, in 1975, decided to stop manufacturing mechanical movements and focus exclusively on quartz. Luckily, veteran Zenith watchmaker Charles Vermot had the wherewithal to see past the Quartz Attack. He, with the help of his brother, started cataloguing and storing all of the relevant components and machinery for making the Zenith El Primero, so as to be able to recreate the watch later on. It was not until 1984 that the El Primero resurfaced and was greatly successful, none of which would have been possible without heroes like Vermot. Rolex even chose the Zenith El Primero movement as the base for the Rolex Daytona (although they made over 200 modifications). In any event, the El Primero survived and continues to be one of the hallmark movements in Zenith’s production line. Next time you see a Zenith chronograph on the street, remember how hard Vermot fought to keep it alive and silently thank him for his service to horology.
By: Andres Ibarguen