![]() The ceramic bezel is shiny and reflects the light, adding more dynamism to the watch's look. Pretty neat! (Probably pretty useless in 2020, but so are all mechanical watches in the age of the iPhone, so let's move past that, shall we.) Upon stopping it, you can read the elapsed time on the bezel in 1/10ths of a second. This means that when you depress the top chronograph pusher to start the chronograph, it hauls ass around the watch dial in ten seconds. (The case back is actually held down with four screws, rather than screwed down itself.) This is a nice case - it's brushed on the sides and the tops of the lugs, but also features a wide, polished chamfer that catches the light beautifully and adds some interest.Ī black ceramic bezel features a unique scale etched in white: 1/10th of a second. Let's cover the "damn nice watch" part first: The Chronomaster Sport is housed in a 41mm stainless steel case with pump pushers, a signed, push-pull crown, a screw-down, sapphire case back, and a 20mm lug width. And We have a technically sophisticated, historically significant chronograph movement - all for $10k (or $9,500 on leather). We have something that looks a fair amount like a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona - also noted. So what do we have here? Well, we've got a really damn nice watch - we can get that part out of the way. (Though again, you're not getting that fun, 1/10th-second chronograph.) Review Not bad for half the price of the Chronomaster Sport. At $5,225, it includes the impressive Tudor MT5813 automatic chronometer movement, a 41mm case and a black dial with bi-compax layout and date. Its distinctive racing styling is evident in an outer tachymeter scale on the bezel and upon the inner minute track.Ī third alternative - and a much cheaper one - is also a solid alternative to the Daytona itself: the Black Bay Chronograph with matching steel bracelet from Tudor. At $8,750, it lives at a similar price point to the CS and also features an in-house chronograph movement and a steel bracelet. ![]() The Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer 9900 is a Speedy with a twist that both in look and price delivers something reminiscent of the Chronomaster Sport experience - though in this case, in the form of a two-register chrono. (Ironically, what preceded the current caliber 4130 in the Daytona is the caliber 4030, a heavily modified version of, you guessed it, a Zenith El Primero movement.) It does not, however, feature a 1/10th-second chronograph and bezel. At $13,150 in steel, it's certainly more expensive than the CS, but it's got similar looks and features. Gee, I dunno - how about a watch that rhymes with "shmay-shmonah." Rolex's flagship chronograph is the obvious heavyweight champion against which the Chronomaster Sport is meant to compete. For those who simply appreciate a well-made watch with excellent finishing, a serious horophile's movement and good looks, to boot, the Chronomaster Sport also fits the bill. But at $10,000, there probably won't be very many of these people. Will there will be folks out there aimlessly searching for a chronograph who stumble upon the Chronomaster Sport and go: that's the one! Sure. Mainly two types of folks: those who want a Rolex Daytona, can't find one, but are willing to pay for something similar from another high-end brand and those who collect Zenith specifically. Indeed, it takes enough cues from the Daytona - from the bezel to the bracelet - that you'd be forgiven for dubbing it the "Zaytona," as at least one Gear Patrol employee has done. However, when sized up with its (assumed) purpose of posing a threat to the Daytona (perhaps "contender" is a better word, given Rolex's virtually unassailable position), it might be more accurate to say that the watch's design is new to Zenith. The Chronomaster Sport is certainly that - something new (though it does derive from the Chronomaster 2, of course). I long for fresh designs, and not just from Zenith, but from the industry as a whole. Much as I love the A384 and A386, I do feel like we've been inundated with too many vintage reissues lately. Now, however, the Chronomaster platform is being expanded upon in the form of the Chronomaster Sport - a new timepiece that both in look and feel, is poised to take on one of the world's most well-known watches: the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. ![]() Outfitted to a skeletonized dial, it was a striking watch upon its debut in 2019, though perhaps a bit too avant-garde for the average watch buyer. 3600, which powered the watch, featured an increased power reserve of 60 hours, a hacking function and the ability to measure 1/10ths of a second. This Chronograph Is Based on a Horological Starįollowing myriad vintage reissues of the original A386 and A384 watches, Zenith reimagined the El Primero as the engine within an entirely new, forward-thinking timepiece, the Chronomaster 2.
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