Limited to just 50, they flew into collectors’ hands. Zenith paid tribute to the El Primero’s 50th anniversary in 2019 by releasing a boxset trio of timepieces with one mimicking the original Zenith watch that held the movement, another modern version and one meant to represent the caliber’s future. Some even credit it entirely with the rebirth of mechanical watchmaking in an era that no longer necessitated such craftsmanship. But by the 1980s it was resurrected during a renaissance of mechanical watchmaking in which everyone from Ebel to Rolex used the movement.

It also marked the introduction of the El Primero movement, the first high-frequency (36,000 vibrations per hour) automatic chronograph on the market, which was made irrelevant by the quartz crisis just months later thanks to Seiko. “The time to reach your star” is now.But first, here’s a little walk down memory lane: 1969 was monumental for the brand for more than one reason.

Zenith has been shaping the future of Swiss watchmaking since 1865, accompanying those who dare to challenge themselves and break barriers. From the first automatic chronograph, the El Primero, to the fastest chronograph with a 1/100 th of a second precision, the El Primero 21, as well as the Inventor that reinvents the regulating organ by replacing the 30+ components with a single monolithic element, the manufacture is always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. With innovation as its guiding star, Zenith features exceptional in-house developed and manufactured movements in all its watches. Since its establishment in 1865, Zenith became the first watch manufacture in the modern sense of the term, and its watches have accompanied extraordinary figures that dreamt big and strived to achieve the impossible – from Louis Blériot’s history-making flight across the English Channel to Felix Baumgartner’s record-setting stratospheric free-fall jump. Zenith exists to inspire individuals to pursue their dreams and make them come true – against all odds.

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