Zenith just made a drastic design change with its new CHRONOMASTER Solo Sport watch

At Geneva Watch Days 2026, Zenith has unveiled the CHRONOMASTER Solo Sport. Available in three different versions, the new watch sees Zenith make a drastic – and I think controversial – change to its iconic CHRONOMASTER design.

For fans of the Zenith CHRONOMASTER collection, you’ll know that it’s most recognisable by its three chronograph subdials which are the main highlight of the watch – or at least it is for me as I’m a huge fan of chronograph complications. But the latest addition to the range has noticeably steered away from the chronograph display.

For the first time, Zenith has introduced a CHRONOMASTER watch without any chronographs. Instead, Zenith is focusing on its El Primero 3620 movement and taking it back to basics – precision and high frequency cadence.

Measuring 40mm, the stainless steel case of the Zenith CHRONOMASTER Solo Sport features a unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel. As there’s no chronograph display on this watch, the right side of the case has just a screw-down crown and is framed by protectors rather than pushers.

The Zenith CHRONOMASTER Solo comes in three versions – black, white and brown, with the colours displayed on the dial and bezel. Each watch has the same features, although there is a black version available with no day-date, making it simpler and cheaper than the others.

As mentioned, the dial of the Zenith CHRONOMASTER Solo has seen the biggest change. The date window has been moved to three o’clock and the minute track has a ‘shark tooth’ design.

The ceramic surface of the Zenith CHRONOMASTER Solo is built around a repeated 45° ‘Z’ motif which represents the El Primero movement’s rhythm and vibration. For the white version, the dial has a sunray finish while the black and brown is polished.

Other dial features include hour, minute and central seconds hands which, alongside the hour markers, are coated with Super-LumiNova SLN C1 for enhanced visibility in low light. The watch is also water resistant to 20 ATM, and it comes on a three-link stainless steel bracelet.

The Zenith CHRONOMASTER Solo is powered by the El Primero 3620 calibre which is built on the El Primero 3600 chronograph movement. The automatic El Primero 3620 operates at 5 Hz and features a bidirectional winding system and star-shaped rotor, a stop-second mechanism and a silicon escapement. It gives the watch 60 hours of power reserve.

I’ve become a big fan of Zenith watches, and I really like the look of the new Zenith CHRONOMASTER Solo, especially the all-black version. Do I miss the chronograph display? Yes, but it’s exciting to see Zenith mixing things up. Prices on the Zenith CHRONOMASTER Solo Sport start at 8,900 CHF.