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The Master of Chronographs Opens its Heart: Zenith Chronosport Open

by Ross Povey . Mar 30, 2022

At this year’s Watches and Wonders, Zenith is celebrating its position as Master of Chronographs through an exhibition that celebrates over half a century of it being a leading light in the development of chronographs. The story proper begins in 1969 with the launch of the El Primero, the first integrated automatic chronograph movement that helped power a generation of sports watches, and not just those by Zenith…

Each year a watch release captures the collective hearts of watch collectors and the industry in general. In 2021, the new Zenith Chronosport certainly garnered a significant amount of airtime as the sports watch community welcomed the latest iteration of the iconic El Primero with open arms. The caliber 3600 picked up where the original caliber 400 left off, but with a next-gen update in that the chronograph could measure 1/10th of a second, thanks to a central chronograph that completed a lap of the dial every 10 seconds. So far so cool. The “Sport” in its moniker referred to an aesthetic makeover that included a 42mm steel case, new black and white dial options and a ceramic bezel. The watch kept the anachronistic pump pushers and tri-color subdial layout, but then these are house signatures and were well executed. Now Zenith is opening up and giving us a glimpse of what lies beneath…

2022 sees the relaunch of the Chronosport Open, a new riff on the new classic Zenith sports chronograph. The Chronosport Open first made its mark in 2003, but the new version 19 years later is very much of the times. In line with modern tastes, the case is a more modest 40mm as opposed to its sibling’s 42mm, and it has tweaked lugs that look even slimmer due to the new larger bevels that have been added to the case profile. The pushers have a new rounded caps, and the bracelet echoes the case’s combination of polished and matte-brushed finishing. The watch is available in steel, with either black or silver dial, and in 18K rose gold with a silver dial. There is also a very cool element around the tri- color subdial arrangement.

Catering to the prevalent demand for watches with more modest proportions, the round case now measures 40mm wide compared to the previous 42mm model, with slimmer lugs and more pronounced polished bevels on the edges. The pump-style pushers now feature rounded tips for a more ergonomic touch.

Revisiting the iconic tri-colour dial configuration that debuted with the iconic A386 in 1969 and which remains a distinctive and instantly recognizable El Primero design element, the latest iteration of the Chronomaster Open retains it entirely with a transparent twist

What lies beneath the crystal actually lies on the crystal, or at least on the underside of it. A clever use of printing the nine o’clock subdial on the crystal means that Zenith were able to cut out the dial to allow a view of the star-shaped escape wheel, but with an “overlay” of the running seconds dial. So, you can actually see both. Flip the watch over and there is a sapphire caseback that allows a full view of the caliber 3600 with its 1/10th second capability and open-star rotor. The movement features an open baseplate and bridges that allow a clear view of the silicon escape wheel and pallet lever, as well as the 5Hz high-frequency escapement.

Zenith Chronosport Open

Visible through the sapphire display back, the El Primero 3604 1/10th of a second automatic chronograph movement is a modified version of the 3600 that debuted in the Chronomaster Sport, featuring an open base plate and bridges that allow for a clearer view of the high-frequency 5Hz escapement with lubricant-free silicon escape wheel and pallet lever. The automatic winding mechanism with an open star-shaped oscillating mass efficiently delivers a power reserve of 60 hours.

Tech Specs

Zenith Chronosport Open

Movement: El Primero caliber 3604; 60-hour power reserve; Star-shaped oscillating weight with satin-finishing.
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, 1/10th second chronograph
Case: 40mm in either steel or 18K rose gold
Dial: Steel models with either silver or black dial with tri-color subdials; Rose gold with silver dial with tri-color subdials
Bracelet: Steel watches with metal bracelet with a double-folding clasp. Rose gold model with blue calfskin leather strap with a gold triple-folding clasp.
Price: CHF 9,900 (Steel); CHF 19,990 (Rose Gold)

Tech Specs

Zenith Chronosport Open

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