In search of precision

GMT Italia - Summer 2011Paolo De Vecchi

 

 

With more than 1,500 prizes won at international fairs and the creation, in 1969, of the first automatic integrated chronograph movement with the incredible frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour, Zenith is among the leaders in the search for precision and one of the catalysts of the entire history of watchmaking. Today, with the new course set by CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour who has brought the workshop in Le Locle back to its original vocation, the new El Primero Stratos series represents the latest evolution of this beautifulmanufacturing context.Case

Brand tradition
In stainless steel, black Alchron or a gritty combination of black Alchron and pink gold, the El Primero Stratos Flyback's case is a modern interpretation of the exceptionally high manufacturing standards introduced in the past for the Zenith Rainbow Flyback. The structure is very solid, with an overall diameter of 45.5 millimetres and guaranteed waterproof up to 100 metres depth. It has an intriguing system for fastening the alligator strap to the case, with a metal element that completely covers the part where the strap meets the case.Movement

Thoroughbred ancestors
A direct descendent of the El Primero calibre, considered for over forty years one of the best chronograph
mechanisms offered by the Swiss watchmaking industry, the automatic Zenith 4057B calibre, heart of the El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th, differs from the original chronograph mechanism with Flyback function in one special feature. Thanks to a special device developed by Zenith designers, the central hand makes one full turn of the dial each ten seconds, permitting precise readings down to one tenth of a second.

 

The enterprise

Polar expedition
Zenith accompanies Nilson on his latest adventure, the Pole2Pole project. A hundred years after Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole, going on to reach the North Pole as well in 1926, Johan Ernst Nilson plans an expedition to cross the planet between the two poles. Thousands of miles demanding extreme effort, achieved with various means of transport and exceptionally robust equipment.  Like the El Primero Stratos Pole2Pole, a special edition of just five-hundred pieces, like the oneZ accompanying Nilson on his expedition.

 

Zenith Chronology

A long history, rich in successes and characterised by the ongoing  search for the precision

1565: The number of first prizes awarded to Zenith at the international fairs of Paris, Milan, Barcelona and Montreal, the New York Diamond International and the Rome Mercurio d'Oro, placing this watchmaker first among the watchmakers awarded by the international chronometry Observatories.1865 – In Le Locle, Georges Favre-Jacot founds his workshop

1876 – International exhibition in Philadelphia

1896 – First gold medal at the Geneva expo

1900 – Gold medal at the Grand Prix in Paris.

1911 – The company becomes Fabrique des Montres Zenith

1917 – Zenith has around 20 workshops in Le Locle.
 
1969 – Birth of a legend: the El Primero caliber chronograph,

1984 – Zenith goes back to making mechanical watches

1986 – Rolex asks for a special version of the El Primero for its Daytona

1994 – Birth of the ultraflat Élite

1999 – LVMH takes over Zenith

2009 – Jean-Frédéric Dufour becomes CEO of the brand

2010 – Unveiling of the El Primero Striking 10th

2011 – The latest evolution of the El Primero takes the name Stratos

 

Functions

Nocturnal display
A chronograph with three subdials, with the seconds dial at 9 o'clock, and the chronograph minutes and hours counters at 3 and 6 o'clock, the Zenith El Primero Stratos is also equipped with the “Flyback”
function, also called “retour en vol”. This lets you stop, zero and restart the chronograph with the pus of a single button. The dial is perfectly readable even in poor light thanks to the luminous hands and numerals. The date window is positionedat 6 o'clock.