| - | - |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1865 |
| HQ | Le Locle, Switzerland |
| Employees | ~500 |
| Revenue | ~$150M (est.) |
| Positioning | Manufacture chronographs and high-frequency movements |
Zenith was founded in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle, Switzerland. At 22, Favre-Jacot set up one of the first vertically integrated watch manufactures, inspired by American industrial methods.
The company dominated observatory chronometry competitions in the early 20th century. Calibre 135 won five consecutive first prizes from 1950 to 1954. In 1969, Zenith unveiled the El Primero — the first automatic chronograph movement, running at 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz) for 1/10th-second precision. Most Swiss movements run at 28,800 vph (4 Hz).
During the quartz crisis of the 1970s, watchmaker Charles Vermot secretly preserved the El Primero tooling against orders to destroy it. When mechanical watches recovered, Zenith resumed production. Rolex used a modified El Primero in the Daytona from 1988 to 2000.
Owned by LVMH. Main collections: Chronomaster (El Primero chronographs), DEFY (contemporary sport), Pilot (aviation heritage), Elite (dress). Steel models start around €6,000.