Zenith is venturing into the contested field of high-end sports chronographs with the introduction of the Zenith Chronomaster Sport. The watch packages the manufacture’s heritage into a sporty chronograph. In its bid to compete against Rolex, TAG Heuer, and OMEGA, Zenith is equipping it with its new calibre, capable of measuring to a tenth of a second. Zenith is also giving its new timepiece a date function plus a sapphire crystal caseback.
The new model combines details from the A386 from 1969 with the shape of the Chronomaster De Luca. Furthermore, other designs from the past have also been included. For example, the bezel with dot markers is inspired by the A277. In addition, aspects of the Rainbow and the Chronomaster Limited Anniversary Edition have also been incorporated into the final design of the new Chronomaster Sport.
The Zenith Chronomaster Sport has a 41 mm case made of stainless steel. Its shape is inspired by earlier chronographs of the brand. Accordingly, the sharply sloping lugs come from the A386. Furthermore, the polished flanks of the Chronomaster collection can be found here as well. Meanwhile, the black polished ceramic bezel has a 10-second scale instead of the usual tachymeter scale.
The dial is either matte white or matte black, while the hands for the main time – as well as the indices – are blackened and coated with Super-LumiNova. The hands for the chronograph function bear red tips. Meanwhile, the applied subdial counters are in the typical A386 colour code: Light Gray, Dark Gray, Blue. The 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock, as well as the 60-second counter at 3 o’clock, have a 60 scale to provide an intuitive reading of the chronograph. Finally, the date is located between 4 and 5 o’clock.
Inside the Zenith Chronomaster Sport is the El Primero 3600 calibre, which uses the El Primero 400 calibre as its base, while offering some improvements. For example, it now implements a stop-seconds mechanism and the power reserve has increased to 60 hours. In addition, the new structure of the movement now allows the wearer to have a better view of the mechanism at work. For example, the blue column wheel is now no longer covered by a bridge, but lies freely on the 6-12 o’clock line. Moreover, the open rotor bears the Zenith star.
The frequency remains at 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz), which allows the chronograph to measure to a tenth of a second. The chronograph now uses a revised horizontal clutch for power transmission. According to Zenith, each individual wheel has a tooth profile perfectly matched to its function. The energy for the central chronograph hand no longer comes from the seconds wheel, but from the escapement itself. This allows for an entire rotation of the central hand in 10 seconds, divided into exactly 100 positions.
Zenith equips the Chronomaster Sport with a new stainless-steel bracelet. This has three links, and features polished wide middle parts. In addition, the bracelet has a folding clasp with a safety bar. Furthermore, the clasp’s fine adjustment allows the bracelet to adapt to fit the wearer.
In addition, a rubber strap is also available. This strap is blue for the variant with a white dial, while it is black on the other. The textured rubber resembles Cordura with its textured surface. Again, the strap secures using a stainless-steel folding clasp.
The Zenith Chronomaster Sport will be available from the end of January. Furthermore, a variant with a gold case is in the works for June 2021. The price for the two models with rubber straps is 9,200 euros. By contrast, the stainless steel bracelet versions with both dial variants are 9,700 euros.
