Zenith was established in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle, Switzerland, pioneering the concept of a manufacture by uniting all watchmaking processes under one roof. By 1900, Zenith’s precision timepieces had won numerous chronometry awards, a testament to its innovative approach. By 1925, the company employed over 1,000 workers, making it one of the largest Swiss watchmakers of the era.

The 1969 release of the El Primero movement —considered as the first integrated automatic chronograph— revolutionized the industry with its high-frequency, 36,000 vibrations per hour movement, offering unmatched precision and the ability to measure time to 1/10th of a second. Zenith continued to innovate, surviving the quartz crisis of the 1970s and regaining prominence under the LVMH group, which acquired the brand in 1999.

The ‘Rainbow’ series, named after the winning sailboat at the 1934 America’s Cup, was pioneered in the early 1990’s, right after Zenith started sharing the El Primero movement with Rolex (1988). Its resemblance to its contemporary Daytona is no coincidence, and it is a well-kept secret amongst watch collectors —perhaps the result of a gentleman’s agreement between the two brands: shared movements, shared looks. Different variants were produced, from dressier dress watches to chunky pilot chronographs.

This particular watch is perhaps the most attractive iteration of the tachymeter 400’s. A thin, 40mm stainless case encloses an elegant gloss black dial with subtle subdial rings, surrounded by a stainless bezel, screw-down pushers and a crown guard. Sold new in Abruzzo (Italy) in 2001, this watch comes with an original box, travel case, and full manuals.