You may or may not know by now, but I’ve got a real soft spot for Zenith – it’s always struck me as one of those if you know, you know watch brands, perhaps belonging in the category of brands that might not earn an immediate ID from across a crowded room. At least, not in the same way a vibrant red Vacheron Constantin might (having said that, this purple skeletonised Zenith DEFY is a serious head-turner).
Now, I’m sure the horologists in the room will have something to say about that – Zenith movements are among the very best in the watch world, ever since the Swiss luxury watchmaker introduced the long-revered El Primero movement, the world’s first automatic integrated high-frequency chronograph calibre, in 1969.
In the decades that followed, Zenith long maintained its lofty mechanical position within the horological conversation (even lending its groundbreaking movement to the Rolex Daytona through the ‘90s), continuing to evolve and innovate with each succeeding collection.
Now, in 2026, Zenith integrates that legacy into something new: the Chronomaster Solo Sport, introducing three new iterations to its celebrated collection and, for the first time, stepping away from the chronograph altogether.
RELATED: Watch Of The Week: Rado's Unofficial Love Letter To New Australian Home
In white, black and an extremely classy brown, I’ve had each one of the new releases on the wrist at some point over the last week and have been more-than-quietly impressed by the new and improved range.
My first thoughts were that all three defy what their 40mm specifications suggest. Perhaps it’s the sleek aesthetic of each watch, certainly in the case of the white dial, but each reference boasts a more compact profile without feeling too slight when you’re wearing it.
Speaking of the dials, I’ve easily lost significant time this weekend just ogling at the detailing that the brand has introduced to the new collection; this ceramic pattern of repeated 45-degree Zs runs across the surface, catching the light differently as you move your wrist.
Around the periphery, a shark-tooth minute track runs as a nod to historical Zenith references, and extends even to the seconds hand counterweight. It's a lot of visual information for a three-hand dial to carry, but somehow it doesn't feel busy.
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.