Saturday, March 25, 2023
WRIST NEWS
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Brands
    • Audemars Piguet
    • Bvlgari
    • Cartier
    • Hublot
    • Omega
    • Panerai
    • Patek Philippe
    • Pierre Gaston
    • Richard Mille
    • Rolex
    • Strumenti Nautici
    • Tag Heuer
    • Tokki Project
    • Ulysse Nardin
    • Zenith
  • Editor’s Pick
WRIST NEWS
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Brands
    • Audemars Piguet
    • Bvlgari
    • Cartier
    • Hublot
    • Omega
    • Panerai
    • Patek Philippe
    • Pierre Gaston
    • Richard Mille
    • Rolex
    • Strumenti Nautici
    • Tag Heuer
    • Tokki Project
    • Ulysse Nardin
    • Zenith
  • Editor’s Pick
No Result
View All Result
WRIST NEWS
No Result
View All Result

Why I Bought It: The Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot

Quentin Bufogle by Quentin Bufogle
February 20, 2023
in chronograph, Collectors and Collecting, Featured, News, Quill & Pad, Zenith, Zenith Chronomaster, Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot
0
Home chronograph

Credits:  Article and images by Quentin Bufogle @ Quill & Pad.  See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/02/20/why-i-bought-it-the-zenith-chronomaster-tribute-to-charles-vermot/

In 1975, Charles Vermot, foreman for Swiss luxury watchmaker Zenith, got the call.

RELATED POST

Behind The Lens: MB&F Horological Machine No. 9 Sapphire Vision In White Gold – Reprise

Why I Bought It: Vintage Rolex Air-King “Bloodhound” Ref. 116900

It was the height of the Quartz crisis, and Zenith, the venerable old marque that had bested Japanese juggernaut Seiko and a consortium of Swiss watchmakers in developing the first fully integrated, automatic chronograph movement, had been gobbled up by an American electronics manufacturer that was, perhaps not coincidently, also called Zenith.

Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot (photo courtesy Quentin R. Bufogle)

The new owners – who were in the business of manufacturing TVs and clock radios – wanted in on all that cash being generated by low-priced quartz watches tha were cheaper to maintain and more accurate than their mechanical counterparts.

And so the call came down from the suits over in America. Zenith was no longer in the business of manufacturing high-end mechanical watches. Its future was strictly in quartz. Vermot was ordered to scrap all the machine tools for making the historic, high-beat El Primero movement, and gear up to begin churning out the cheap, electronic watches the market was clamoring for.

Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot (photo courtesy Quentin R. Bufogle) 

Vermot’s heart sank. Mechanical watchmaking was in his blood. He’d been a loyal employee of Zenith since 1959, when his original employer, the Martel Watch Company, was acquired by Zenith. Vermot had witnessed first-hand Zenith’s almost insurmountable David v Goliath struggle to produce the first fully integrated chronograph movement that had nearly bankrupted the company.

Defying the orders of his new American bosses, Vermot hid the machine tools for making the El Primero in a factory loft, thus saving the historic chronograph movement for posterity – and the folks at Rolex a little over a decade later.

Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot (photo courtesy Quentin R. Bufogle) 

Zenith electronics eventually divested itself of the Swiss watchmaker and was in turn gobbled up by Korean electronics giant LG. Zenith, the maker of fine Swiss luxury watches, continues to turn out high-end mechanical watches today, including this metallic blue dial special edition El Primero Chronomaster, a tribute to the man himself, Charles Vermot.

Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot (photo courtesy Quentin R. Bufogle) 

There’s a scene in the Matt Damon movie Ford v Ferrari that always brings a lump to my throat. Lee Iaccoca, as portrayed by actor Jon Bernthal, delivers an impassioned speech to Henry Ford II, the crusty, hard-boiled monarch of the Ford Motor Company.  Iacocca tries to convince the boss of America’s largest automobile manufacturer that a little dose of that legendary Ferrari mojo might just be the antidote to flatlining car sales. Heck, why not just buy the whole damn company!

Iacocca tells Ford that Enzo Ferrari will go down in history as the world’s greatest carmaker — not because he made the most cars, but because he made the best!  Adding, “Enzo Ferrari has spent the last twenty years chasing perfection. Now that he’s caught it, it’s bankrupted him.” (Cue the Kleenex.)

Grown men aren’t supposed to cry (certainly not over a Matt Damon flick). But in this day and age of shameless, unbridled corporate greed, when nothing else matters save serving up yet another profitable quarter to satisfy shareholders and justify the megabuck salaries of shortsighted CEOs, the thought of a company – any company – casting caution to the wind and choosing to pursue excellence over profits, is downright mindboggling. And not just mindboggling; almost mythic and heroic in its purity.

