Turn the tide back in power when the dead come back to life behind the feats

Charles Vermot, a native of Switzerland, was born just five miles from Zenith Lockswain. During most of his career, he worked for Zenith's main chronograph movement supplier until Martel Watch was taken over by Zenith in 1959 and Charles Vermo joined. No one knew at the time that Charles Vermo would play a crucial role in the future of Zenith to save El Primero and the entire brand from extinction.

Charles Wilmer, a young man

Zenith watch factory located in the Swiss Locke

Charles Wilmer, a senior engineer in the core blanks division, is involved in the development of many precision movements, including the El Primero movement, which is perhaps the most famous of Zenith. After five years of research and development, Zenith launched the world's first high-frequency, automatic and timed chronograph movement in 1969. On the one hand, El Primero movement timing accuracy of up to 1/10 seconds, which was unparalleled at the time; the other hand, El Primero is an integrated chronograph movement (as opposed to the existing automatic movement to add timing module ), Which was also unique at the time.

Zenith El Primero 3019PHC movement

However, El Primero movement can not immediately save the fate of Zenith, R & D costs may largely dragged down the company's finances. Soon after, Zenith was sold to a Chicago-based company. The company, called Zenith Radio Corporation (which owned Zenith brands from 1971 to 1978), decided to focus its resources on the development of quartz movement, a common challenge for all traditional Swiss watchmakers at the time.

Zenith El Primero Reference A386 watch

El Primero Reference A386 watch's iconic dial

In response, Charles Vermo wrote to Chicago in the hope of persuading U.S. employers not to abandon the recently developed automatic chronograph movement, which he believes will play an important role in the future. But everything was in vain, with letters like a cow entering the sea, and the advice of Charles Vermo was ignored. In 1975, the old Martel Watch building was closed and the El Primero movement (and all other mechanical movements made at the time) declared discontinued, and tools, machinery and components were sold or destroyed.

Martel Watch building

This is not a problem unique to Zenith. Thirty-five miles away, Valjoux (now ETA SA) made the same decision. Caliber 7750 chronograph movement was discontinued, for a time, Switzerland almost no longer produce automatic chronograph movement. However, Zenith continues to fight new management and new development strategies. Zenith's production line does not apply to quartz technology, employees are not accustomed to. So in 1978, (now perhaps the fate of the fate) was reinvigorated by Swiss industrialists.

Although it has been years away from it, it has never been forgotten and the El Primero movement remains attractive to those who refuse to give up mechanical watchmaking. In 1981, Ebel decided to buy the unassembled El Primero Caliber 3019PHC movement. Zenith can be gradually delivered within three years, while measuring the public response. In 1982, there were rumors that Rolex was planning to modernize Daytona, when Oscar Waldan walked into Rolex's sight. Earlier, Oscar Waldan has persuaded Ebel president bet El Primero movement, the chronograph movement is exactly what Rolex has been searching for.

Ebel 1911 chronograph (1985), powered by Zenith movement

El Primero is a self-contained movement, the desire of a Rolex who wanted to modernize the flagship line of Daytona (previously equipped with the Valjoux 72 hand-wound movement). Perhaps more importantly, the El Primero is very slim, which means the Oyster case does not require any change. If Zenith can resume production of El Primero movement, the brand will be able to sign a ten-year contract valued at about seven million Swiss francs. But the problem is El Primero movement has been discontinued for nearly ten years, when Zenith can get the contract? Yes! Thanks to a behind-the-scenes meritorious.

Some of Charles Vermom's saved components, accompanied by careful instructions

Charles Vermo spent months at the Ponts-de-Martel plant disobeying the company's order to dismantle the equipment needed to make the El Primero movement and store them in the attic of the factory. During the ten years that the quartz crisis swept through Switzerland, the devices were quietly waiting in the attic, which, although inevitably dusty, was functional intact. An elderly engineer persistently "clinging to the clutches," and there are certainly some colleagues who think he is emotionally charged, or some who find it unrealistic to dream. But without Charles Vermo, it is likely that today's Locke employees do not Will get tabulation work.

Rolex Daytona Reference 16520 watch

When the real power of the urgent need for these devices, is Charles Vermo lead brand to retain the treasure. Thanks to Charles Wilmot for his hard work, the rebuild of the production process has been tidied up and all the necessary components have been carefully marked. Finally, Zenith can supply the El Primero movement again without having to re-invest too much on the machine.

Rolex Caliber 4030 movement, with real power El Primero Class 400 from the transformation

Rolex to Zenith nowadays a large number of orders, but in order to retain the design characteristics of Daytona, the order also provides for the specific requirements of the transformation, such as the date shows the gear can be discarded, the movement frequency is reduced to 28,800 / hour (4 Hz ). In 1986, Zenith delivered the first El Primero movement to Rolex - Ref. 4030; two years later, Rolex introduced the second Daytona watch collection at Baselworld.

Zenith El Primero Chronograph Classic watch

In just a few years, El Primero has become the hottest movement on the market since its demise. To the late nineties, Zenith movement production has exceeded the watch production. From 1988 to 2000, only one model of Daytona Ref.16520 was used with thousands of El Primero movements. A great feat!

40th anniversary (2009) launch of the El Primero 400 autonomous movement

After LVMH took over Genova in 1999, the brand became more connected with the El Primero movement. Under the full support of the behind-the-scenes group, Zenith relies on the El Primero movement to launch many variations; active research and development of new technologies, Striking Tenth (Central Seconds every 10 seconds) is a striking example; the brand also adds many new styles , Such as the Chronograph Classic chronograph for formal occasions (with Caliber 4069 movement, no date display and hourly accumulation). But for almost 40 years, El Primero has remained almost the same, and no Swiss watchmaker has been able to work in unison with a single movement, such as Zenith and El Primero.

Zenith El Primero 410 Tribute to Charles Vermot limited edition watch

Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Power Reserve Charles Vermot watch

By protecting El Primero movement, Charles Vermo also saved Zenith, of course, his heroic acts are not Forgotten Locke. After secretly saving El Primero for more than 40 years, his names and deeds continued to circulate with the special limited-edition watch series, which were all equipped with a commemorative blue dial and the iconic El Primero treble that Charles Wilmer cherished Chronograph movement.


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