The Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport, The Time-Only High-Frequency El Primero (Incl. Video)

The Chronomaster Sport is one of Zenith’s most recognisable modern series, featuring a contemporary sports-watch case and, naturally, an El Primero chronograph movement. For 2026, however, Zenith takes an unexpected turn. The new Chronomaster Solo Sport removes the chronograph and debuts as a three-hand watch yet remains powered by one of the manufacture’s high-frequency El Primero movements. A more versatile, everyday-oriented extension of Zenith’s chronograph collection, it retains the technical appeal of El Primero while refocusing attention to what should matter most in a daily watch: timekeeping and wearability. Four versions are available at launch: black, white and brown models with a date indication, as well as a cleaner black no-date edition.

A New Case for the Chronomaster

The Chronomaster Solo Sport is housed in a 40mm stainless steel case, a well-proportioned size that places it close to the Chronomaster Sport but gives the watch a character of its own. With no chronograph pushers, the silhouette is cleaner. However, the model retains a robust appearance with its pronounced crown guards, a screw-down crown, and an added unidirectional rotating bezel with a ceramic insert, available in black or brown depending on the version. The bezel adds a practical timing function and enhances the sportier look; a conventional, smooth bezel for the series is hard to imagine. The 200m water resistance makes the Solo Sport prepared for the unpredictable demands of daily use.

Ceramic Dials with a New Pattern

The dial design is new for the Chronomaster collection. All versions use ceramic dials, available in sunray-finished white or polished black and brown, with a repeated 45-degree Z motif, a pattern created specifically for the Chronomaster Solo Sport. The single Z is repeated as the counterweight of the central seconds hand. According to Zenith, the design is intended to evoke the rhythm and vibration of the 5Hz movement underneath; until reading an explanation, it looked like an electrocardiogram. The symbol is also present under the high frequency mention above the 6 o’clock index. 

Around the periphery is a sharply segmented “shark tooth” minutes track, inspired by historical Zenith references, allowing measurement of elapsed time with a resolution of up to 1/10 of a second. Combined with the applied, faceted hour markers and luminous hands, the look is sporty but also technical. On the brown model, the hands and indices are gold-coloured, making it the most luxurious, so to speak. The colour used to mention the “36’000 VpH” above 6 o’clock also varies depending on the dial. The date versions feature the aperture at 3 o’clock. The black no-date version is the most streamlined of the four and, inevitably, the one likely to attract the attention of purists.

The El Primero 3620

Powering the Chronomaster Solo Sport is the El Primero Calibre 3620 CS. While the movement is new to this collection, it is not a new calibre for Zenith. Variations of the 3620 have already appeared in the Defy Skyline, Defy Extreme Diver, and Pilot models, with different executions, including central or small seconds and skeletonised. Derived from the architecture of the modern El Primero 3600 chronograph movement found in the classic Chronomaster Sport and Chronomaster Original, the 3620 retains the high-frequency regulating organ operating at 36,000 vibrations/hour (5Hz). 

The automatic movement is equipped with a silicon escapement, a stop-seconds mechanism for precise time-setting and a bi-directional winding system with Zenith’s new openworked rotor with the Manufacture Zenith engraving. Power reserve is 60 hours. The finishing is clean, technical, fitting the spirit of the new series.

Bracelet and Zenclasp

The watch is worn on a three-link stainless steel bracelet closed with the new Zenclasp folding clasp. Introduced earlier this year, the clasp incorporates an integrated micro-adjustment system allowing the bracelet to be resized on the wrist without tools in 2.5mm increments across a 10mm range. A useful feature for a watch positioned as an everyday sports model, and with 41 components and ceramic balls integrated into its locking and positioning system, the clasp itself is a technically ambitious component.

Thoughts, Availability and Price

The Chronomaster Solo Sport seems like a logical extension of the modern Zenith catalogue. At 40mm, with a ceramic bezel, 200m water resistance, a high-frequency movement and a proper micro-adjustment clasp, it brings a more versatile and easier series to the Chronomaster family. Also, the Chronomaster Solo Sport makes an interesting statement about the El Primero. The name has long been synonymous with chronographs, and rightly so. But high frequency has always been central to its identity too. By removing the chronograph, Zenith once again puts this aspect of the movement more clearly at the forefront.

The new Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport is already available. The date models are priced at CHF 9,900, while the black no-date version is priced at CHF 8,900. More information at zenith-watches.com.