Full Transparency: Did Zenith Just Reinvent the Chronomaster?

Now that we’ve had a few days to process all the news and novelties coming out of Watches and Wonders in Geneva, we have grown to appreciate the first skeletonized version of its iconic Chronomaster Sport, Zenith’s new Chronomaster Sport Skeleton collection.

Not only does this quartet of openwork chronographs completely upend the traditional look of the Chronomaster, but the range also quietly introduced a groundbreaking bracelet. So, let’s get into why this range deserves more attention.

While many manufactures moved toward more formal releases in Geneva, a few brands bucked the trend with skeletonized timepieces.

There was Audemars Piguet’s combination pocket watch and table clock, the Établisseurs Nomade, the Cartier Privé Crash Squelette, and Patek Philippe’s Cubitus Perpetual Calendar Skeleton. These releases, while beautiful, are also more conceptual in their nature. You may have to squint a little harder to read the time, but practicality is not the point.

Zenith’s Chronomaster, on the other hand, is a tool watch. It is meant to be legible. And skeleton watches are not exactly influenced by Bauhaus design, if you know what I mean. It is also, as mentioned above, an icon – some argue that it is the Daytona’s only competition in the legacy chrono category (in fact, Rolex even used a modified Zenith El Primero caliber in its Daytona in 1989). Why mess with success?
 

The point is: Zenith is taking a bit of a risk with the Chronomaster Sport Skeleton.

We got to handle the pieces in person at Watches and Wonders, and we won’t argue that it is the most legible chronograph ever produced. But the piece does manage to merge high-performance chronograph engineering with contemporary design.

The trick is that, rather than employing a traditional cutaway dial, the Chronomaster Sport Skeleton features a smoky sapphire dial with a subtle gradient that creates a lovely sense of depth. And beneath this transparent layer lies the El Primero calibre in all its glory.
 

The Chronomaster Sport’s visual signifiers are still there, namely the tricolor and overlapping counters. But thanks to the transparency, these counters now take the watch into a whole new dimension. It also helps that its markers and hands are coated with Super-LumiNova to increase visibility and maintain the watch’s visual identity.

If you are a fan, you’ll find that it only takes a few minutes to intuitively figure out how to use it as a high-performance chronograph.

The 41mm Chronomaster Sport Skeleton is offered in four striking variations. There are two rose gold variants and two steel editions. At first glance, we were most drawn to the stainless steel model with a black ceramic bezel, mainly because its grey, anthracite, and blue registers the closest visual connection to the original 1969 El Primero.
 

But the green bezel version with its monochromatic, grey-toned counters paired so well with the gradient sapphire that we are hard-pressed to pick a favorite.

The 18K rose gold iterations take the Chronomaster Sport Skeleton further from its tool-watch origins. One features a black ceramic bezel and comes on a rubber strap, while the second, which is also a limited edition, is much more glamorous with an 18K rose gold bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds on a gold bracelet.

That brings us to one of the most important but unsung innovations from Watches and Wonders 2026 – the freshly patented ZENCLASP folding clasp with an integrated micro-adjustment system.

As writers, we spill a lot of ink on calibres and dials, but this 41-component mechanism, which took three years and roughly 1,800 hours to develop, is pretty much what every sports watch aficionado has been dreaming of.
 

It uses ceramic ball components to secure the locking and positioning functions – so it clicks into place with tactile precision and stays that way thanks to a patented folding clasp with an integrated micro-adjustment system.

While I write about watches for a living, I find fiddling with bracelets a challenge. And while I’m a desk diver and driver, I still need to reset bracelet size according to the whims of temperature, the fancies of fashion (sometimes I want to wear a watch over my sweater), and the occasional overindulgence of salty foods (Geneva is famous for steak et frites). The ZENCLASP offers freedom by letting the wearer make tool-free, on-the-wrist adjustments of up to 10mm on the fly.
 

I can attest; it’s an easy-to-use system that enhances everyday comfort and wearability. The two steel references come with the three-link steel bracelet fitted with the ZENCLASP, plus an additional rubber strap – black for the black bezel model, green for the green. The diamondless rose gold version already comes with a rubber strap, while the limited edition has a three-link bracelet with a fold-over clasp. These rubber straps are also comfy (they sit flush to the case), and give the watch a more casual feel.

Now for the other big bracelet news: The new ZENCLASP is compatible and adaptable to all existing Chronomaster Sport bracelets and will soon roll out across the catalog.

The 41mm Chronomaster Sport Skeleton is available now and is priced at $16,700 for the stainless-steel models, $31,500 for the rose gold model with a black ceramic bezel, and $111,000 for the 10-piece limited rose gold model with a diamond-set bezel. For more information, check out the Zenith website.