ReviewSporty Chic: Zenith Introduce The All-Steel Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue
‘Masters of chronographs’, Zenith enhance their Chronomaster line with a striking metallic blue dial and all-steel exterior, inspired by design references from their DeLuca and Rainbow timepieces
May We Recommend
The world of watchmaking exhibits a good example of how modern innovation and traditional craftsmanship can coexist. It is not just mechanical complications that are a testament of the enduring tradition of horology, watchmakers are now also embracing colours in all their glory to showcase watches as pieces of art, as well as contemporary accessories. Beyond dials to bezels to hour markers to straps, colour has found its way even into components of the movements in watches. While Zenith are no strangers to colour, this is the first time they’ve introduced blue into their Chronomaster line, which receives a striking update in the new ‘all-steel’ Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue. Sporty, contemporary and unmistakably a Zenith, the Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue now showcases an all-steel exterior with a striking blue tricolour dial.
Vintage Inspiration For The Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue
A safe bet when it comes to colours that work as a unisex option, blue is the preferred colour in the realm of watches, adorning straps, dials, hands, and crowns. Take our word—a blue dial on a steel watch can be dressed up or down to suit diverse occasions and styles, and can indeed be a versatile additional to any wardrobe.
Beyond a mere alteration of the dial, the latest iteration of the Chronomaster Sport draws inspiration from the ‘DeLuca’ and ‘Rainbow’ references of the 1980s and 1990s, featuring a blue dial and polished steel bezel. Produced between 1988 and 1996, the De Luca was always mounted on a steel three-link bracelet, with satin-brushed side links and polished central links, the inspiration for the contemporary bracelet of the Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue. A closer look at the newest Chronomaster timepiece reveals the design influences from these earlier lines.
Fuelled with a new update, Zenith’s Chronomaster collection needs no introduction. It has evolved into one of the greatest success stories in the world of horology since it was originally presented at Baselworld in 1994. Over time, and with various updates, it has embraced modernity, edge, and increased power, surpassing 1969’s Zenith A386, the initial inspiration for this collection. Common to all watches in this line are the tricolour sub-dials—a signature feature alongside the iconic El Primero movement. As the recipient of the 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève ‘Chronograph’ prize, the Chronomaster Sport stands at the zenith of Zenith’s unparalleled legacy in crafting automatic high-frequency chronographs. They were, after all, the ones who made the first ever integrated automatic chronograph movement—the El Primero. Pushing the boundaries of high-frequency precision, it boasts a 1/10th of a second chronograph function, with the elapsed time graduated over 10 seconds on the bezel.
Steely Exterior Of The Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue
With its imposing 41mm stainless steel case, the Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue stands out, courtesy of its metallic blue dial and a new, all-steel bezel with black numerals for the El Primero’s 1/10th of a second gradation marked on it. The ceramic bezel that stood out on the collection’s earlier timepieces has now been replaced with a steel bezel in this latest Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue. At two and four o’clock are pump-style pushers, also crafted in steel, to start and restart the chronograph function, while a steel crown at three o’clock complements the overall design of the timepiece.
The metallic blue-toned sunray-patterned dial includes a grey small-seconds counter at nine o’clock, an anthracite 60-minute counter at six, and a blue 60-second counter at three o’clock, all finished in an individual sunburst pattern. To help keep up with busy schedules, there’s also a date window with white numerals at 4:30 against a background that matches the blue of the dial—a well-thought-out detail for those on the move. Rhodium-plating with Super-LumiNova (SLN C1) enhances the hour markers and the hour and minute hands, while the central chronograph hand, which completes one turn of the dial in 10 seconds, bears the signature five-pointed star logo and a red tip.
Inside the steel case and visible through the transparent sapphire caseback lies the in-house calibre El Primero 3600, boasting an increased 60-hour power reserve, and incorporating a stop-seconds mechanism that allows an unobstructed view of the movement’s contemporary architecture. The decoration on the movement has undergone modernisation, and the 2023 collection introduces a new star-shaped oscillating weight with a satin finish.
With a polished steel bezel, the Zenith Chronomaster Sport Metallic Blue is elegantly worn on a classic three-link steel bracelet, equipped with an adjustable folding clasp. Sporty steel in a striking blue, the Zenith Blue Chronomaster Sport proudly takes its place in the brand’s permanent collection.
