wristwatches as it struggled to survive. As automatic movements began to come back into demand, Ebel (and later Rolex) sourced the El Primero movement for their own chronograph timepieces, which breathed new life into the struggling brand. In 1999, as watch consortiums (led by Swatch Group) began to acquire brands, LVMH purchased Zenith for $48.4 million USD, which continues to be a part of the luxury goods conglomerate today. George Favre-Jacot George Favre-Bulls was born 1843. At the age of nine he stopped attending school to pursue an apprenticeship in watchmaking, and by the age of 13 had already established his own business. He married Louise-Philippine Jacot-Descombes at the age of 20, and was known from that point on as George Favre-Jacot. He died in 1917 at the age of 74. Favre-Jacot at some time requested that a house be built for himself at Le Locle, by the architect Le Corbusier. He was also closely involved with another prominent architect, named Alphonse Laverrière. His relationship with this latter architect was the source of influence upon the Werkbund movement. The two men collaborated with a shared artistic vision of the nature of production, to the extent to which they themselves somewhat reformed the artistic situation within francophone Switzerland at the time. Chronometry At the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition, Zenith won its first award for chronometry and in honor of that award, the manufacturer released the Grand Prix Paris 1900 pocket watch which featured a depiction of the prize on the case. In the 1920s, Zenith developed the Calibre 26x series of chronometers based on an 8-day car clock, which were used for both marine and observatory competitions. In the 1940s, Zenith continued their efforts to develop precision movements, and won five straight (1950-1954) Neuchatel Observatory prizes with their Caliber 135. In total, Zenith has won over 2,300 prizes for chronometry. Today, while very few Zenith timepieces feature COSC certification (required to display the word "Chronometer" on the dial), the wristwatches meet or exceed these rigorous timekeeping standards, a reflection Zenith's history of precision timekeeping. Collections Currently, Zenith has the following collections: Defy ("the future of tradition") Chronomaster ("an icon worn on the wrist") Elite ("timeless elegance by Zenith") Pilot ("heading for far horizons") Previous collections include: Academy Class Captain De Luca (1988-1996) - Automatic chronograph Port Royal Rainbow (1992-1999) - Automatic chronograph. Named for a William Starling Burgess Design J Class