A ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel pushes the design further into sports-watch territory than any Chronomaster before it, which, for me, gives each one an inherent versatility, whether you opt to wear this under a blazer or through a more active weekend.
Under the proverbial hood sits the El Primero 3620, a calibre derived from the brand’s legendary 3600 chronograph movement but reworked for time-only duty. The purists in the room will be pleased to hear it’s still an absolute workhorse, even without the chrono function – managing an ever-healthy 60-hour power reserve.
Another thing you’ll notice straight away is the bracelet, Zenith’s new ZENCLASP folding clasp, first shown at Watches and Wonders earlier this year and now rolling out across the Chronomaster Solo Sport range. The brand says it’s been tried and tested through the equivalent of ten years of daily use, or more than 600,000 opening and closing cycles. It’s an addictively satisfying mechanism.
And perhaps that’s why these three references have stuck with me all week. We touch and feel many watches at B.H. that are all technically impressive, and plenty still that photograph as well as the new Chronomaster Solo Sport. But where Zenith has succeeded is giving something so obviously premium this almost tactile wearability. Put simply, I haven’t really been able to take them off. For me, that makes it an obvious Watch of the Week.