BY JOVAN K
Zenith came into Watches and Wonders 2026 knowing exactly what it wanted to say. The brand split its message into two clear directions. First came the Chronomaster Sport line, still one of the sharpest modern chronographs around, now refreshed with skeletonized models and a softer mother-of-pearl edition. Then came the G.F.J. pieces, watches built for people who care about movement history, finishing, rare materials, and quiet confidence. It was a smart move. Zenith showed it can still do speed and elegance better than most.
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Skeleton & MOP
The Chronomaster Sport remains one of those watches that keeps getting stronger with each update. Zenith already had the fundamentals right: wearable case size, high-beat chronograph pedigree, and enough personality to avoid blending into the usual luxury sports watch crowd. For 2026, the brand added more theatre with new Skeleton references and balanced things out with a refined mother-of-pearl edition.
The case remains the familiar 41mm x 13.6mm, with sharp transitions between brushed and polished surfaces, pump pushers, sapphire crystals front and back, and a solid 100 meters of water resistance. It still wears like a proper daily sports chrono instead of a fragile statement piece. The engraved ceramic bezel carrying the 1/10th of a second scale continues to be one of the strongest design signatures in the category.
The skeleton models arrive in stainless steel with black or green ceramic bezels, alongside an 18k rose gold version with a black bezel.
There is also a rose gold diamond set execution limited to ten pieces. The mother-of-pearl model takes a different route, pairing stainless steel with 18k rose gold details in a warmer two-tone execution.
The dial is where the collection splits character from the previous versions. The Skeleton models fully open the central dial architecture and expose the chronograph counters, creating depth and motion from every angle. Zenith smartly keeps the overlapping tri-color signature 3-6-9 identity alive, so even with all the visual complexity, it still reads as a Chronomaster Sport. The central chronograph hand completes a full lap every 10 seconds when activated, making the dial even more dynamic in use, while the dial also includes hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph counters, and a date window between 4 and 5. It feels fast, technical, and unapologetically mechanical. The mother-of-pearl version does the opposite. It softens the watch with a luminous iridescent dial surface while retaining the tri-color counters, resulting in something more elegant, more versatile, and frankly easier for many people to wear every day.
Inside all of them sits the El Primero 3600 SK, one of the most important modern automatic chronograph movements on the market and a direct continuation of Zenith’s legendary high-beat chronograph legacy. It runs at a frequency of 5Hz ( 36,000 vph), which allows the Chronomaster Sport to measure and display true 1/10th of a second timing, something very few brands offer. That rapid cadence also gives the central chronograph hand its ultra-smooth sweep and allows it to complete a full rotation every 10 seconds when activated, turning the movement’s performance into something you can actually see on the dial.
Beyond the headline numbers, you still get hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph counters, date display, automatic winding, and around 60 hours of power reserve, so it balances technical theatre with real daily practicality. Just as important is the history behind the name. The El Primero has long been regarded as one of the great chronograph calibres, and Rolex famously relied on Zenith’s movement for the Daytona before eventually transitioning to its own in-house chronograph movement. When a brand like Rolex trusted Zenith for its flagship chrono, that tells you everything.
The stainless steel models are delivered on matching steel bracelets fitted with Zenith’s new patented folding clasp featuring a user-friendly 10mm micro adjustment system, a useful upgrade for daily wear. The rose gold model comes on a black rubber strap secured by a gold folding clasp, giving it a sportier and more contemporary feel than a full bracelet would. The mother-of-pearl version is fitted to a matching two-tone bracelet. Pricing starts at EUR 16,500 for steel Skeleton references, rises to EUR 20,200 for the mother-of-pearl limited edition of fifty pieces, reaches EUR 31,200 for the rose gold Skeleton, and tops out at EUR 111,400 for the diamond bezel model limited to ten pieces.
- Ref. 03.3130.3600/01.M3130 – steel, black ceramic bezel
- Ref. 03.3131.3600/01.M3130 – steel, green ceramic bezel
- Ref. 18.3130.3600/01.R951 – 18k rose gold
- Ref. 22.3130.3600/01.M3100 – 18k rose gold with diamonds
- Ref. 51.3102.3600/01.M3100 – two-tone with mother-of-pearl
Zenith G.F.J. 2026 Models
If the Chronomaster range is about pulse rate, the G.F.J. line is about depth. Named after founder Georges Favre Jacot, these watches are built around the revived Calibre 135 and aimed straight at collectors who still care about classic proportions, hand-wound movements, and substance over noise. The two new references share the same platform but carry very different personalities.
Both watches come in an elegant 39.15mm x 10.5mm, with a stepped bezel, curved lugs, sapphire crystals, and 50 meters of water resistance. One arrives in tantalum, a dense and notoriously difficult metal to machine that gives the watch a cool blue-grey tone unlike steel, titanium, or platinum. The other comes in 18k yellow gold, immediately warmer and richer on the wrist. Same shape, completely different moods.
The tantalum model receives a polished black onyx center dial that gives the watch a dark, mirror-like intensity. Zenith pairs it with a grey mother-of-pearl small seconds register and a guilloché outer ring inspired by the brickwork of the manufacture in Le Locle. Diamond hour markers finish the look without overdoing it. The 18k yellow gold version uses bloodstone for the center dial, a green jasper marked by natural red inclusions, meaning every watch will look slightly different. It shares the same mother-of-pearl small seconds display and textured outer track, but the gold case transforms the whole watch into something richer and more classical.
Powering both is the hand-wound Calibre 135, and this is the reason the G.F.J. line matters. The original movement became legendary through observatory chronometry trials in the 1950s, and Zenith has revived it as a modern calibre rather than a museum exercise. The new version offers a 72-hour power reserve, hacking seconds, COSC certification, updated reliability, and finishing worthy of the price category.
The tantalum model comes on a blue nubuck alligator strap with additional black alligator and grey calfskin straps included, and it is limited to just twenty pieces. The 18k yellow gold version comes on beige nubuck alligator with extra green alligator and black calfskin straps, while buyers can also opt for a matching yellow gold bracelet. That version is limited to 161 pieces. Pricing for the new G.F.J. model in 18k yellow gold starts at EUR 54,000, with gold bracelet configurations climbing higher, while the tantalum version is priced at EUR 82,700.
- Ref. 98.1865.0135/21.C212 – tantalum
- Ref. 30.1865.0135/56.C216 – 18k yellow gold
Zenith played first part of this year beautifully. The Chronomaster Sport Skeleton models delivered modern excitement, great mechanics, and real variety. The G.F.J. models slowed the pace and reminded everyone that Zenith’s history is not decorative, but rather that its legitimate. If you want adrenaline, the Chronomaster Sport still hits hard. If you want something with soul, the G.F.J. is where the conversation starts.
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