Hands-On: Zenith’s New Chronomaster Sport and Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar References

Earlier this month, Zenith introduced their first new watches of the year at LVMH Watch Week. The new releases fill out their core Chronomaster Sport and Chronomaster Original lines with new colorways and, for the Original, a classic complication reintroduced for the first time in a modern context. Kat Shoulders and Zach Kazan got to spend some time with the new watches recently, and their thoughts, and Kat’s photos, are below. Stay tuned for a more detailed look at the new titanium version of the Chronomaster Sport coming soon.

Kat Shoulders 

When the Zenith Chronomaster Sport came out a few years ago, it caused quite the stir in the watch community. I always felt the watch was under-appreciated with its constant comparisons to the Daytona. What Zenith has done with the technology of the El Primero movement, renowned for its accuracy and high frequency, is amazing and it’s a shame this chronograph gets so often overlooked. 

It was no surprise that when this year’s new Zenith releases came out, I was immediately drawn to the Chronomaster Sport series. While there aren’t any technical changes (not that they were needed), the new case materials were pleasant updates that have swayed me to consider picking one up. The titanium version is absolutely stellar and as many of you know, I’m not the biggest fan of the material, so that should go to tell you how cool this watch really is. The matte finishing is honestly the perfect choice for this sporty chronograph and I found that it has given the Chronomaster Sport a DNA of its own. 

Now the model that really had me swooning was the new rose gold, gem and diamond set bezel version of the Chronomaster Sport. While it may be priced out of my typical watch buying budget, this was my favorite of the bunch. I’m proud to announce I’m in my “gold-era” and this piece fits the bill nicely. The meteorite dial is sort of icing-on-the-cake here too, and is subtle in a way to not overthrow the other details of the watch. I love the direction Zenith is taking this series and I’m a huge fan of making the Chromaster Sport collection more versatile with these new materials.

Zach Kazan 

Zenith’s LVMH watch week releases have the brand going in both familiar and unexpected directions. The big news for many will be the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar, an iconic variation on the classic El Primero format. This is the type of watch we often see brands that have existed for as long as Zenith release from time to time: it immediately feels like it’s always been part of the catalog. Anyone who has put any time into studying, looking at, or shopping for vintage Zenith chronographs knows all about the watches these new ones are based on, so there’s a familiarity to them right away. They just work. 

The white dial variant with black subdials is probably my personal favorite, but all three (we also saw the boutique only green dial) were very nice. The triple calendar layout is intuitive and easy to read, and is perhaps the perfect excuse for the often maligned (but not by me) 4:30 date window. I mean, where else are you going to put it? It’s color matched and not obtrusive – would it be better in the 6:00 subdial as a replacement for that moonphase? My vote is a hard “no” on that one. 

The new triple calendars have the same 38mm diameter as earlier Chronomaster Originals, and the same base movement that allows for 1/10th second timing. The trade-off, with the new complication, is a little added thickness. These watches have chunkiness to them you definitely notice in comparison to the original Original, but on its own isn’t a dealbreaker, at least in my opinion. 

While the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar is the marquee watch in Zenith’s consumer oriented lineup of LVMH Watch Week releases, they also presented a watch that is very up-market and is not, as they say, a watch for everybody. The solid gold Chronomaster Sport is an exercise in opulence, with a rose gold case and bracelet, a gold tinged meteorite dial, and a fixed bezel with baguette-cut diamonds, black spinels and gray and blue sapphires. It’s gorgeous in person, and a reminder that Zenith has an ability to craft these kinds of elaborate, gem and diamond set jewelry inspired watches when they choose to, even if it’s not something the brand puts front and center all the time. Zenith