For over 150 years, Zenith Watches has been a leader in luxury timepieces worldwide. Established in 1865 in Switzerland, the company is known for its innovative designs, craftsmanship, and precision.
Georges Favre-Jacot founded the company in Le Locle, Switzerland, when he began to bring all watchmaking processes under one roof, creating the birth of the modern “manufacture.” With a passion for innovation, Georges would soon earn a reputation for being a visionary who always strived to adopt cutting-edge technology.
In 1900, Zenith introduced its first pocket chronometer, which earned it a reputation for accuracy and innovation. Throughout the early 1900s, Zenith continued to expand upon its reputation for timepiece accuracy by developing innovative mechanisms such as a fully integrated chronograph, multiple time zones, and moon phase indicators.
1957 marked the start of Zenith’s ascent towards astronomical precision when it introduced the world’s most accurate watch movements at up to 36,000 Vph (vibrations per hour), earning them an array of honors, including a Geneva Observatory performance award, the first for a series-produced chronometer, and three dozen other.first place prizes.
However, their claim to fame came in 1969, when Zenith introduced the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph, named the El Primero, which translates to ‘the first’ in Spanish. The watch was groundbreaking as it marked the beginning of viewing accuracy and performance within watches. Early adoptions of the watch can be seen with the El Primero flying into space in 1975 once on Russian cosmonaut Boris Volynov’s wrist and again in 1994 with Jean-Loup Journet wearing Chronomaster in (NASA’s) Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Today, Zenith remains a top luxury watch manufacturer, with a rich history in precision and accuracy. The brand has continued to innovate, with successful collections like the DEFY, COSMOGRAPH, and PILOT collections, all inspired by Georges’ initial goal of making the best watches in the world.