Zenith El Primero Caliber 3620

The Zenith El Primero caliber 3620 a high frequency automatic movement beating at 36,000 vph. This movement is featured in the Defy Skyline models which were announced during LVMH Watch Week 2022. The 3620 is basically the non-chronograph version of the Zenith El Primero caliber 3600. This caliber features a silicone escape wheel and lever.

1/10th Small Seconds:

Rather than having a standard 1/100th seconds subdial at 9:00, the Zenith 3620 shows off it’s high beat rate with a 1/10th small seconds indicator. This means the seconds hand makes a full rotation around the subdial every 10 seconds.

In Zenith’s own words:

“Besides the central hour and minute hands and a date window at 3 o’clock finished in the same colour as the dial, the DEFY Skyline brings something new to the table that’s as much a demonstration of technical prowess as it is a visually captivating animation rarely ever seen on a wristwatch. On the small counter at 9 o’clock, a constantly running 1/10th of a second hand makes steady jumps in fixed increments, completing one revolution every 10 seconds and reminding the wearer of the fleeting nature of time and the precision of the 5Hz movement within. With the DEFY Skyline’s cosmic inspiration, it should come as no surprise that such fractional time-measuring functions requiring the highest levels of precision were once used to calculate the movement of celestial bodies and sidereal time.” –source

And also from the same source:

“This exceptional performance is delivered by the new El Primero 3620. Built with a similar architecture as the El Primero 3600 1/10th of a second chronograph, this automatic manufacture movement visible through the sapphire display back drives the 1/10th of a second hand directly from the escapement, which beats at 5Hz (36’000 VpH), thus making it a “natural” fraction-of-a-second indication.”

Examples of watches with Zenith caliber 3620:

Additional Resources:

• Official Defy Skyline page