The reason Zenith were considered to be first was a word you used in the lead up- “integrated”. The El Primero and the Seiko 6139 were both integrated and entirely new, whereas the Buren/Heuer/Breitling was a modular movement with a Dubois Depraz chronograph module on top of a Buren automatic movement. It would be hard to make the case that the El Primero was the first automatic chronograph because when it appeared at the 1969 Basel show, there were only a couple of prototypes. The Buren/Heuer/Breitling stand had about 50 watches and they were ready to go. I believe Seiko were not very far behind and they didn’t make much of a fuss. They just put it in the shops and sold it. So the El Primero may not have been the first automatic chronograph but it was probably the first integrated chronograph. Even then Seiko probably beat them to market. I already have a 6139 I inherited from my Dad. I’ve always like the Heuer Autavia and would happily wear one but the Monaco is a fugly and should have been drowned at birth. The Zenith El Primero is the only one of the three still in production and is easily one of the greatest movements ever made. It’s a masterpiece.
@maocena5993
2 жыл бұрын
I keep hearing about the El Primero being a legendary movement, but what makes it so special? Is it very shock resistant for a chronograph? Is it the 36000vph? Is it antimagnetic before it became the norm? Or a horizontal clutch with little wear over time? Please enlighten me.
@thethirdman225
2 жыл бұрын
@@maocena5993 The El Primero was one of the first three automatic chronographs and with the Seiko 6139, was one o the first two _integrated_ automatic chronographs. It is unique because it runs at 36,000 vph, which actually _is_ quite special and one of the reasons I want one. Secondly, the El Primero is an in-house movement and Zenith have provided them to other manufacturers, including Movado and most notably, Rolex It is perhaps most remarkable for its story. It was first released in 1969 and remained in production throughout the quartz crisis but almost failed to survive. The company was bought out with American money and the movement and all the tooling was order to be destroyed. A Zenith employee, Charles Vermot, wasn't having any of that and rather than obeying company instructions, moved all the tooling, machines, documentation and even some complete movements into the attic of the factory and bricked up the door. The company struggled. About seven years later, Rolex were looking for a new movement for the Daytona, which was becoming extremely dated with its manual wind Valjoux 72. When they approached Zenith, they found Vermot, who had retired, and between them, they took everything out of the attic and were producing El Primeros for Rolex in a very short space of time. So Zenith saved the Daytona and Rolex saved the El Primero and probably Zenith too. While the El Primero Rolexes were detuned to 28,800 vph, the Zenith watches continued to operate at design speed and in the more recent years, have been modified to do some incredible things from measuring tenths of a second to even hundredths for the Defy 21.
@mikeoconnor1819
6 жыл бұрын
Great review of a beautiful classic chronograph!
@jeremyrice3719
4 жыл бұрын
That is a spectacular watch.
@maximoplf
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the review and especially for the lug to lug dimensions. Does it wear large for someone with a wrist of about 6,5"?
@chrisgonyaw6932
6 жыл бұрын
Sorry it took so long to respond, the watch does wear kind of large. The lug to lug is no joke...with your wrist under 7”, and keep in mind my wrist is very flat(so...wide and not tall) the watch may over hang on your wrist (not the best look) definitely TRY IT ON first.
@maximoplf
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for taking your time to answer! It looks great on you. I'll definitely try it first
@AlexxxxxSaysHi
5 жыл бұрын
@@maximoplf probably a bit late but their 38mm is beautifully proportioned for smaller wrists and has a cleaner dial without the millisecond Marks imo
@shipmate3577
6 жыл бұрын
Does every watch reviewer have the same table?
@killerofprimes
4 жыл бұрын
You mean a wood table?
@Dr.watchs_rd
5 жыл бұрын
Hi friend, i have one zenith el primero ref 03.2040.400 i need the glass and gasket please help
@jeanctaveras
4 жыл бұрын
What is the strap size for this watch?
@chrisgonyaw6932
4 жыл бұрын
An annoying 21mm
@thethirdman225
3 жыл бұрын
@@chrisgonyaw6932 Is it the same for the 42mm version?
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