Zenith Gem-Set Sport / Meteorites Meet Boca Bling

Space Bling Photo:Watchpro

Every watch nerd worth his cufflinks knows the El Primero legend. Back in 1969, Zenith dropped the world’s first high-frequency automatic chronograph, and the thing has been running laps around its rivals ever since. Fast-forward to 2025, and the heartbeat is still there, only souped-up, slicker, and a lot more willing to strut around in rose gold.

The Chronomaster Sport showed up in 2021 with a very clear agenda: “Yes, we can do Daytona, but sharper.” A 41mm stainless steel case, black ceramic bezel, and the mighty El Primero 3600 inside — ticking at 5Hz, tracking 1/10th of a second like it was born for the racetrack. Collectors immediately slapped the nickname “Daytona-killer” on it, which of course made Rolex loyalists clutch their pearls. Never forget, it was Zenith’s movement under the hood of the automatic Daytona from 1988 to 2000. Revenge, as they say, is best served on a black ceramic bezel.

The Gem-Set Meteorite Showstopper

And now, Zenith has gone full Boca jewelry counter. The new Chronomaster Sport Gem-Set is their first foray into gemstone territory, and it doesn’t whisper.

Picture it: a brushed-and-polished rose gold case and bracelet, still proudly water-resistant to 100 meters (just in case you want to cannonball into the Mar-a-Lago pool wearing it). Pump-style pushers, tricolour registers, the whole El Primero DNA. But the bezel? That’s where things go from “gentleman’s chronograph” to “Palm Beach gala auction lot.”

Instead of the usual tachy-nerd ceramic insert, you get an ombré rainbow of baguette-cut blue sapphires, grey sapphires, black spinels, and diamonds. Ten more diamonds wink from the dial itself, punctuating the golden meteorite face. It’s tasteful by gem-set standards — no pavé overdose here — but let’s be honest: it still sparkles like the chandelier at Club Colette.

The downside for watch guys? Those baguettes have swallowed the 1/10th of a second scale, which is literally the Chronomaster Sport’s party trick. So, yes, you can time your Veuve bottle sabering… but only if you don’t mind guessing or think of it this way: it’s the horological equivalent of driving a Bentley with neon under glow down Worth Avenue.