Zenith Watches
Over the past 148 years, Zenith has continued to create beautiful luxury watches in the same location. Clearly, an exceptionally talented, Favre-Jacot, the maker of Zenith, was the first watchmaker to ensure that all aspects of watchmaking were brought under one roof. Today, Zenith is one of very few watchmakers that produce its pieces entirely in-house.
Zenith has been widely appreciated for its classic timepieces that are superlatively valuable. The brand has gained most of its glory from the watches bearing the Zenith El Primero chronograph movement which still holds remarkable precision despite being over 40 years old.
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History of Zenith Watches
In the year 1865, a 22-year-old watch apprentice, Georges Favre-Jacout, found his own watch company in Le Locle, Switzerland. Although the official brand name Zenith was not entitled until 1911. From the beginning the Favre-Jacot's watch company bore a very different perspective. Unlike the Zenith's scenario watch artisans during those days used to work from different locations and factories spread throughout the city. But Favre-Jacout accomplished it the other way. He made sure that all aspects of watchmaking to be brought under the one roof for Zenith watches. He made his watchmakers work at one place. This exemplary decision drove the Zenith watches technology and development to heights. And hence has placed it among few of the well-known luxury watch brands.
Even after traversing the long haul journey of 148 years Zenith continues to create beautiful hand-crafted watches in the same location. Every Zenith watch, starting from their creation to completion spends nine months in Zenith Swiss headquarters so that no quality aspect gets left behind. During this period of nine months, every Zenith watch has to go through the intensive testing procedures to make sure that no issue gets overlooked.
The luxury Zenith watches are the treasured by the number of watch connoisseurs across the world. Zenith has been the choice of many inspiring figures. To account for this few of the prominent figures who were spotted with the Zenith watches have been mentioned below:
• Mahatma Gandhi, the prominent father of Indian nationalism, used a Zenith watch while leading the nonviolent movement.
• Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who was the first person to reach the South Pole and the North Pole in the early twentieth century, wore Zenith watches on his expeditions.
• Albert I, Prince of Monaco who was a man of means and social status who could have chosen a fine timepiece from anywhere in the world — also chose to wear a masterpiece by Zenith.
• Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner when jumped from a helium balloon to perform a 4-minute 20-second freefall from the stratosphere to Earth, was spotted wearing Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th.
Now, let's learn about some of the most iconic Zenith watch models:
Zenith El Primero
In 1969, Zenith took a historical leap by launching El Primero, the very first ever integrated automatic chronograph movement. Till date, Zenith El Primero remains the world's most precise series-made caliber capable of measuring short times down to the tenth of a second. That is it encapsulates high-beat movement having an exceptional rate of 10 ticks per second or 36,000 vibrations per hour. This collection of Zenith chronograph is one of Zenith's most famous watches in history.
Another unprecedented feat Zenith El Primero had was 50-hours of power reserve which was an exceptional performance for such a high-frequency movement. Additionally, to make it more sophisticated the caliber was equipped with a date and miniaturized to a size of just 6.5 mm thick and 29.33 mm in diameter. Even today Zenith El Primero remains firmly enthroned in the terms of precision and still continues to equip Zenith timepieces. Over the decades, Zenith has constantly evolved and been enriched with complications and avant-garde mechanisms rewarded by countless prizes. Its various interpretations, laying down new milestones in the history of time measurement, are now regrouped within a complete collection bearing its name. Year after year, Zenith El Primero chronograph continues writing its legend in order to forever remain “The First”.
Zenith Pilot
The history of the Zenith Pilot dates back to 1909 when Louis Blériot became the first man to independently cross the English Channel from Calais, France to Dover, England, with simply a generic Zenith watch strapped to his wrist. This achievement, was monumental in the development of early aviation, proving both the possibility of long-distance air travel and the success of monoplanes over the previously popular bi-planes in completing it. The success inevitably made Blériot's name legendary in aviation history, and also solidified Zenith's brand in its association with in-flight, tested performance. Zenith quickly capitalized on this association with the production of an array of onboard timekeeping instruments, specifically the Type 20 Montre d'Aéronef of 1939 (or aircraft clock), upon which the modern Zenith Pilot watch is partly based. The Zenith aviation watch does not only impress with its striking design but also with an in-house produced hand-wound Zenith movement. Those who aim for the sky will find a reliable companion that withstands every flight with fancy in the Zenith Pilot watches collection.
This is how the Zenith traversed its journey. Amidst all comings and goings, Zenith lived up to its name. That is why Zenith is pitched among the most desired watch brands until today.