Calibre 135 — the chronometer that won precision contests

In brief

Precision was the whole brief. The 135 ranks among the most accurate movements Zenith ever produced, and it comes from the era of observatory chronometry contests, when the major Swiss houses were competing to have their calibres certified against the strictest standards then available.

Short history

In the middle of the twentieth century, before quartz made accuracy a given, chronometry observatories such as Neuchâtel certified hand-adjusted mechanical movements under punishing test conditions. The 135 belongs to that generation of Zenith competition movements, built to place in those official trials rather than to fill a production line.

Watches that used it

• Zenith Chronometer
• High-precision vintage Zenith