Zenith has expanded its Chronomaster Sport line for 2026, introducing new versions that focus on materials and movement display rather than a redesign of the watch itself.
The additions include a Skeleton model with an openworked dial and a two-tone version combining stainless steel and rose gold with a mother-of-pearl dial. Both retain the existing 41mm case, ceramic bezel and 100 metres of water resistance.
Each is powered by the El Primero 3600, the latest iteration of Zenith’s automatic chronograph movement first introduced in 1969. It operates at 5Hz, allowing the chronograph to measure elapsed time to one-tenth of a second. The central chronograph hand completes a full rotation every 10 seconds, making that precision legible on the bezel.
The movement itself is a big part of the draw.
The El Primero was among the first automatic chronographs, and one of the few designed as an integrated system rather than assembled in layers. Its higher frequency gives it both accuracy and a distinctive sweep. It also endured when many of its contemporaries did not, carried through the quartz era and later used, in modified form, inside the modern Rolex Daytona. For collectors, it carries both technical credibility and real historical weight.
In the Skeleton version, that movement is visible through a smoked sapphire dial, with the column wheel and horizontal clutch on display.
The tri-colour counters remain, preserving the look of earlier El Primero models, while legibility is largely unchanged.
The case is 41mm, with a ceramic bezel and 100 metres of water resistance. A new folding clasp allows for tool-free micro-adjustment. The Skeleton is a new sub-line rather than a limited run, with multiple versions in steel and gold; only the diamond-set model is limited, to 10 pieces.
The two-tone version uses the same El Primero 3600 movement but changes the materials, combining steel with rose gold and adding a mother-of-pearl dial. It is limited to 50 pieces.