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New Movement Family: Zenith Elite

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This weekend I added a Zenith’s Elite family of movements to the site. These are an important series of modern automatic movements yet are not well-understood or documented. Introduced in 1994, the Elite series gave Zenith a compact movement that was robust, reliable, and could support complications across a wide range of watches. The series was almost retired in 2015 but has been given a new lease on life and is today one of two main movement lines from Zenith, along with the famous El Primero chronograph.

Jump right to the Zenith Elite family here on Grail Watch Reference or stick around for the back-story

Zenith introduced the Elite movement family in 1994

Zenith’s Bread and Butter Movement

Zenith used this illustration for the launch of Cal. 691 in 2011

Mention Zenith to a watch enthusiast and they’ll likely start talking about the famous high-beat automatic chronograph known as El Primero. And for good reason: Not only is it historic, it’s also got a fun survival story and is a great movement to boot. But a company can’t rely on a single movement for all of its sales, especially a complex and expensive one.

In 1991, the Swiss watch industry was finding its way out of the quartz crisis, with complicated automatic movements leading the charge. IWC and ETA were showing what could be accomplished by layering a module on top of a reliable base, and every manufacturer was scrambling to secure such a movement. Zenith technical director Jean-Pierre Gerber lead a team to create a design of their own. It would be a relatively small and thin automatic movement with specifications similar to ETA’s leading Cal. 2892-2. The company was using computer-aided design (CAD) technology for the first time, and reportedly brought in help from consulting company Conseilray.

The resulting Zenith Elite movement would prove to be an excellent all-around performer. It was thoroughly up to date, with modern features including hacking seconds, instant date change, and a ball bearing rotor. The Glucydur balance ticked 28,800 times per hour but the design was efficient enough to run for over 50 hours from a single mainspring barrel. It measured just 11.5 ligne (25.60 mm) diameter and 3.28 mm thick, making it even slimmer than the similar ETA 2892.

At a time when subdial “small seconds” were seen as old-fashioned, Zenith designed this into Elite movement. Stranger still was the location of this subdial: 9:00 on the dial. Perhaps this was to add interest and a feeling of complexity to the watches that used the new Cal. 680, but it remains an odd choice. Zenith also offered a similar movement, Cal. 670, with central seconds, but this never seemed to be the focus. The small seconds movements were much more prominent in the Elite range, and far more varieties were produced.

Zenith Elite Cal. 680

Early variations on the Elite included the hand-winding Cal. 650, two-handed Cal. 661, and models with a fan-shaped power reserve indicator between 1 and 2 on the dial. A popular complication was a central 24 hour hand adjusted using a simple pushbutton at 10:00 on the case. These complications would appear in various combinations with date and moon phase for 25 years. Perhaps the most unusual member of the family is Cal. 689, which moves the small seconds subdial to the traditional location of 6:00 on the dial. This gave it a look entirely unlike the rest of the Elite series.

Early in the 2010s, Zenith recognized that the diminutive Elite movement wasn’t a good match for the ever-larger cases preferred by modern buyers. The company set about designing a new larger movement, likely intending to slot it above the Elite as a basis for future complicated models. The result was Cal. 6150, shown in late 2014 but officially launched in 2015. This double-barrel movement boasted 100 hours power reserve and a generous diameter of 30 mm, and Zenith’s new CEO Aldo Magada suggested it would see widespread use.

Outgoing CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour had radically reduced the number of models offered by Zenith and directed the company to switch to cheaper Sellita SW300 movements for low-end models. This would have pushed the new Elite movement up-market at the expense of some of the hard-won respect the brand had earned from enthusiasts. But a funny thing happened over the next few years: Although a few models (notably the Pilot Type 20) did use Sellita movements, that plan was cancelled by the new CEO. In the mean time, the old Elite just soldiered on as the promised 6150 family never developed past that first movement.

Zenith Cal. 670, pictured in a 1996 press photo, remains in production after over 25 years

As of 2020, Cal. 6150 no longer appears in the Zenith catalog. But five variations on the little #lite, including the original Calibres 670 and 680 remain in production! Indeed, when Zenith began experimenting with silicon escapement components in 2018, they turned to the original Elite Cal. 670 as a base. Today’s Elite Cal. 670 SK is found in the brand’s leading models, including the skeletonized Defy.

