But wait-those aren’t how they normally look! That’s right, here we encounter the “Open” of the Chronomaster Open. And of course, you’ve got the tricolor azurage (that’s the radial grooving) subdials, a nod to the original A386 El Primero. And you’ve got this white dial with a subtle luster. You’ve got these lovely polished, dimensional applied indices (in fact, all the metal on the dial is polished). The dial is really where the magic happens, though. That said, once adjusted, the bracelet and its flip-lock closure were plenty comfortable. The clasp regrettably lacks a built-in micro-adjustment mechanism, which is disappointing nowadays, with TAG, Rolex, and Omega all offering such tech. The bracelet shares the dual finishing of the case, but in a more balanced way with brushed outer links and polished center links the edges of the likes, too, are polished. The box sapphire that Zenith uses means that it has a slight vintage edge despite the rest of the design being decidedly modern it also means that if they had gone with a flat sapphire, the watch likely would’ve clocked in under 13mm. I also love the oblique ends of the lugs, which slope away from the case.Ī few other notes on the case. The proportions, including the 45.2mm lug-to-lug, were simply perfect (for my 7-inch wrist), and the curvature of the lugs and the fitted bracelet made the transition to my wrist seamless. Heck, even the pushers and branded crown are polished! In any case, the experience on the wrist is one that I truly enjoyed. Frankly, for a sports watch-all chronographs may not be sports watches, but the Chronomaster collection certainly is-this one is a bit heavy on the shininess, which constantly gave me pause when it was on the wrist. The entirety of the bezel, too, is polished. The chamfer between the two is also polished and has been widened a bit from the previous generation. The case design is similar to that of other modern Chronomasters, with a gently curving profile that sees its sides polished and top brushed. The new case sees the Zenith Chronomaster Open reduced to a much more manageable 39.5mm, with a 13.1mm thickness, quite good for an automatic chronograph and thinner than comparable offerings from TAG and Omega. These are subtle but meaningful changes: a more refined dial aperture, the newest El Primero caliber, and a case that reflects modern sizing preferences. The result of Zenith’s redesign isn’t a complete makeover that’s resulted in an unrecognizable watch that simply shares its forebear’s name, though. While the preceding iterations weren’t without their fans (it took home a GPHG prize in 2004), after 20 years (its longevity alone is testament to its popularity-at least insofar as it wasn’t a financial dud for the company), the model line was in need of a meaningful update. The original Chronomaster Open was released in 2003 and has been in continuous production since, with a number of variants and special editions (like this Rolling Stones version). ![]() ![]() ![]() While I never had the pleasure of experiencing the previous iteration of the Chronomaster Open, it seems to me that Zenith has gone right ahead and knocked it out of the park with this updated version and its smaller case and new movement. There’s a very minor nit I’ll pick later, but overall, my time with this watch was one of being impressed every time I put it on. I’m just so accustomed to watches-at every price point and of every type-having some shortcomings, and while the Chronomaster Open may not be for everyone, in my estimation, it seems to do everything it’s doing very well. Not that there aren’t critiques, and not that a review can’t be a full-on gushfest. I’ve struggled to write this review because I’ve struggled to find flaws with the Zenith Chronomaster Open.
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