In 1985, Zenith resurrected the “El Primero” line, reissuing the calibre 3019PHC (as the calibre 40.0), and it is still in production today under the designation “calibre 400”.

at 19,800 A/h of its ‘Calibre 11’ competitors, the 5hz beat rate allows measurement up to 1/10th of a second, in comparison to just one-fifth of a second (at a rate of 2.5hz) of its contemporaries. Other than being the first fully-integrated, automatic chronograph, the movement was also a pioneer of high-frequency. It certainly had a huge impact on horological development. The debate may never truly be extinguished, but the “El Primero” movement will forever keep its claim as a first. The name “El Primero” by no coincidence translates to “the first”. Zenith proudly claims the “El Primero” to be the first-ever automatic chronograph, emphasizing its full integration and completeness - with a column-wheel and central rotor on ball bearings - as opposed to a being a modular addition. Rivals entered global production in August of 1969, while Zenith made the 3019 PHC publicly available in October the same year.

Having begun research and development as early as 1962, it debuted a working prototype at a pre-emptive press conference in Switzerland in early 1969. Much of the argument has subsided in recent years, thanks to almost a decade’s tireless documentation by the original sports-chronograph collectors, such as Jeff Stein, founder of On The Dash, and author of Project 99 - The Race to Develop the World's First Automatic Chronograph.Īccording to the latter, Zenith was the first to announce the innovation.

There has been a continuing and passionate debate as to which manufacturer developed world’s first self-winding chronograph, amongst the consortium of Heuer, Buren-Hamilton, Breitling, Dubois-Depraz and Seiko.

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