These new Zenith 2024 watch releases strengthen the brand’s ties to the sporting world with a slew of new launches.
Earlier this year, Zenith attended the LVMH watch showcase of 2024. At the event, the Neuchatel manufacturer revealed some super cool takes on its popular classics.
By “classic,” I mean the Defy Skyline and the Chronomaster Sport. I’ve been waiting for the latter — a new Chronomaster release.
I wanted to see if the brand could do anything new with its high-performance chronograph. Turns out it could.
The World’s First Automatic Chronograph
If you know anything about watches, the name Zenith should mean something to you even more if you love automatic chronographs. Zenith put itself on the map for making the first one of those.
Zenith can lay claim to the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement. Its name? The El Primero.
At the time, Zenith was in serious competition. It was neck and neck with Seiko and TAG Heuer. All brands were chomping at the bit to secure the same title.
The idea of manually winding a chronograph movement while caught up in a fast-paced environment seemed practically archaic. Zenith had the solution.
As the story goes on, El Primero secured the win. But only barely. Zenith went from just another watch manufacturer to a pioneer in the horological stratosphere overnight.
The brand became inseparable from its legendary chronograph caliber. Its balance frequency of 36,600 vph, paired with a 1/10th of a second function, was ahead of its time. So was Zenith.
Today, updated versions of the iconic El Primero movement feature are available in modern Chronomaster and Chronomaster Sport watches. This brings me to the new Zenith 2024 watch releases.
The New Zenith 2024 Watch Releases
Brace yourself for a full celebration of Zenith’s archived 1969 chronograph watch — the very first to feature that legendary movement.
The new Zenith watch releases I’m showing you today capture the elegance of the 1960s and 70s sports watch era. There’s also a neat triple calendar complication and a tourbillion, too!
The New Zenith Defy Skyline in Steel or Black Ceramic
One of Zenith’s latest watch releases belongs to the Defy watch collection. The Zenith Defy has a pretty interesting back story. The brand released it during the same era as the world-famous El Primero movement.
Since the first Defy watch, Zenith has made some pretty impressive modifications to the collection. In 2017, the brand released the Defy El Primero 21, which measured 1/100th of a second.
The Defy Classic Carbon followed it in 2020. As its name suggests, it was the first of its kind to feature carbon. Even more impressive, it weighed a mere 65 grams on the wrist!
The Zenith Defy Skyline is a subsidiary of the much broader Defy collection. The sub-series takes inspiration from the geometric shapes that once formed the brand’s earlier Defy watches.
The models boast octagonal silhouettes that are wholly in line with the steel sports watch aesthetic. While this look is nothing new, the embossed dials of the Defy Skyline collection stand out as a niche detail.
Four-Pointed Star Decoration
The new 2024 Zenith Defy Skyline watch features a repeated pattern of a four-pointed star on its dial. I love how this element keeps in line with the sporty profile of the Defy as a whole. At the same time, it adds a sense of depth to the display.
This latest Zenith 2024 release, named the 41mm Defy Skyline Tourbillon, comes in two editions. You can either opt for the conventional stainless steel model or a sleek black ceramic model.
Zenith adds a modern twist to the 18th-century tourbillon concept, putting the kinetic element on show at 6 o’clock.
If you like your watch to boast technical sophistication, Tourbillon’s open-hearts are, without a doubt, the way to do it. The feature certainly adds allure to this Defy Skyline watch.
The Tourbillon Complication
If we’re getting a little more technical, the tourbillon cage also takes on the shape of a four-pointed star. This structure fixes to a polished bridge and turns on its axis, completing one whole revolution per minute.
In the steel iteration, the tourbillon sits within a blue metallic engraved dial very tastefully. For the ceramic model, you get to enjoy this arrangement on a sleek, almost futuristic, black display.
Rhodium-plated and rose gold indices adorn the blue and black dials of these steel and ceramic versions, respectively. Luminous dial details, a 60-hour power reserve, and matching steel or ceramic bracelets complete each of the designs.
Clearly, these new Zenith watches are a winning combination of sporty aesthetics and Swiss innovation.
Light and Legible — The New Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium
If you love the look of the steel chronograph, take a look at this — the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium. The model launches in conjunction with the news that Zenith will resume an important sporting role.
It will continue its job as the official timekeeper for the UTS 2024 tennis championship.
The shorter and more intense match is the brainchild of tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, a friend of Zenith’s. Recognizing the ideals of a watch for on-court, he envisaged a lightweight tool packed with sporty character.
Built for its role on the court, the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium promises the advantage of a lightweight case. Its 41mm satin-brushed titanium case is corrosion-resistant and features sporty pump-style pushers.
On the bezel, you get the 1/10th of a second scale combined with a rare sunburst satin-brushed effect.
What’s more, the high-grade titanium allows for a polished effect on the chamfers and bezel!
