Zenith El Primero Open

Zenith has teamed up with the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) to serve as official timekeeper in 2016 for the organization’s vintage races throughout North America.

Zenith’s President & CEO Aldo Magada and SVRA’s President & CEO Tony Parella hosted a cocktail party on February 18th at the Classic Car Club Manhattan in New York City. This is a world famous private club that gives its members access to a fleet of the most sought-after cars ever built. Zenith took the opportunity to unveil the El Primero Chronomaster 1969 SVRA, a special edition that incorporates the SVRA logo, powered of course by the legendary beating heart of the El Primero movement.

“This partnership with SVRA and vintage race car is not simply a collaborative endeavor, it’s a sharing of values and passions. Passion for mechanics, for competition, for adventure and also for friendship” said Aldo Magada. “We are proud to be associating with SVRA, one of the oldest vintage racing organizations in the United States, to affirm Zenith and its long-standing relationship with vintage racing and classic car owners.”

“We are extremely honored to partner with Zenith, one of the most iconic watch manufacturers in the world,” said Tony Parella, CEO and President of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association. “This relationship focuses on a shared passion for heritage and the things that last. Vintage race cars and Zenith El Primero Chronomaster watches are both mechanically technical and artistic. I look forward to building towards the future
while enjoying what Zenith brings to our events.”

Vintage racing is not just a pastime; it is a network of people drawn together by a shared nostalgia and it is also a cherished hobby for enthusiasts who appreciate tradition and that which are built to endure.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association is now into its 38th racing season and will run sixteen events across the country this year with over 5,000 drivers. Some of these events will be held at legendary tracks such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen,
Sonoma Raceway, Circuit of The Americas and Portland International Raceway. There is nothing quite so exciting as a vintage race car. SVRA captures the essence of decades of racing’s heritage and past glory, re-creating its colorful pageantry.

The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 SVRA is a special edition issued in a 100-piece limited edition, designed for authentic motorsports enthusiasts with a special interest in vintage racing.
Zenith is a brand that has been bringing style and substance to the wrists of watchmaking cognoscenti all over the world for more than 150 years. Founded in Le Locle in 1865 by a visionary watchmaker, Georges Favre-Jacot, the Manufacture Zenith gained swift recognition for the precision of its chronometers, with which it has won 2,333 chronometry prizes in a century and a half of existence: an absolute record. Having earned fame thanks to its legendary El Primero calibre – an integrated automatic column-wheel chronograph movement launched in 1969 and endowed with a high frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour that ensures short-time measurements accurate to the nearest 1/10th of a second – the Manufacture Zenith has since developed over 600 movement variations. Zenith El Primero Chronomaster remains one of a select group of traditional luxury watch brands to produce all its movements in-house, the industry’s ultimate token of quality. Engaged on several vintage territories such as classic cars, Zenith currently offers a collection of exclusive and ageless finely crafted timepieces designed for sartorially minded men and women. Zenith’s rich heritage, tradition, passion and pursuit of excellence reflect the legacy of its slogan “Legends live forever”.