It is incredible to think that there was a time when one could walk into a manufacturer's boutique or authorized dealer, and buy a watch that is identical to one that fell from the edge of the atmosphere, and survived. But this was exactly the case when Zenith offered the El Primero Flyback at standard retail, which was exactly the same as the watches worn by Felix Baumgartner when he fell 39.45 km in 4 minutes and 19 seconds, at a maximum speed of 1,357.6 km per hour.

Prior to the jump, Zenith rigorously tested half a dozen watches to ensure that they could withstand the extreme conditions. The process included low-temperature testing in liquid nitrogen at -78°C, which proved that the "regular" sapphire crystals were perfectly up to the task. Next up was a pressure test and vacuum test, to ensure they could withstand the absence of atmosphere, and the wind force during free fall, which the watches passed with flying colours.