In 1994, Zenith’s model range was defined by two movements: The Elite and El Primero. That the same is true in 2020 is quite remarkable indeed!

Research Notes

I was able to catalog 23 different Elite movements based on the original 1994 design, and I believe that this list is comprehensive. It was surprising that there is no other such list on the internet, and I believe that this site might just be the most comprehensive resource for the Zenith Elite movement family anywhere!

It was extremely hard to locate solid information on these movements, and I rely primarily on two sources of information:

  • Archived copies of the Zenith-Watches website dating from 2001 to present
  • A trove of Zenith press releases from 2003 through 2008
  • A full-line Zenith catalog from 2011
  • Contemporary coverage in Europa Star, WatchTime, and QP Magazine

I did not use sources like WatchBase, Ranfft, or Caliber Corner at all, since I found their information quite lacking and often incorrect. The same is true of popular forums, where many posters are confused about which movement is which and what the specs are. I found this odd, since most online enthusiast communities have decent information about many brands, but perhaps Zenith devotees aren’t as focused on the movements as others.

In fact, it was this conflicting and confusing situation that drove me to research this movement family. I could not believe that there was no other resource, given the universal acclaim Zenith has received for the Elite family.

All specifications listed in the movement pages here at Grail Watch Reference are based on manufacturer information. This is especially important since some important elements are inconsistent across sources, including the thickness of the base movement (is it 3.28, 3.47, or 3.88 mm?) and jewel count (does Cal. 690 really have 37 jewels?) When in doubt I chose not to include a spec rather than to include something dubious.

It was also difficult to trace the timeline of these movements. I compiled a list of the first mention of each movement in a contemporary source or on the website as a start, also researching the first appearance of the watch which used it. Happily Zenith encodes the movement number in the watch reference number, making this task quite a lot easier. Still, it is possible that some of my dates are too “late” if I missed an earlier use. But overall they should be quite reliable.

Confirming the ETA 2892 Timeline

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One of my goals with Grail Watch Reference is to use primary sources to develop the best information possible. Although many aspects of horology are widely reported as truth, we can not completely rely on these stories: There’s just too much folklore out there! To illustrate, I will walk through my process of verifying the timeline of one of today’s top movements, ETA’s 2892A2.

This 2002 article from Watchtime is a typical re-telling of accepted horological history. Gisbert L. Brunner has written 30 books on watches and likely has good information, but one must be skeptical and find contemporary references. For instance, Brunner overlooks the fact that the original movement was not 11.5 ligne and wrongly places the date of Cal. 2892-A2 (sic) as 1983.
Image: Watchtime 6, 2002

1975: ETA Launches Cal. 2892

In 1975, ETA launched a new “flatline” movement family. Calibres 2890 and 2892 (with date) measured just 3.6 mm thick, a remarkable achievement for a robust and modern movement. Although most mechanical movements were swept away by the quartz revolution between 1975 and 1985, ETA’s high-end automatic movement remained in production. In fact, it was reduced in diameter in the 1980s, becoming Cal. 2892-2. But this movement had some issues, so another revision followed in the 1990s: Cal. 2892A2, with improved winding efficiency.

It is commonly reported that ETA launched Cal. 2892 in 1975. To verify this, I went into the archives of Europa Star to find the earliest mention of this movement in this contemporary source. The earliest mention I could find was a favorite of mine, this “family portrait” from ETA. It shows the broad range of movements offered as of November, 1975, including Cal. 2892, the now-common Cal. 2824, Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement, compact Cal. 2678, “Gabarit” Cal. 2878, and even the Cal. AS 5008 alarm movement.

