The history of Zenith watches began in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1865, 21-year-old Georges Favre-Jacot brought all the local artisan watchmakers together under one roof and allowed them to dedicate themselves entirely to the design of their timepieces. It was at that moment that one of the first true Swiss manufacturing companies was born. By 1875, the company had grown to 1,000 employees, creating pocket watches, pendulum clocks and counter instruments for the Navy. In 1896, Georges Favre-Jacot received a gold medal at the Swiss National Exhibition in Geneva and four years later, he received honors at the Universal Exhibition in Paris.
The Zenith Legacy
By the end of the 20th century, the Zenith watch company had received an impressive 1,565 awards for its more than 50 innovative movements. In the 1930s, Zenith’s marine watches were featured on French navy seaplanes and Royal Navy vessels. Their accurate timepieces were also commissioned and featured on vessels of the Italian and British navies. In 1969, Zenith developed El Primero, the first integrated automatic chronograph featuring an incredible 36,000 vibrations per hour. This timepiece fit maximum technical functionality inside the smallest possible space, and is still today the fastest automatic, most precise chronograph in the world.
At the 2002 Basel Watch Fair, the company launched four new movements and 14 new models representing an impressive 52 new variations. The following year, the Zenith watch company unveiled the innovative Chronomaster Open El Primero that enabled a view of the movement’s heart through an opening in the dial.
The Zenith Collection
There are several Zenith watch collections currently offered by the company, each with unique features and design. The Starissime Collection is designed specifically for women. There are numerous models offered within the Starissime series, including the unique Magic Numbers model. With this particular watch, Zenith offers consumers the opportunity to decide which two numbers they would like displayed on the face of the dial. The dial is surrounded by diamonds and the numbers themselves are inlaid with diamonds. Other models in the Starissime Collection include the Royal Tourbillon and the Baby Starissime. Other Zenith watch collections for women include Baby Doll, Queen of Love, and Glam Rock. One of the popular Zenith men’s collections is the Academy line, a contemporary watch that offers men both luxury and practicality. Popular models include Concept and Black Tie. Zenith also offers the Chronomaster, Class, Port-Royal, and Defy Collections, which are all designed specifically for men.
Zenith at Wingate’s
Wingate’s is proud to offer a selection of innovative Zenith watches for men and women including: El Primero, ChronoMaster T Open, Class Elite, Grande Chronomaster and Port Royal V Elite.
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