Manufacturer: Zenith Year: Circa 1970 Reference No: SP 1301 Case No: 7’08D’333 Model Name: El Primero Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3019PHC, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle Dimensions: 37mm diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by Zenith international guarantee dated 15th August 1970, and instruction manual.
Catalogue Essay
The Zenith El Primero was introduced in 1969 as the world’s first high-frequency automatic chronograph. It was a revolution for the watch industry as the cal. 3019PHC was designed as a fully integrated chronograph movement, rather than being an automatic movement with an added chronograph module. Operating at 36,000 VPH, the movement is superbly reliable and later became the basis for Rolex’s cal. 4030, used in early self-winding Daytona watches.
The present ref. SP 1301 from circa 1970 is an early production El Primero and features a tonneau shaped case, giving the timepiece a sculptural presence. The dial has aged beautifully while maintaining its original black sub-registers and tachymeter scale contrasted against a matte white dial. The timepiece is preserved in very good condition and is a rare opportunity to collect one of the earliest automatic chronographs introduced to the world.
Since Zenith's beginnings, founder George Favre-Jacot sought to manufacture precision timepieces, realizing quality control was best maintained when production was housed under one roof. Zenith remains one of the few Swiss manufacturers to produce their own in-house movements to this day.
Today, the brand is best known for the "El Primero," the firm's most successful automatic chronograph movement. In an interesting twist of fate, the company that owned Zenith during the 1970s decided to move on to quartz movements and therefore sought to destroy the parts and tools necessary to make mechanical movements. One watchmaker realized this folly and hid the tools and parts before they were destroyed. In 1984, he returned them to Zenith so they could once again make the El Primero movement.