This 1975 advertisement in Europa Star shows the key movements in the Ebauches SA family: ETA 2678, AS 5103/5106, ETA 2783, ETA 2824, AS 2063/2066, ETA 2878, FHF 411/412, ETA 2892, AS 5008, and VAL 7750
Image: EJW 149, 1975

Then, the May-June 1976 issue includes a writeup of the “New Automatic Extra-Flat Calibre.” Although not 1975, this wording strongly suggests that it was considered a recent development. An archived copy of the ETA website from 1998 also mentions that in 1975 “ETA launches the flattest automatic mechanical movement men’s watch, with centre second, date and rapid connection, to be mass produced.” And a 2002 WatchTime profile of Anton Bally, then head of ETA, notes that “Bally’s first task [at ETA] was to design and build a 3.60-mm-thin, 12.5-ligne, automatic mechanical movement with a calendar disk.”

Given these sources, I will deem the 1975 launch date for Cal. 2892 to be confirmed.

ETA introduced Cal. 2892 in 1975: A high-end extra-flat automatic movement in a sea of quartz!
Image: Europa Star 97, 1976

Note that this movement measured 28.00 mm diameter (12.5 ligne) rather than 25.60 mm (11.5 ligne) of the modern Cal. 2892A2. This is an important difference, since the reduction in diameter matched the mainstream Cal. 2824 as well as the thicker “Gabarit” Cal. 2872. As ever-smaller quartz movements were introduced, 11.5 ligne became the basic size expected for most watch movements until the 2010s.

Another important thing to note is that Cal. 2892 was considered a “Flatline” movement by ETA. They used this terminology for movements thinner than 4 mm, and continue to use it today. Other families included “Normline”, “Gabarit“, and “Manufacture”. ETA also calls out the instant date change, quick date correction (using the crown), and “stop-second” device, all of which were differentiators at the time. And unlike many previous movement families, the ETA 2890 family was only produced in 28,800 A/h “high-frequency” speed.

1983: ETA Shrinks the Movement as 2892-2

This drawing came from a later ETA tech sheet for Cal. 2892-2

Although many mechanical movements didn’t last through the 1970s, ETA’s Cal. 2892 remained attractive as a higher-end thinner movement for upscale watches. But the diameter was problematic for the designs emerging in the 1980s, necessitating a shrink. ETA removed a few millimeters from the main plate and trimmed the rotor to reach the same 25.60 mm diameter as other popular contemporary movements.

Cal. 2892-2, as it was known, appeared in the early 1980s for sure, as it was widely used later in that decade. But when was it launched? A few sources referenced 1983, though I also found mentions dating it 3-4 years earlier and 2-3 years later. Once again, I searched through Europa Star to see the first contemporary mention of this movement. And once again, I located an excellent temporal reference.

In 1984, ETA announced the winners of a competition to use “the latest ETA mechanical movements” in a contemporary watch. The movements were the now-common Peseux 7001 and 11.5 ligne ETA 2892-2.
Image: Europa Star 145, 1984

Although not a definitive date, it seems clear from the wording of this article that the reduced-diameter ETA 2892-2 was an advanced movement in 1984, and that ETA wanted to promote its use in new watch designs. Plus, Cal. 2892-2 is not mentioned previously in the archive. This strongly supports the 1983 date of introduction for Cal. 2892-2. It also definitely shows that this movement measured 25.60 mm (11.5 ligne) diameter. Some modern sources wrongly assume that the movement family always measured this size or alternately that it was only the modern Cal. 2892A2 that was reduced.

Cal. 2892A2: What’s In a Name?

ETA 2892A2

It is much harder to place a definitive date on the introduction of the updated Cal. 2892A2. Indeed, many people assume that this movement is equivalent to the shrunken Cal. 2892-2, that it is simply a renaming, or that it is a modern redesign. The truth is somewhat different, and perhaps more interesting.

First, let us clarify the name of this movement: It is “2892A2”, not “2892-A2” or “2892/A2” as one often sees. Although many publications and commenters use a variety of names, ETA has never used a dash or slash in the name. WatchTime is particularly egregious in this, as they seem always to call it “2892-A2”. Perhaps that dash is the reason there is so much confusion about the relationship of this movement to the similar Cal. 2892-2. Indeed, I found a reference to “Cal. 2892-2A” in Europa Star, and many references to “2892-2” and just “2892” in recent articles.

