Zenith history

In1865 George Fawre-Jaqaud settled a watch company. He was one of those who understood that the effectiveness of the whole manufacture depends on its extent.
Also he realized that if to pay attention on the manufacturing watch quality improvement, not on the increasing amount of watches, the reliability and accuracy of  its work raises. Later this production model was justified.

The case is that in past Swiss watch were cottage craft. Most of the details were had to be ordered outside, so that is why for watchmakers it was difficult sometimes to combine them. For each new model it was need to find an outfitter. The standards were not kept. The details from different batches were not the same. 

Jaque chose a new way. He gathered the major part of manufactures in one place and made the first step to creating a new company. He also decided to standardize the details in order to let them have the same units and for being used in different movements.

By 1875 Jaqaud's manufacture provided more than 1000 people with work and could compete with other huge watch company as  Jaeger-LeCoultre. Maybe this fact was the inspiring and promoted his way to the prosperity. In 1911 he settled the manufacture and called it Zenith in honor of the the height of celestial body.
By 1920 Zenith watch issued more than two millions watches a year, but the fame came only in 1969 when company designed and created the first watch with an auto-wind, the movement of which made 36000 vpc

Nonetheless such a success in 80-s and 90-s the brand disappeared for a while, being busy with supplies of Rolex movements,  Ebel, and Daniel Roth.

In 1999 after some the highs and lows Zenith was sold to LVMH group and in 2003 the life of Zenith started again. The original, modern watch Zenith ChronoMaster Open El Primero opened the Zenith way to the new 21st century.

Through the hole in watch dial it is possible to distinguish the “heart” of  El Primero
 -  the most quickest descent and  balance in the whole history of horology. There were the set grounds of Zenith unique style. 

Today having come to Le-Loque, it may seem that you have moved to hundred years back. The one modern building in the town is Zenith headquarters which is different from all other buildings. Thanks to its potential Zenith watchmakers can compete with  some huge and serous figures in the area of horology. The organizing of Zenith manufacture is no worse than Breitling, Roger Dubuis and Rolex, watch make movements in a huge quantity.

For the manufacture the combination of traditional skill with modern technologies is common. In order to define the area of a crutch pallet equipped with cogs of release wheel high-speed video-cameras are used. Semiautomatic welding is used for fixing spring to the leg.

A huge number of manual and programming machines works at this manufacture day and night, producing almost all the components for Zenith watch.