LVMH Watch Week 2025: Zenith unveils two stunning 160th anniversary creations

Not many names in horology are as synonymous with precision as Zenith. In 1969, the brand revolutionised watchmaking with the launch of the El Primero, the world’s first automatic high-frequency chronograph movement. Operating at 36,000 vibrations per hour (5Hz), it enabled time measurement to the nearest 1/10th of a second — an unprecedented feat that set new standards in mechanical chronographs.

Zenith’s commitment to innovation persisted even through adversity. During the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s, the brand was ordered to abandon mechanical watch production, including the El Primero. However, one engineer, Charles Vermot, secretly preserved the machinery and technical blueprints in the Zenith manufacture’s attic.

His defiant act ensured the movement’s survival, allowing Zenith to reintroduce it and supply to other brands in the 1980s and early 90s, during the dawn of the mechanical watch renaissance. Today, the El Primero remains a pillar of the brand’s identity.

As it commemorates 160 years of horological brilliance, the DEFY Skyline Chronograph Skeleton and Chronomaster Sport Rainbow, each with their distinctive personas, stand as powerful testaments to Zenith’s enduring spirit. Whether adopting modernist skeletonisation or embracing high jewellery craftsmanship, these watches continue the brand’s legacy of precision, innovation, and artistic expression.

“This is an important year for Zenith,” says CEO Benoit de Clerck. “These new timepieces are a celebration of our past, present, and future.”

DEFY Skyline Chronograph Skeleton

A cornerstone of Zenith’s contemporary design ethos, the DEFY Skyline collection seamlessly merges avant-garde aesthetics with technical mastery. And this new creation elevates employs stylised skeletonisation to reveal the intricacy of the El Primero 3600 movement.

This 42mm timepiece, housed in a robust yet elegant stainless steel octagonal case, features a striking 12-facet bezel. The openworked dial, inspired by Zenith’s historic “double Z” logo from the 1960s, offers a mesmerising interplay of transparency and geometry. The three skeletonised subdials — contrasting in grey azure— impart depth, while faceted baton hour markers and hands are coated with Super-LumiNova, offering clarity in all lighting conditions.

At its heart beats the El Primero 3600, a high-frequency movement that operates at 5Hz, enabling precision timekeeping to 1/10th of a second. This dynamic complication is further emphasised by a central seconds hand completing a full rotation every 10 seconds. With a bi-directional automatic winding system and a power reserve of approximately 60 hours, the watch is both a technical marvel and a daily-wear powerhouse.

Available in striking black or deep blue, the watch is accompanied by an interchangeable strap system, offering the choice of a three-link steel bracelet or a rubber strap adorned with a star motif.

Chronomaster Sport Rainbow

An opulent reinterpretation of the Chronomaster Sport, this statement watch offers the best of two worlds: technical pedigree and haute joaillerie.

Encased in white gold, the 41mm case is framed by a bezel adorned with 50 baguette-cut gemstones, including 40 sapphires of around 3.9 carats and 10 diamonds weighing about 1 carat. These stones, arranged in a seamless gradient from deep reds to radiant blues, form a vibrant chromatic spectrum. Placed at 10-second intervals, the diamonds not only enhance the bezel’s brilliance but also reinforce the watch’s chronometric functionality.

Beneath the sapphire crystal, the lacquered dial preserves Zenith’s signature 3-6-9 tri-colour subdial layout, with applied sapphire hour markers echoing the rainbow bezel. Faceted hands, treated with Super-LumiNova, ensure readability while maintaining the watch’s luxurious aesthetic.

Powering the Chronomaster Sport Rainbow is also the legendary El Primero 3600 movement. The open caseback reveals a striking blue column wheel and an openworked rotor, offering a glimpse into the movement’s exquisite finishing.

Completing this radiant creation is a seamlessly integrated brushed and polished three-link white gold bracelet, enhancing the timepiece’s refined yet audacious presence on the wrist.