The Watch: The El Primero has one of the better origin stories in watchmaking. In 1969, Zenith introduced it as one of the first automatic chronograph movements, running at a then-unusual 36,000 vph. During the quartz crisis, management ordered the tooling destroyed. Charles Vermot, one of the watchmakers, hid the tools and plans in the attic of the manufacture. When the mechanical watch market recovered, Zenith pulled everything out of the attic and resumed production. The El Primero has run continuously since.
The Chronomaster Sport is the current expression of that movement. The El Primero 3600 caliber retains the 36,000 vph beat rate, which is what allows the 1/10th of a second chronograph display (the black ceramic bezel is graduated in tenths to match). The white dial uses a tricompax layout with three overlapping sub-counters in Zenith's signature metallic tones: 60-second counter at 3, small seconds at 9, and 60-minute counter at 6. Date sits at 4:30. Power reserve is 60 hours, which is generous for a high-beat movement. The pump-style pushers reference vintage El Primero chronographs.
The case is 41mm in stainless steel, 13.6mm thick, with an integrated steel bracelet and 100 meters of water resistance.
This 2021 example is in excellent condition with the full set.
