Zenith
Le Locle, Switzerland
Founded by the young (22) Georges Favre-Jacot in 1865 in Le Locle. He basically invented the concept of a manufacture, by putting all watchmaking disciplines under one roof (in Le Locle). The name Zenith appears in 1911, referring to the highest point by a heavenly body in the sky. That’s why there’s the star in the Zenith logo. Already in 1925, Zenith has 1000 employees. Zenith is perhaps best known for being one of the first to introduce an automatic chronograph movement, the El Primero. This movement, launched in 1969, is still in production today, with only small adjustments. The El Primero is a high-beat movement, meaning it has a ticking number of 36,000vph (~1/10th of a second or 5 hz) that should ensure higher precision. Today, Zenith is still located in Le Locle and since 2000 part of the LVMH Group (with other watch brands TAG Heuer and Hublot). The Zenith CEO today is Julien Tornare, who has been appointed in 2017. In 2019, Zenith celebrates the 50th anniversary of their El Primero movement.
