To create a movement is an art usually made visible. On stage and screen, movement commands the gaze. In high watchmaking, however, the movement stays hidden, operating at extreme tolerances, where fractions of a second are engineered from components too small to catch at a quick glance.
One of the few Swiss manufactures with complete mastery over its calibres, Zenith has developed over 600 movements and registered more than 300 patents, carving a well-written reputation in horology. At Watches and Wonders 2026, Zenith interprets its legacy through two distinct articulations of the movement: the Calibre 135 and El Primero.
The first expression finds its place within the G.F.J. collection—a tribute to the brand’s 160-year history and the return of one of the most celebrated observatory chronometers ever produced. Today, the Calibre 135 is re-engineered to preserve its architecture and refine performance.
Limited to 161 pieces, the 18-carat yellow gold model stages the romance of precision, wherein the structure glows like sunlight softening a sharp skyline. The dial cut from deep green jasper “bloodstone” is veined with unique threads of rust and ochre on every piece. Where the rest of the watch obeys symmetry and restraint, the stone breathes its own private signature. No two owners will see the same face twice.
By contrast, the tantalum edition pursues a more material, intellectual, and radical path. Made in a run of 20 pieces, the exotic substance feels introspective yet remains minimalistic. Exceptionally dense and notoriously difficult to machine, tantalum imposes a more controlled, deliberate fabrication.
Like a confident handshake—soft and firm—the 39.5 mm case sits on the wrist: you feel it’s there, and that’s exactly the point.
Punctuated by baguette-cut diamond indexes, the watch face reveals a polished black onyx centre, a grey mother-of-pearl small seconds counter, and a carved guilloché periphery.
Zenith sought not merely to harness time’s cadence but to elevate it into versatility. At the illustrious event, the Maison also revived its jewel, the El Primero, driving the CHRONOMASTER collection forward. As the first fully integrated automatic chronograph, the movement’s central hand races around the dial, completing a full lap in just 10 seconds.
Now powered by the El Primero 3600, with 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz), the CHRONOMASTER reinvents high-frequency performance into a sprint. A masterclass in control, it reasserts the El Primero among the most consequential movements in watchmaking history.
The two-tone statement watch, available in steel and rose gold, is neither purely sporty nor overtly formal. The contrast of materials tempers the intensity of the chronograph, allowing it to transition across contexts without losing its mechanical authority.
The dial renders mother-of-pearl with luminosity. Light moves across its surface throughout the day, shifting from cool silver to a warmer champagne tone. Three overlapping counters at 3, 6, and 9 keep the lineage clear and serve as a direct nod to the original El Primero. Issued in a limited series of 50 pieces, the watch is built to breathe between occasions.
If the two-tone model proves precision can be versatile, the CHRONOMASTER Sport Skeleton exposes its inner workings. Offering a more technical interpretation within the line, it transforms function into visual language, exhibiting the body of the El Primero 3600. Bridges, gears, and the regulating organ are brought into view. Meanwhile, the sophisticated skeletonisation is designed with the newly developed patented folding clasp, ZENCLASP™, providing ergonomic refinement while enhancing comfort and adjustability.
Across bespoke craftsmanship, Zenith remains faithful in demonstrating how powerful movements can be understood, admired, and celebrated, without ever being fully seen.
