Zenith has just taken the covers off the Chronomaster Sport Titanium, essentially a lightweight variant of the bestselling sports chronograph. Entirely in brushed and polished titanium, the new Chronometer is powered by the El Primero 3600 and like most sports chronographs today, available with either a matching titanium bracelet or an integrated rubber strap.

Initial thoughts

The Chronomaster Sport Titanium doesn’t do anything new in terms of styling – the design still remains derivative of the Rolex Daytona – but it feels good in the lightweight alloy. The watch has the large size required of a sport chronograph, but is easily wearable thanks to the lightness.

As an accessible alternative to the Daytona, the Chronomaster Sport is not particularly interesting in steel, but more appealing in titanium. Granted, it retains the same design, but the titanium case and bracelet give it a tangibly different feel.

Of all the Chronomaster Sport iterations, this is the most appealing, particularly since it’s the only variant dressed in low-key, monochromatic colours. The grey hue of titanium complements the palette, with the tri-colour sub-dials in shades of grey being a clever touch.

The Chronomaster Sport Titanium is priced at US$11,800 on a bracelet and a bit less on a strap. It’s priced comparable to other Zenith models with the same movement, and broadly speaking a good value proposition as far as sports chronographs go, with the Daytona being about 40% more expensive and the equivalent Grand Seiko being about 30% pricier. That said, Zenith has historically found most success with competitive pricing, and this would be significant more attractive with a larger price differential compared to its rivals.

Grey ghost

While nearly all Chronomaster Sport models are in colours, ranging from green to pink, the titanium version is restrained. It has all of the same design elements, but rendered in greys with the only hint of colour coming from red accents for the chronograph.

The dial is radially brushed and galvanically finished in a nickel grey, with hour markers that are faceted, polished, and filled with Super-Luminova to match the hands. The hands are usefully colour-coded to indicate their function: the hands for the central seconds and elapsed time registers are tipped in red to match the “36 000 VpH” under 12 o’clock. Notably, the registers are in Zenith’s trademark tricolour, but in three shades of grey, with the lightest being the constant seconds at nine.

The case is 41 mm in diameter and 13.6 mm high. Majority of the case surfaces are finished with matte brushing, including the crown, bezel and pushers. The chamfers along the edges of lugs and links, as well as the flanks of bezel, however, are mirror-polished for contrast.

Like the rest of the Chronomaster Sport line, the titanium model is equipped with the El Primero 3600, which gives it a “lightning” seconds. The central seconds hand whips around the dial, making one revolution every ten seconds, allowing for time measurements of up to 1/10th-of-a-second accuracy.

Featuring 60 hours of power reserve, the El Primero 3600 calibre is dressed up with blued screws and a blued column wheel, while the bridges are finished with various style of satin brushing. The open-worked rotor is finished in the same spirit and features the Zenith star logo at its centre.

Key facts and price

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium
Ref. 95.3100.3600/39.M3100

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 13.6 mm
Material: Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: El Primero 3600
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 36,000 beats per hour
Power reserve: 60 hours

Strap: Matching bracelet or rubber strap

Limited edition: No
Availability: At Zenith boutiques and select retailers starting February 2024
Price: US$11,800 on bracelet; US$11,300 on rubber strap

For more, visit Zenith-watches.com.