24-02-2013, 05:46 PM
den diskussion bliver ved i det uendelige. min indgangsvinkel er meget lig denne:
Thirty-nine years later, there is no simple answer to the question of who produced the world's first automatic chronographs. We can say that Zenith tried too hard, making a preemptive announcement in January 1969 and invoking the name "El Primero", when in fact the company was months away from beginning production or sales of its automatic chronographs. By contrast, Seiko may not have tried hard enough, with the company remaining quiet in the spring of 1969, even as its factory was beginning to produce automatic chronographs for the Japanese market. Despite these shortcomings of Zenith and Seiko, each of the firms - and their modern-day enthusiasts - is left with at least some basis for claiming to have been first.
Returning to the perspective that we employed at the outset of this series -- the question of which chronographs first worn by the racers, the pilots, the divers, the adventurers and the sportsmen -- the answer to the question of "Which was first?" becomes clear.
This advertisement, from the October 1969 issue of MotorSport, is the first print advertisement that I have found, for the Caliber 12 / Chronomatics. This timing is consistent with the conclusion that the Chronomatics were first sold at retail beginning during the Summer of 1969.
Without any doubt, it was the Chronomatic automatic chronographs produced by Heuer, Breitling and Hamilton-Buren that were first to be delivered to these enthusiasts in markets around the world. Accordingly, as we look back at the end of the race, we see the members of the Chronomatic group atop the podium, celebrating their hard-fought victory. It was a grueling race, not decided until the last laps, but now the members of the Chronomatic team cheer and douse each other with champagne, as the two rival firms can only watch, a step down, on either side of the victors.
Thirty-nine years later, there is no simple answer to the question of who produced the world's first automatic chronographs. We can say that Zenith tried too hard, making a preemptive announcement in January 1969 and invoking the name "El Primero", when in fact the company was months away from beginning production or sales of its automatic chronographs. By contrast, Seiko may not have tried hard enough, with the company remaining quiet in the spring of 1969, even as its factory was beginning to produce automatic chronographs for the Japanese market. Despite these shortcomings of Zenith and Seiko, each of the firms - and their modern-day enthusiasts - is left with at least some basis for claiming to have been first.
Returning to the perspective that we employed at the outset of this series -- the question of which chronographs first worn by the racers, the pilots, the divers, the adventurers and the sportsmen -- the answer to the question of "Which was first?" becomes clear.
This advertisement, from the October 1969 issue of MotorSport, is the first print advertisement that I have found, for the Caliber 12 / Chronomatics. This timing is consistent with the conclusion that the Chronomatics were first sold at retail beginning during the Summer of 1969.
Without any doubt, it was the Chronomatic automatic chronographs produced by Heuer, Breitling and Hamilton-Buren that were first to be delivered to these enthusiasts in markets around the world. Accordingly, as we look back at the end of the race, we see the members of the Chronomatic group atop the podium, celebrating their hard-fought victory. It was a grueling race, not decided until the last laps, but now the members of the Chronomatic team cheer and douse each other with champagne, as the two rival firms can only watch, a step down, on either side of the victors.
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