THE FIRST SWISS WATCH MANUFACTURE
Georges Favre-Jacot envisions the future of watchmaking with ZENITH, a new vertical approach to Swiss watchmaking.
ONE MAN’S DREAM OF PERFECTION
Inspired by American industrialization, Georges Favre-Jacot founds his vertically integrated watch Manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland. Revolutionary compared to the traditional organization of Swiss watchmaking, his vision aims to perfect the stages of production and modernize them. Verticalization and automation guaranteed reliability, interchangeability, and quality. A long-term visionary even at the young age of 22, he will soon achieve his dream of creating the perfect watch, at the ZENITH of what can be accomplished.
CONQUERING THE WORLD
ZENITH’s brings its irreproachable quality from Le Locle to the rest of the world.
THE “PILOT” TRADEMARK
Founder Georges Favre-Jacot was certainly a man who was ahead of his time. In 1888, he registered the trademark for “PILOTe” and later “PILOT”, along with names in other domains that he deemed promising. ZENITH remains the only watch brand that can have “PILOT” on its dials.
A GLOBAL VISION
Georges Favre-Jacot was a savvy businessman. In 1896, he is joined by his nephew James Favre to develop ZENITH as the global watchmaking Maison it would soon be known as, undertaking many trips to support the company’s international expansion and its ever-increasing production of watches. A testament to his pioneering spirit, Georges Favre-Jacot registers the trademarks PILOT (1888) and DEFI (1902), which becomes DEFY in 1969. He continues to create horological timepieces and exclusive editions that appeal to collectors, even to this day.
THE GENESIS OF PRECISION
Driven by the singular ambition to create 'the perfect watch,' Georges Favre Jacot initiated Zenith's unparalleled chronometry legacy in 1897, through his first International Chronometry Competitions. This tradition propelled ZENITH to become the most awarded watchmaking Maison in history, firmly establishing it as the undisputed benchmark for precision timepieces. Inspired by the stars, he named his flagship movement 'ZENITH' in 1898.
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
A time of recognition for the Manufacture and its chronometers.
DEFINING LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE AND ACCURACY
In 1900, Zenith's exceptional craftsmanship secured a prestigious Grand Prix at the Paris World Fair, celebrating the remarkable technical and aesthetic quality of its creations, and its innovative manufacturing system with Art Nouveau pioneer Alphonse Mucha. From this pivotal year, Zenith's unwavering commitment to 'GIVES THE RIGHT TIME, EVERY TIME, FOR A LIFETIME' solidified its position as a trusted partner for chronometric observatories and international entities. Its superior quality ensured even rivals relied on Zenith for unmatched accurate timekeeping. The Maison dynamically expanded production to include diverse precision instruments, consistently fostering artistic partnerships with renowned figures like Mucha and Lalique, showcasing its enduring excellence.
REACHING THE ZENITH OF PERFECTION
In 1911, Maison Georges Favre Jacot officially adopted the name ZENITH, a tribute to the resounding success of its distinguished movements and models, embodying its unwavering pursuit of perfection and precision. From this pivotal year, ZENITH timepieces graced the wrists of extraordinary visionaries such as intrepid explorers like Roald Amundsen, influential luminaries including Mahatma Gandhi, and celebrated authors such as Edmond Rostand. Even royalty like H.S.H. Albert I of Monaco, and record breaking pioneers like Felix Baumgartner, proudly donned their ZENITH creations, magnificently underscoring the brand's enduring allure for those who courageously transcend limits.
A NEW BENCHMARK OF PRECISION
One of the most legendary chronometer calibres sets a new standard of precision.
CALIBRE 135: THE MASTER OF PRECISION
In the 1950s, during the golden age of chronometry competitions, a movement is developed specifically to meet the strict standards of observatory testing and outperforms all others: the calibre 135. This exceptional movement enables ZENITH to win numerous prizes. It earns over 230 distinctions, including an unprecedented record of five consecutive first prizes for chronometry in the wristwatch category from 1950 to 1954.
THE SUMMIT OF INNOVATION
ZENITH reigns supreme in chronometry and ushers in a new era for the chronograph movement.
5011K: THE ULTIMATE REIGNING CHAMPION OF CHRONOMETRY
During the final era of precision chronometry competitions, ZENITH once again took its rightful place at the vanguard with its 5011K, which had set an absolute record in its category and has never been beaten since. Originally used in marine chronometers and pocket watches, the 5011K was even housed in wrist watches and continues to be one of the most prized chronometer movements ever made.
THE BIRTH OF AN ICON: EL PRIMERO
On January 10, 1969, ZENITH unveils the world’s first automatic chronograph: the El Primero. This revolutionary chronograph was in development since the early 1960s to commemorate the company’s 100th anniversary. Aiming to make a significant impact, ZENITH embarks on an ambitious journey to develop a completely new chronograph calibre. This new calibre is not only automatic but also ultra-thin (and therefore integrated), assembled on the first modern production lines and oscillating at a high frequency of 36 000 vibrations per hour, allowing it to measure time with record-breaking precision to 1/10th of a second.
