Messages: 41957 Location: Washington, DC
Registered: November 2003
INDUSTRY NEWS - Zenith Launches Round-the-World Celebration of the El Primero Caliber
Sat, 02 February 2019 07:57
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Caliber
Milan was the first stop last night in a series of 12 exclusive El Primero 50th anniversary dinners hosted by Zenith over the next year in celebration of the El Primero high-frequency chronograph. The city was a natural choice for the kick-off, given that Italy was the first country to receive the El Primero in 1969. Part of a tour entitled "Le Grenier Club" and characterised by their exclusive atmosphere and select, unexpected locations such as art galleries and exceptional private properties in 12 of the world's greatest cities, the dinners will take place at a rate of one a month symbolising the 12 months of the El Primero 50th anniversary year.
From London to Dubai, via Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, New York City, Shanghai, Singapore, Moscow, Mexico and Geneva, in another nod to the significant number 50, each dinner will host just fifty guests including retailers, friends of the brand, final customers, collectors, press, and influencers, who will be treated to a number of surprises.
On each occasion, in tribute to the original El Primero, Zenith will present an anniversary set containing three chronographs with emblematic tricolor counters. While the El Primero movement has constantly evolved since its invention, inspiring new creations to the point of becoming an archetypal model prized by connoisseurs, until today, Zenith had never yet offered a reissue faithful to the original model. This has now been done, since the anniversary set, in a 50-piece limited edition, includes in its first compartment a perfect reiteration of the 1969 El Primero chronograph; a Chronomaster El Primero with optimised movement; and a Defy El Primero 21 accurate to the nearest 1/100th of a second. It also features a deliberately empty cushion destined to welcome Zenith's next feats in the field of extreme high frequency.
- Jorge Merino