Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Mens Automatic Watch

Ref. 4990009004/78M9000

The El Primero name has belonged to Zenith since 1969, when the manufacture introduced the first automatic chronograph movement. The 9004 calibre inside this watch carries that lineage into territory that movement could never have reached: two entirely separate oscillating systems sharing one case, one running at 36,000 vibrations per hour for the time, the other at 360,000 — fifty hertz — for the chronograph alone. At that frequency the central seconds hand completes a full sweep every second, which is what measuring to a hundredth requires. No interpolation, no averaging; the hand is simply where the time is. Full ceramic construction keeps a 44mm, 50.4mm lug-to-lug case noticeably lighter than steel of equivalent dimensions, which matters at a size where steel starts to announce itself on the wrist. The skeleton dial earns its openworking honestly here — with two independent gear trains running simultaneously, there is something worth watching through the grey dial, the blue-rimmed sub-dials giving the eye a point of contrast against the black case without breaking the monochrome logic of the piece. At 14.6mm the watch sits proud of the wrist, as any honest account of it should acknowledge, but the ceramic bracelet integrates flush with the case in a way that distributes that presence rather than concentrating it at the lugs.

Reference: 4990009004/78M9000
Brand: Zenith
Collection: El Primero
Case size: 44mm
Case thickness: 14.6mm
Case material: Ceramic
Case shape: Round
Dial: Grey
Crystal: Sapphire
Movement: Automatic
Calibre: El Primero 9004
Functions: Chronograph, Small seconds, Power reserve indicator, Skeleton dial
Water resistance: 100m
Bracelet / strap: Ceramic bracelet
Strap colour: Black
Clasp: Deployant clasp
Lume: Luminous
Condition: Ex-display
Retailer: Goldsmiths

Additional specifications

Lug-to-lug: 50.4mm
Power reserve: 50 hours

Learn more about Zenith

Georges Favre-Jacot founded Zenith in Le Locle in 1865, aged twenty-two, with an idea that was radical for the Swiss industry: bring every trade needed to make a watch — movement, case, dial, hands — under one roof and one management. The integrated manufacture was largely his invention, and the Le Locle site he built is still in use.

The approach produced results at observatory trials, where Zenith accumulated more precision awards than any other manufacture. The name itself came from a calibre Favre-Jacot considered the summit of his work.

Its defining achievement is the El Primero of 1969, developed over seven years and announced in the same year as the Heuer-Breitling consortium's Calibre 11 and Seiko's 6139. It was an integrated automatic chronograph beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, allowing measurement to a tenth of a second — a frequency almost nothing else matched for decades.

It nearly did not survive. When American owners ordered the mechanical tooling scrapped during the quartz crisis, a watchmaker named Charles Vermot hid the plans, presses, and cams in a walled-off attic. When demand for mechanical chronographs returned, Zenith could restart production because of him. Rolex used the El Primero in the Daytona from 1988 to 2000.

LVMH acquired Zenith in 1999.

1865: Georges Favre-Jacot founds the integrated manufacture at Le Locle.
1969: The El Primero automatic chronograph debuts at 36,000 vph.
1975: Charles Vermot hides the El Primero tooling from destruction.
1988: Rolex adopts the El Primero for the Daytona.
1999: Acquired by LVMH.

Also in 6 collections

This watch appears in Automatic Watches (1,736), Chronograph Watches (1,234), Watches 44mm and Over (849), Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (344), Watch Price Drops (321) and Skeleton Watches (310).

Manufacturer’s guarantee

Best of 2 retailers

What the specifications mean

A mechanical watch for everyday wear.

Strengths

100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
50.4mm lug-to-lug keeps the 44mm case wearable
Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
Luminous hands and markers for low light

Worth knowing

44mm sits at the larger end
14.6mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff

Best forSwimmingTiming thingsEveryday wear

Less suited toSmall wristsUnder a shirt cuff

Price history

This watch is currently at its lowest recorded price. It reached £11,680 on 9 September. Prices are checked every day, and we record any changes.

Zenith Defy El Primero 21 alternatives

Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.

Defy El Primero 21 Mens Automatic Watch compared with 2 alternatives from other brands
Specification	This watchDefy El Primero 21 Mens Automatic Watch4990009004/78M9000	Girard-PerregauxLaureato Chronograph 42mm Stainless Steel81020-11-131	OmegaDark Side Of The Moon Co-Axail Chronograph Pitch Black 44.25mm Automatic Mens WatchO31192445101004
Price	£10,950	£11,050	£10,050
Case size	44mm	42mm	44.25mm
Water resistance	100m	100m	50m
Movement	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Strap	Ceramic bracelet	Stainless steel bracelet	Leather strap
Power reserve	50 hours	46 hours	60 hours
	This watch	Wears smaller	Rated shallower