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
The seventies was a transformative decade for watchmaking and for the world. For ZENITH, it was a period of daring designs and heroism.
EL PRIMERO: SAVED BY THE VISION OF AN EVERYDAY HERO
Amidst the quartz crisis, Charles Vermot, a watchmaker who had contributed to the development of the famous El Primero, takes it upon himself to securely store the essential equipment and documentation for this calibre’s production. Defying his superiors, he secretly hides all technical plans, along with over 150 stamping tools, night after night in ZENITH’s attic, envisioning the day the company would wish to relaunch the El Primero’s production. That day would come less than a decade later. Charles Vermot will forever be remembered as the savior of this legendary chronograph.
A NEW ERA
As the new millennium approached, ZENITH created a new movement and formed what would become its most emblematic collection.
CHRONOMASTER, ELITE, RAINBOW FLYBACK: NEW LEGACIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
ZENITH inaugurates the prestigious CHRONOMASTER collection, which quickly becomes an iconic line for the Maison and features the El Primero chronograph. In the same year, ZENITH introduces the ELITE: a new mechanical calibre within an eponymous collection and wins the prize for Best Calibre of the Year by specialized press due to its exceptional modularity. A few years later, in 1997, the Rainbow Flyback chronograph makes its debut. Designed for semiprofessional pilots, it introduces a new function for the El Primero: the flyback. Both the CHRONOMASTER and Rainbow Flyback collections are supported by a creative new advertising campaign highlighting intergenerational legacy, which reinforces the timeless appeal of the product.
NEW MILLENIUM – NEW RADIANCE
ZENITH continues exploring creative watchmaking solutions while developing the El Primero into new complications.
GOING FURTHER WITH HIGH-COMPLICATION WATCHES
Now part of the LVMH Group, ZENITH launches its OPEN collection, revealing the ”beating heart” of its movements on the dial side for the first time. ZENITH’s expertise in high-frequency movements led to many innovations in the world of complications, including the world’s fastest tourbillon, the Open Tourbillon, introduced in 2004. In 2008, ZENITH revolutionizes watchmaking with the most patented watch ever: the ZERO G. Among its many advances, its regulating organ is mounted in a gyroscopic cage that maintains the balance wheel in a horizontal position, echoing ZENITH’s legacy in marine chronometer mechanisms.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE RECOGNITION
ZENITH’s Manufacture becomes part of the UNESCO World Heritage List through the recognition of cities La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle. Both cities’ urban planning reflects their origins, as they were built by and for the watchmaking industry. A central part of this important recognition, ZENITH represents the early days of the manufacturing system, being the first watch manufacture in the Neuchâtel mountains.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS INNOVATION
Never content with simply repeating the past, ZENITH forges ahead with more extraordinary world-firsts.
GOING THROUGH THE STRATOSPHERE
Daredevil Felix Baumgartner took on the impossible: the Red Bull Stratos mission. With his ZENITH El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th on his wrist, Felix Baumgartner plunged into the stratosphere from a space capsule lifted by a helium balloon. During the free-fall, Felix Baumgartner reached a record speed of 1,342 km an hour – breaking the sound barrier. Upon landing, the watch was still working perfectly.
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
Further proving its mastery of chronographs and specifically high-frequency precision, ZENITH unveils the DEFY El Primero 21 with a new El Primero calibre beating at a phenomenal rate of 50Hz for an accurate 1/100th of a second chronograph function. It is the world’s first and only serially produced true 1/100th of a second automatic high-frequency wristwatch.
A GALAXY OF ICONS
Honouring its glorious past while looking beyond the horizon, ZENITH crafts the future of Swiss watchmaking and creates the ICONS of tomorrow.
CHRONOMASTER SPORT
With the unveiling of the CHRONOMASTER Sport in 2021, ZENITH once again set a new gold standard for automatic sporty chronographs. Featuring the latest generation of the El Primero with a 1/10th of a second chronograph function and improved autonomy, the CHRONOMASTER Sport was crowned with the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2021 “Chronograph” prize.
CELEBRATING 160 YEARS OF LEGACY
A tribute to its remarkable history in the field of chronometry, ZENITH resurrects one of its most awarded movements from the golden age of Observatory Chronometer Competitions: the legendary calibre 135. This new and improved calibre 135 is found within the rounded platinum case of the ZENITH G.F.J. It is now highly decorated with patterns inspired by the brick walls of the ZENITH Manufacture, which continues to operate since its founding in 1865. The G.F.J. celebrates the vision of its namesake and ZENITH’s founder, Georges Favre-Jacot and the calibre 135 found within it representing the Maison’s relentless pursuit of precision, beauty and excellence, embodying the decades-old ambition of “the perfect watch”.
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