Zenith’s understated Chronomaster Sport is the type of watch I typically find at industry events, worn by insiders who want to signal superior taste. For them, other iconic chronographs, like the Omega Speedmaster or TAG Heuer Carrera, feel too mainstream. The Chronomaster, on the other hand, which features Zenith’s historic El Primero movement (the first-ever automatic integrated chronograph), is perfect watch-guy bait as it reveals its wearer as a true enthusiast.
But with a single new watch set with a rainbow of sapphires, Zenith is making good on its strategy to become higher-end, more exclusive, and generally much shinier. Its Chronomaster Sport Rainbow indicates not just a new direction for the watchmaker but also the changing winds of an industry less interested in technical ingenuity than
highest-order glamour.
Over the past few years, Zenith has been dropping breadcrumbs toward its new Rainbow. The maker has steadily constructed a pyramid of Chronomasters, starting with the steel Sport, moving up to a solid-gold version, then a gold model with sapphires, diamonds, and spinels on the bezel (introduced last year), and now finally reaching the Rainbow Chronomaster. This was all part of the process to boost the perception of the model, according to Romain Marietta, the brand’s chief product officer. “It’s a way for us to elevate the iconicness of the Chronomaster Sport,” he told me. The Rainbow, set with 52 multi-hued sapphires, is part of a design trend that first hypnotized collectors in 2012 when Rolex released its Daytona Rainbow. For Zenith, it is the tip of this pyramid.
As part of its aim to be more high-end, Zenith is planning to “reduce our production” from the close to 20,000 pieces it typically makes annually, Marietta said. Instead, it will focus on producing the most prestigious editions of the Chronomaster, like the $112,100 Rainbow. (By comparison, there are many variations of Rolex’s Rainbow; interested buyers should expect to pay near $100,000 at retail, and north of $400,000 on the secondary market, for them.) In 2023 the brand also introduced a bespoke program, as part of its revamped strategy, that gives VIP clients the opportunity to dream up made-to-order versions of their watches, including this model. Marietta said the program is already in huge demand. He described a request from a client in Japan who commissioned a rose-gold issue for which he “wanted to have as many diamonds as possible.” The result was a one-of-one rose-gold Chronomaster Rainbow fully set with diamonds across the piece’s case and bracelet.
Zenith’s new direction closely reflects current trends in the industry as a whole. As watch collecting has surged in popularity over the past few years, it’s welcomed many who are much more interested in design and sizzle than memorizing caliber numbers and appreciating improvements in timekeeping efficiency.
“Absolutely, we can feel that,” Marietta said of the shift. You don’t need to know that Zenith made watch history in 1969 with the El Primero to be charmed by 5.36 carats of gems. Another thing Swiss watch brands are feeling now is an overall downturn in sales, which the big names like Zenith hope to offset by focusing on top-tier customers—the Rainbow guys.
While I’ve always been pleased to spot Chronomasters at watch gatherings, I’m even happier to see Zenith shooting off a new flare for its flagship model. The path to the pantheon of Great Sport Watches is paved with gold and diamonds, after all. The Rainbow Chronomaster still contains the movement that led to critical advances in watch history—it just comes in a much prettier package.
Cam Wolf is GQ’s Watch Editor.
