Calibre 2542 — automatic from the classic years

In brief

The 2542 runs at 21,600 vph, faster than the hand-wound precision calibres Zenith was building in the same years. It is an automatic from the brand's classic period, and the Sporto is one of the models it went into.

Short history

Once the automatic rotor became standard across post-war Swiss watchmaking, Zenith developed its own line of self-winding calibres running at higher frequencies than the hand-wound movements before them, looking for a balance between everyday convenience and accuracy. The 2542 belongs to that generation, and predates the high-frequency leap that arrived later with the El Primero.

Watches that used it

• Zenith Sporto
• Vintage Zenith automatics