This 1998 advertisement is the first official mention of Cal. 2892A2 by ETA
Image: Europa Star 231, 1998

The earliest official mention of Cal. 2892A2 I could locate by ETA themselves was a 1998 advertisement for the complete line of mechanical movements. This contains the line, “for some years now, the ETA 2892A2 11 1/2”’ self-winding caliber has enjoyed considerable success with upmarket makers, often providing the basis for a variety of complex auxiliary functions.” ETA also included Cal. 2892A2 (and not Cal. 2892-2) on their website way back in 1998.

An earlier official reference came in 1996, in coverage of La Chaux-de-Fonds’ International Museum of Horology. This short article shows Anton Bally of ETA donating several “movements of interest” to the museum. Along with two Flatline quartz movements, ETA donated a “MECALINE 2892A2” and notes that this is “a product adapted specifically for use in chronometers.” I believe that I saw this exact movement on display during my visit to the museum a few years back.

Even earlier mentions came in coverage of various watches. A 1994 writeup of a new watch from Epos mentions that it uses “Cal. 2892-A2/9000” with full calendar and moon phase. It is typical to use a slash to denote a module on top of a base movement, and the Dubois Depraz 9000 module fits this description, so it all makes sense. At BASEL 96, Bertolucci boasts of their “2892-A2” being an “officially certified chronometer” while Dubey & Schaldenbrand uses a “modified calibre base ETA 2892-A2” with world time.

ETA’s 2892A2 is a extremely popular thin automatic movement

Clearly the updated movement was available as early as 1994, but this begs the question: What differentiates a 2892A2 from a 2892-2?

Users of the reduced-size Cal. 2892-2 apparently experienced poor winding efficiency, with the movement sometimes failing to wind enough to keep running on the wrist. ETA modified the rotor, reducing the chamfer to add mass at the edge. It is also said that they switched from a stud to a jewel on the upper winding bridge, though the official jewel count remains at 21. These are the generally accepted changes, but they could have been phased in over time and did not require a name change.

Perhaps there is a more important difference. As noted in ETA’s official copy, Cal. 2892A2 was designed for use in chronometers. Certainly this movement has always performed well, but the finishing and decoration of 2892A2 is far superior to 2892-2, even in basic models. This seems to be the true differentiator: Cal. 2892A2 was a higher-end product for the emerging chronometer and luxury automatic watch segment in the 1990s and 2000s, while Cal. 2892-2 seems to vanish over this same period. This also matches the naming of other ETA movements, in which a dash indicates a major revision while a number suggests finishing: Cal. 2894S2 is a skeletonized version of Cal. 2894-2, while Cal. 2890-9 and 2890A9 and 2891-9 and 2891A9 appear identical apart from finishing.

Interestingly, in a 2008 WatchTime article, Brunner takes no notice of Cal. 2892-2 at all. He simply repeats the claim that Cal. 2892-A2 (sic) was introduced in 1983. Clearly, Cal. 2892-2 existed and is different from 2892A2, but perhaps he’s not so far off. If the difference is in finishing and execution, and the modified components came without fanfare, these movements would be roughly equivalent. My previous belief, that Cal. 2892A2 was a major revision, could be off base.

As for the date of introduction for Cal. 2892A2, I’ll stick with 1996 since this is the first official mention. But it seems likely that it was a more gradual process, with third parties using the “A2” nomenclature at least as far back as 1994. I welcome corrections from my readers!

Research Notes: ETA 2892

Even a popular and well-documented movement like Cal. 2892 requires research and verification. We must rely on contemporary sources and first-party information, not folklore. Next I’ll dive into a murkier topic: Dating the other members of the ETA 2890 family. I was surprised to learn how early these movements appeared. This is one reason I questioned the accepted wisdom and timeline of Cal. 2892A2 in the first place. After all, many of these movements pre-date this change and yet include the modified parts. Surely the name change does not just refer to the rotor!

The “Cal. 2893 Trio” appeared as early as 1992, though they were rarely used.
Image: Europa Star 193, 1992

I strongly recommend examining the following sources of information about Cal. 2892 and its successors: