Zenith - watch manufacturer since 1865

Zenith – A star that never burns out

It's hard to believe, but the Swiss company Zenith has been involved in the luxury watch business for over 150 years. This means that the well-known watchmakers are among the very old hands in the industry - and they can be really proud of that. In recent times, competition in the watch market has been increasing. Year after year, long-established competitors as well as "newbies" position themselves and fight for the favor of watch fans. The range is booming and some people may ultimately lose track. The market is oversaturated - but Zenith is well known. But the brand is holding on and holding on - and rightly so, in our opinion. Looking back at Zenith's long history of success, it becomes clear that this manufacturer is not just any brand - this company has a lot of watch history and tradition. Below we give you an insight into the impressive world of Zenith's watchmaking.

From Dream to Success – A Swiss Revolutionizes the Watch World

Zenith was founded in 1865, but at that time it was still under the name of its owner Georges Favre-Jacot. The Swiss man's vision was to produce the most precise and reliable timepieces in the world and thus leave a lasting mark on the art of watchmaking. And he actually succeeded in doing so. To construct the highly complex mechanisms required for his fine watches, the workers could no longer work independently in separate small workshops. The result? Favre-Jacot simply had large buildings built in which the individual trades could work together - the birth of the very first watch manufacturer. In this way, thanks to Favre-Jacot, it became possible to produce timepieces entirely in-house - which made the high quality of our valued luxury watches possible!

The integration of the entire production process was a huge step in the history of watches. Favre-Jacot's innovation was revolutionary at the time and therefore quickly made the rounds - as a result, general interest and demand for his watches boomed all over the world. In order to produce all the pieces and satisfy his customers with the best quality, the visionary had to come up with some new machines and production methods - he achieved this, among other things, by guaranteeing a long lifespan for his masterpieces using interchangeable elements and automating some of the work steps. Here, too, he was the pioneer of the market with his own concepts - a pretty clever mind, then. After all, the "Favre-Jacot manufacture" has been called Zenith since 1911. The inspiration for the unusual name was the highest point in the sky as a symbol of the excellence of the "brand with the star". In the area, the company was also known as the “manufactory with 2,000 golden and silver hands”, an expression of the high level of expertise of Favre-Jaqot’s skilled workers.

A top-notch winner – Zenith has always been the leader in terms of prices

Zenith's successful start marks only a part of the company's impressive history. The brand is the winner of the year - almost every year! Below is a small overview of the most important awards and achievements that Zenith can boast of:

1948 : The legendary wristwatch movement Caliber 135 with small seconds and a diameter of only 29.3 mm is released and is awarded an impressive 235 (!) prizes.

1960 : The 5011 K caliber set a new precision record in its category. It was used for marine chronometers, pocket and table clocks, as well as a special edition of the Pilot Montre d'Aéronef Type 20.

1969 : The El Primero was the first integrated automatic chronograph to be launched. To this day, it is the most precise series-produced movement in the world. Thanks to a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour, short periods of time can be measured with an accuracy of one tenth of a second.

1994 : The first automatic movement operated with computer-aided design (CAD) , the Elite, is presented and voted “Movement of the Year” by the press due to its extreme thinness, robustness and reliability.

2003 : The brand with the star invents the Open concept, an opening in the dial that reveals the escapement of the El Primero caliber. You can see the beating heart of the watch and the fascination of a high-frequency mechanical movement is more evident than ever.

2010 : The Academy Christoph Colomb Equation of Time model wins the prize for best grand complication at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) – one year later, the model wins the prize again!

2012 : This time, another model wins an award at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève: the Pilot Big Date Special wins the "Petite Aiguille" prize. On October 14th of that year, Zenith also makes history with Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who becomes the first person to break the sound barrier in free fall. He jumps from a space capsule at the edge of the stratosphere from a height of over 38,969 metres. Zenith is the official timekeeper for this attraction: Baumgartner wears a Stratos Flyback Striking 10th with Zenith's world-famous El Primero movement.

2013 : The prize for the best sports watch at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève goes to the Chronomaster El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th, which has had a lasting influence on the design of the watch market in addition to its precision. One year later, the lightweight version of the model is again named the best sports watch.

2015 : The company celebrates its 150th anniversary with a special edition of the El Primero, limited to 150 pieces, which also celebrates its 150th anniversary.

2017 : Zenith once again revolutionizes the world of watches with the Defy El Primero 21. The model enables mechanical timekeeping with an accuracy of 1/100 of a second, redefining precision and reliability. In addition, the Defy Lab is introduced, taking mechanical timekeeping to a new level. The watch comes with a new slim regulator made of monocrystalline silicon that is insensitive to magnetic fields, gravity and temperature fluctuations. With this process, Zenith is giving the current balance spring a strong challenge. The case of the Defy Lab is also made of Aeronith, the lightest aluminum composite in the world, a second world first in this watch. The incredible precision of the Defy Lab is unique in the entire industry. This makes the model a triple pioneer on the market and marks a completely new approach to the design and innovation of mechanical watches. It is therefore no surprise that the Defy Lab won this year's innovation award at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève!

Last year's latest model developments are the best example of how Zenith's inventive spirit has not diminished even after 150 years and the company only knows one way: forward. Since its founding, the Swiss have decisively guided and shaped the development of the watch world. They will certainly continue to be an important guide in the future. We look forward to more oohs and aahs when the latest innovations from Zenith are presented!

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