Interestingly, the tri-color grey dial does a fantastic job of differentiating the chronograph functions. You also get a pop of red color coming through from the chronograph hands. These muted chronomantic tones are ultra-sporty and combine well with the titanium bracelet.
Completing the new Zenith watch is the manufacturer’s prestigious El Primero 3600 movement. Luckily, you get a chance to admire this high-performance movement through a sapphire exhibition caseback.
Lastly, Zenith fits this new Chronomaster Sport watch on an FKM rubber band — the gold standard of rubber straps. The band is available in a range of colors, including blue, black, green, and white.
Stay Organized With Zenith’s New Triple Calendar
Next up is the new Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar. A long-awaited historically-inspired design that houses a high-frequency chronograph caliber.
Despite displaying a triple calendar and moon phase complication all in one design, the dial is impressively clear and legible.
The fascinating thing is that El Primero has had the capability to carry out these functions all along. Zenith first revealed the movement in 1969 but decided to hold out a few years for the triple calendar.
When it finally arrived, it looked almost space-age-inspired and was met with resounding success.
If you like watches with plenty of functionality, the new Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar is your thing. Its legible 1/10th of a second scale frames a trio of sub-counters at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock.
Instead of combining the calendrical functions within the sub-scales, Zenith delivers the information in a neater format.
The day aperture sits above the 9 o’clock hour, balanced by a month aperture on the other side. Then, there is the date window at 4:30 and a moon phase indicator at 6 o’clock. What makes this new Zenith 2024 watch release even more attractive is its luxurious golden hands and markers.
The symmetrical layout of the design comes in a neat 38mm stainless steel housing. Zenith aficionados will also appreciate that its design is an exact blueprint of the brand’s original 1969 model.
A raised, domed sapphire crystal glass protects an opaline dial with black-filled counters.
If the silver and black panda dial is not to your taste, fear not. You can always opt for the slate grey and silver version based on the brand’s 1970s model.
Zenith’s “Striking 10th” in Green or Gold
Last on the list is the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport watch. It comes in green with a rubber band or steel bracelet and in 18ct rose gold with gems.
However, the return of the green dial now brings with it a clash of colors. Similarly, the gold version is pretty out there, too. But if you like lavish, bolshy designs, either one of these may take your fancy.
The Zenith Chronomaster Sport in Gold
Many believe that gem-set watches are a dying genre. Not me. I love it when Zenith does something fun and obscure.
Its dial features a meteorite material, and its diamond hour markers, strangely, look like light tubes! The silver, dark grey, and blue chronograph sub-dials in this Chronomaster Sport watch aren’t new either.
In fact, they featured in the original 1969 debut. But set inside this “blingy” 1960s gold and sapphire outfit, they really pop!
The sad thing is you do lose the 1/10th of a second scale around the bezel. Instead, one diamond separates every four blue sapphire gemstones in a repeated pattern on the bezel.
The sapphires are an interesting feature alone. They begin as a deep blue color and fade to light grey, echoing the colors of the chronograph counters.
The 18ct rose gold Zenith Chronomaster Sport watch is the brand’s first all-gold model. Even better, it still can measure time down to 1/10th of a second.
This is all thanks to the El Primero 3600. I think out of all the new Zenith watch releases of 2024, this is my favorite. It’s out there, and I’m not afraid to own this daring new take on the Chronomaster Sport.
The Zenith Chronomaster Sport in Green
The Zenith Chronomaster Sport in green is equally as eye-catching. Without the elaborate gem detailing, though, it looks resolutely sporty.
Zenith chooses the traditional blue, grey, and silver chronograph counters again. But considering these sit against a deep green dial, I’m not entirely sure I’m here for it.
The new green model has all the Chronomaster Sport hallmarks, don’t get me wrong. But the clashy blue sub-counter and its shot of red in the hand are an acquired taste.
As I mentioned, you get to choose the green Zenith Chronomaster Sport on a rubber band or bracelet. What I will say here is that it’s a crying shame we’re still waiting on a quick-release mechanism for this bracelet.
It would be nice for Zenith to bring the Chronomaster in line with the Defy and Pilot line in this way. Maybe we will see it later in the year.
The green bezel marked with the 1/10th of a second scale is a really nice touch. I’m just not sure if Zenith designers got a little too carried away with their color palettes here.
Conclusion
So, that’s it! That was my round-up of new releases from Zenith so far this year. Boldly colored chronographs and flamboyant gem-set sports watches seem to be the order of the day right now. Check out TAG Heuer’s vibrant green 2023 releases, for example.
If you loved this article, you can also check out some more 2024 sports watch releases from Hublot.
What are your favorite Zenith 2024 watch releases? Are the new Chronomaster Sport watches too “out there” for you? Or do you want to see the brand push the boundaries even further? Let me know in the comments!
Leave a Reply