The caliber with the “hectic” escapement embodied the peak of technical feasibility at Zenith for many years. The Defy Classic Chrono Aero from 2006 is seldom available on the used watch market. Other brands have also relied on the El Primero over the years, for example, Ebel, Dunhill, DuBois et Fils, TAG Heuer, and Daniel Roth.
Along with a slower frequency of just 28,800 vph, Rolex also brought the escapement group up to its in-house standard by installing Microstella adjusting screws. This automatic model continued to use Zenith’s caliber until the year 2000, although Rolex made some technical alterations prior to casing it. This made the Daytona a self-winding watch. In addition to keeping time in Zenith’s numerous collections, for more than a decade the El Primero had one of its most famous appearances “incognito.” Rolex began installing a modified version of the El Primero in the Cosmograph Daytona in 1989. There are 23 versions of the legendary El Primero thus far – a record in the world of haute horlogerie. Depending on how often the watch that encases it is worn, it should be professionally serviced at least every five years. But the El Primero is a movement that requires frequent maintenance. A speedy oscillator like the one in the El Primero is less susceptible to disturbances from outside influences, such as gravity or vibrations, so it accordingly keeps time with greater accuracy.
Zenith el primero chronomaster grande date price full#
Two versions of the El Primero were manufactured right from the start: Caliber 3019 PHC as a chronograph with date display, and Caliber 3019PHF with full calendar and moon-phase display. The El Primero Rainbow with multi- colored elapsed- minutes counter is very popular among collectors. The Breitling team’s Caliber 11 Chronomatic oscillated at a frequency of 19,800 vph. Most calibers in the late ’60s were paced at 21,600 or fewer vibrations per hour. The heart of the El Primero beats at a pace of 36,000 semi-oscillations per hour, i.e., 5 Hz, and enables the chronograph to measure elapsed intervals to the nearest 1/10 of a second. And the balance had a higher frequency than was usual in this era. The power reserve exceeded 48 hours, which was somewhat longer than other contemporary movements. This contributed to the caliber’s highly precise rate. A dry lubricant based on molybdenum sulfate was used for the first time. It measured 13.5 lignes in diameter and was a mere 6.5 mm tall. This movement’s technological victory march was almost impossible to stop. 10, 1969, calling its new watch the “El Primero” (meaning “the first”). But Zenith and its partner Movado had managed to publicly announce the development of an automatic chronograph movement and show a working prototype at a press conference in Geneva on Jan. In Japan, Seiko was working on its own automatic chronograph movement, Caliber 6139, which was introduced to the Japanese market in May 1969. A leading role was played by Breitling, which collaborated with Heuer-Leonidas, Hamilton/Büren and Dubois Dépraz to develop a micro-rotor caliber that was unveiled simultaneously in Geneva, New York, Hong Kong, and Beirut in March 1969. In Switzerland, toward the end of the 1960s, two coalitions of watch manufacturers were hard at work developing the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. But it’s much less common for a watch movement to gain fame and, after more than 50 years, achieve legendary status. It’s not uncommon for a watch to become a classic. In this historical feature from the WatchTime archives, contributor Thomas Gronenthal takes a look at its development. Zenith’s El Primero automatic chronograph caliber - unveiled to the world just over 50 years ago, in 1969 - is regarded as one of the world’s best and most accurate movements.
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