If you’ve followed the Zenith story over the last few years, you’ll know that the core focus of the brand since 2017 has been the Defy collection. The Defy emphasises a side of Zenith that people had kind of stopped talking about — the pioneering side, the inventive side, the future-building side. Bringing that side back into the spotlight was important, because it has been a part of Zenith from the beginning.
This year, the Chronomaster takes a starring role, beginning with the launch of the Chronomaster Sport 41mm. It is a robust, contemporary sports chronograph that Zenith CEO Julien Tornare tells me is the most mainstream offering that the company has in its current collection. Wear it to the office, wear it on the beach, wear it with jeans, with a three-piece suit.
To date, the Zenith Chronomaster comes in a classic iteration that appeals to traditionalists, and the Revival editions, which speak directly to Zenith’s community of hardcore enthusiasts. The Chronomaster Sport 41mm is designed for a wider audience, but key elements of Chronomaster identity (such as the pump pushers and El Primero tri-hued chronograph counters) maintain the legacy connection.
For an in-depth exploration of the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport 41mm, from its new design and movement upgrades to what this watch signifies for Zenith and Zenith wearers, check out our hands-on video here.
The desire to fly is never far from the fear of falling. One cannot fulfil the former without conquering the latter. Years ago, I wrote in an article that wearing an El Primero watch is a daily reminder to do something for the first time. The feeling of doing something different, of doing something new, is one of the most seductive aspects of our pursuit of concepts like liberation and freedom. And what is the zenith of human existence? It is freedom. Even if we took our smallest, most basic freedoms for granted before, 2020 definitely made sure we won’t do so ever again.
So perhaps 2021 was always destined to be the year of the Chronomaster. These things are hard to determine with any degree of certainty, but we shall see in a decade or two. In the meantime, get in touch with us if you’d like to find out more about when this watch hits stores near you. Wouldn’t it be nice to be the first one in your city to try it on?