View of the El Primero movement through the display back of the Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot (photo courtesy Quentin R. Bufogle) 

And so, as Enzo Ferrari nearly drove his company into bankruptcy in the pursuit of perfection, so did the folks at Zenith in developing the world’s first (high beat) fully integrated, automatic chronograph movement. What must have truly been perceived as a fool’s errand given the brand’s formidable competition.

Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot

I could go on and on about the Zenith Chronomaster Tribute to Charles Vermot’s stunningly beautiful, metallic blue dial, silicon escapement (visible via the open heart feature), and COSC chronometer certification. I could tell you that it’s one of the last truly great Chronomasters produced in that unique style and aesthetic that’s become so emblematic of the brand – one that borrows from no other.  But I’d be missing the real point – at least as far as I’m concerned.

Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot (photo courtesy Quentin R. Bufogle) 

That two of horology’s greatest and most inspiring bits of history (the story of the creation of the El Primero and its savior, Charles Vermot), can be celebrated in a single wristwatch, is – for this collector – truly priceless.

For more information, please visit www.zenith-watches.com/int/brand/heritage-charles-vermot

Quick facts: Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot Open Heart
Reference: 03.20416.4061
Case: 42 mm x 14.05 mm. Stainless steel, brushed & polished. Push/pull crown.
Movement: Zenith El Primero Calibre 4061. Automatic, column wheel, lateral clutch chronograph. 36,000 vph/5 Hz frequency, silicon escapement, COSC Certified Chronometer, 31 jewels, power reserve 50 hours
Crystal: box sapphire (front), Sapphire display back.
Strap/bracelet: rubber with double deployant clasp.
Water-resistant: 100 m
Retail price: $9,000 (launched 2014, out of production)

You might also enjoy:

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Vs. Zenith Chronomaster Sport: Head To Head

Zenith Defy Skyline: How To Kill Two Birds With One Watch

Zenith x Kari Voutilainen x Phillips Calibre 135 Observatoire: 10 Of The World’s Highest Precision, Competition-Winning Chronometer Movements Ready For The Wrist

Zenith Chronomaster A384 Revival Lupin The Third Final Edition: Feeling The Split

Credits:  Article and images by Quentin Bufogle @ Quill & Pad.  See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/02/20/why-i-bought-it-the-zenith-chronomaster-tribute-to-charles-vermot/

Tags: chronographCollectors and CollectingFeaturedNewsZenithZenith ChronomasterZenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot
ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

Behind The Lens: MB&F Horological Machine No. 9 Sapphire Vision In White Gold
Highlights

Behind The Lens: MB&F Horological Machine No. 9 Sapphire Vision In White Gold – Reprise

March 25, 2023
Why I Bought It: Vintage Rolex Air-King “Bloodhound” Ref. 116900
Collectors and Collecting

Why I Bought It: Vintage Rolex Air-King “Bloodhound” Ref. 116900

March 24, 2023
The Modern Longines Pilot Majetek
2023 Novelties

The Modern Longines Pilot Majetek

March 24, 2023
Jaeger-LeCoultre introduce In The Making
Jaeger-LeCoultre

Jaeger-LeCoultre introduce In The Making

March 24, 2023
In Conversation with Jean-Marie Schaller, Owner and CEO of Louis Moinet Part I
Louis Moinet

In Conversation with Jean-Marie Schaller, Owner and CEO of Louis Moinet Part I

March 24, 2023
Petermann Bédat Introduces the Monopusher Split-Seconds Chronograph with Instantaneous Minutes Ref. 2941
2023 Novelties

Petermann Bédat Introduces the Monopusher Split-Seconds Chronograph with Instantaneous Minutes Ref. 2941

March 23, 2023
Next Post
Visiting Torsti Laine, Independent Finnish Watchmaker In Switzerland, And His Festival Of Color

Visiting Torsti Laine, Independent Finnish Watchmaker In Switzerland, And His Festival Of Color – Reprise

ABOUT US

Bringing you the latest wristwatch news from the world's most reliable sources.

Follow us

RECENT NEWS

  • Behind The Lens: MB&F Horological Machine No. 9 Sapphire Vision In White Gold – Reprise
  • Why I Bought It: Vintage Rolex Air-King “Bloodhound” Ref. 116900
  • The Modern Longines Pilot Majetek
  • Jaeger-LeCoultre introduce In The Making

QUICK LINKS

  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our newsletter and get the best news directly to your inbox.

*We hate spam as you do.

  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

WristNews © 2017 - 2022. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Brands
    • Audemars Piguet
    • Bvlgari
    • Cartier
    • Hublot
    • Omega
    • Panerai
    • Patek Philippe
    • Pierre Gaston
    • Richard Mille
    • Rolex
    • Strumenti Nautici
    • Tag Heuer
    • Tokki Project
    • Ulysse Nardin
    • Zenith
  • Editor’s Pick

WristNews © 2017 - 2022. All rights reserved.