Vorstellungsforum » REVIEW ZENITH CHRONOMASTER SPORT REPLICA WATCH

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium

Somehow, up until now, I have avoided taking a stance in the ongoing discussion on the merits of titanium within our team. Our co-founder Zach Weiss is a huge fan of titanium, confidently declaring at every opportunity that any watch could be made of it. Our friend Taylor Welden at Carryology went a step further, saying he’d happily eat some titanium slices if given the chance. No one on this team has been more vocal about this than Kat Shoulders, though, who started out as a skeptic, then an adopter, and now, her position is still evolving.

For my part, I guess I don’t have a strong opinion on it. I’m not at all against titanium watches, and I own a few, but in general, it’s not a material I enjoy. I think this is because as a metal, it tends not to have the qualities I like best. I like fine, intricate case finishes and a bit of heft. I tend to prefer the glassy sheen of steel to the gray of titanium. There are exceptions, of course. The titanium finish on the Grand Seiko is striking because it has many of the qualities of steel. Some watches work better when they’re featherlight.

Zenith’s new Chronomaster Sport takes full advantage of the metal’s inherent qualities, titanium, and is all the better for it. Even without picking it up, you can tell this Chronomaster is titanium through and through, as it’s clad in a soft grey. The bracelet, case, dial, and bezel all have a coherent quality that’s inspired by the material’s hues and feels like a coded language to watch collectors. In doing so, I think Zenith has made the best Chronomaster Sport yet, and the first to completely escape the shadow of the watch it’s often compared to.

It’s hard not to talk about the Chronomaster Sport and the Rolex Daytona. When the latter watch debuted, people immediately compared it to it. Not only because of the similarity in dial color and layout, but even the bracelet and clasp can remind you of the Daytona if Rolex’s design codes happen to be on your mind. But the connection between them goes deeper than just an aesthetic similarity. For years, the Daytona has been powered by a Zenith-made movement, and deep down I’ve always felt that the Chronomaster Sport was a low-key dig at Rolex. The latest generation El Primero 3600 column-wheel chronograph movement is capable of timing events to tenths of a second, and certainly outperforms even the recent Rolex caliber 4131 in terms of timing accuracy, so wrapping their more advanced, higher frequency movement in the skin of the Daytona seemed to me to be a subtle dig. Of course, Rolex is well-known for slowing down the El Primero movements in their Daytona watches, so there is a rich text of the relationship between these brands and these watches.

Nonetheless, this new titanium Chronomaster Sport watch has absolutely nothing to do with the Daytona and takes its place in the collection of contemporary watches that Zenith has created over the past few years. Titanium isn’t a material that Zenith uses very often, it seems to usually appear in the Defy series, so finding it in their top-of-the-line sports chronograph immediately feels a bit weird. There’s a skunkworks aspect to Zenith’s titanium projects – they feel experimental and often straddle the line they walk very carefully between watches that pay homage to the brand’s long tradition and watches that are constantly thinking forward.

As with most titanium watches, the first thing you notice when you pick up the new Chronomaster Sport is its almost disconcerting lightness. The case and bracelet barely feel present on the wrist, and if your tastes run towards light watches, the Chronomaster Sport will be very satisfying. I’ve always personally preferred heavier watches. I can’t really explain why. There’s an age-old principle buried in the subconscious of most watch collectors that weight equals mass, and I guess my reptilian brain may have favored steel for that reason, even though intellectually I’m of course very aware that it doesn’t make logical sense. Titanium is harder to work with than steel by most measures, at least if you’re going for a mix of polished and matte finishes, so a watch like the titanium Chronomaster Sport should be more impressive by those standards.

The finishing on this watch is quite special – I’d even go so far as to say that it’s the most striking feature if you look closely. The most impressive thing for me is the razor-thin polished chamfers on the sides of each link of the bracelet, which of course echo the wider polished bevels on the sides of the case. I also like how the brushed pattern on the bezel is an extension of the sunray-brushed dial. It’s beautiful and gives the whole presentation a certain coherence that wouldn’t be there if Zenith had chosen to use a ceramic bezel (like it does on the steel models) instead of titanium. Like I said, they went all-in on titanium here.

The El Primero traditionally features a three-color subdial layout, and Zenith has achieved that here while still ensuring that the overall tone of the watch is grey on grey on grey. The white dial at 9 o’clock, the silver dial at 6 o’clock, and the dark grey dial at 3 o’clock allow the wearer to easily distinguish between them while maintaining a predominantly monochromatic look. The red hands on the chronograph counters further enhance legibility.

What I will say about the 4:30 date window is, and to paraphrase Tony Soprano: arguing about it is the lowest form of conversation. The 4:30 date window on the El Primero is like the Cyclops magnifying glass on the Datejust in that it is so completely integrated into the design of the watch. You might as well complain about a barking dog, or that the ghost pepper is too spicy. While Zenith occasionally releases a chronograph without a date window, the 4:30 date is often the order of the day. I am fairly agnostic about this always controversial issue, and while I might prefer no date, I think a 4:30 date window is perfectly acceptable, natural, and totally fine on a dial with this specific subdial layout. I will save my strong opinions for other topics, like the absolute silliness of trying to “predict” what any brand will release at Watches & Wonders, and how Prometheus is quite possibly the second best movie in the Alien franchise.

If there is a flaw with the titanium Chronomaster Sport, it’s precisely what makes it what it is: the singular monotony of the whole piece. This is, I think, a love-it-or-lose-it design decision that divides watch collectors into hardcore tool watch enthusiasts and those who tend to go for something a little more flashy. I admit that I often fall into the second group, but I think that in order to create something truly distinctive and out of the Daytona’s shadow, it was really the only choice. It’s a satisfying and well-made product, to be sure, despite being extremely lightweight. My only concern is that if I find it in my watch box for a long time, it might not appeal to me as often as some of my more colorful watches. On the other hand, if you’re looking for the most practical version of the Chronomaster Sport to date (and perhaps the most practical watch Zenith currently makes), this is the one to look for.