This New Chronograph Channels One of Rolex’s Most Legendary Watches

Zenith’s El Primero chronographs share an extensive history with the Rolex Daytona. The brand’s latest model attempts to outdo it.

By Johnny Brayson

Published January 21, 2025

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I think it’s safe to say that without Zenith and its iconic El Primero movement, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona as we know it today may not exist.

When Rolex’s famous racing chronograph debuted back in 1963, it was a manually wound watch like its eternal rival, the Omega Speedmaster. But beginning with its second generation in 1988, every Daytona watch produced has been an automatic, like every other modern Rolex model.

But here’s the catch: Rolex didn’t have an automatic chronograph movement of its own in the 1980s. So to power its automatic Daytona, the brand turned to Zenith and its El Primero movement, which had been in production since 1969 as one of the first automatic chronograph movements ever.

The so-called “Zenith Daytona” was in production until 2000, at which point Rolex finally launched a Daytona with an in-house automatic movement for the first time. Because of this past relationship, Zenith will forever remain a significant part of the Daytona story.

And today marks a very exciting new chapter in that story.

a zenith watch — Zenith’s long history with the Rolex Daytona comes full circle.

The Chronomaster Sport

At LVMH Watch Week, an event showcasing new releases from luxury conglomerate LVMH’s house of brands, Zenith released the most luxe version yet of its Chronomaster Sport.

First debuting in stainless steel with a ceramic bezel in 2021, the Chronomaster Sport is Zenith’s most popular El Primero-powered sports chronograph. Since its launch, it has widely been viewed by collectors as a more affordable alternative to the steel Daytona, which is highly difficult to purchase new and is priced well above retail on the secondary market.

With the launch of the latest version, Zenith is aiming even higher, offering a more attainable — though still astronomical — alternative to one of the Crown’s most legendary models ever.

The Rainbow Connection

a rolex rainbow daytona watch — The Rolex Rainbow Daytona ref. 116595RBOW in Everose Gold.

The first official Rolex “Rainbow” Daytona debuted in 2012 and was produced sporadically in various references until last year. It has become one of the most coveted status symbol watches in the world, with notable watch-collector celebrities like John Mayer, Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Hart and more all having at least one Rainbow in their collections.

The definitive version is the Everose Gold reference 116595RBOW, which was first introduced in 2018 with an SRP of $96,900. These days, buying one on the secondary market will run you well over $400,000.

Enter Zenith.

The new Zenith Chronomaster Sport Rainbow mimics much of what people love about the Rolex Rainbow Daytona, but there are some key differences.

Let’s start with what’s similar. Like the Rolex, Zenith’s Rainbow boasts a precious metal case and bracelet, opting for 18k white gold. Also, like later models of the Rolex, the Zenith features a black dial with baguette-cut sapphires in various colors for the indices. It also, of course, features a gem-set bezel with rainbow-colored sapphires.

But Zenith takes a different approach to the rainbow bezel than Rolex, and one that I believe is superior. On the Rolex, the colors of the sapphire seem to bleed into one another, creating an almost gradient effect. The Zenith has clear delineations in its colors. There are ten colors on the bezel, with each shade being represented by four sapphires. Every fifth gem on the bezel is not a sapphire, but a diamond, and they serve a purpose.

a closeup of a zenith watch dial — The tri-color subdials make the Chronomaster Sport Rainbow immediately identifiable as a Zenith.

The ten diamonds evenly spaced on the bezel are used as markers for the high-beat chronograph hand, which completes one rotation around the dial every ten seconds. This makes this a rare gem-set bezel that’s (somewhat) functional.

The Zenith’s black lacquer dial does not feature gold subdials like on the Rolex. Instead, Zenith thankfully opted for its iconic tri-color El Primero subdials. A brand signature, this dial instantly makes the watch recognizable as a Zenith.

The choice of subdial, along with Zenith’s decision not to use any diamonds outside of the bezel, helps to tone down the bling of the Chronomaster Sport Rainbow compared to the Rolex, which I appreciate.

a zenith watch dial with hands glowing in the dark — The hands are lumed on the Chronomaster Sport Rainbow — hey, it is still *technically* a tool watch.

Inside the watch is the Zenith in-house calibre El Primero 3600; a fully integrated, automatic, column-wheel chronograph that beats at 36,000 vph and has the unique aforementioned 1/10th of a second counter. The movement is also visible through a sapphire caseback, a feature absent from any Rainbow Daytona.

Pricing and Availability

Despite its brashness, I’ve always been a fan of the Rainbow Daytona, but I actually like this Zenith better. To me, it has just the right amount of bling without overdoing it with too many diamonds or too much gold. The colors chosen contrast perfectly with the black dial and white gold, and the use of both the El Primero movement and the tri-color subdials remind me that a) This is a Zenith and b) This is a serious chronograph.

To be clear, the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport Rainbow is neither common nor cheap, but it still handily beats Rolex when it comes to affordability and availability.

The watch is priced at $112,100, which is obviously an astronomical price for any watch but is about a quarter of what you’ll pay for a Rainbow Daytona today, so you need to take that into consideration.

Zenith also says the Chronomaster Sport Rainbow will be available exclusively at the brand’s boutiques, including its online boutique (as of this writing, it’s not yet available online). Good luck trying to buy a Rainbow Daytona online at retail.

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Rainbow

The most luxe take yet on Zenith’s ultra-popular Chronomaster Sport features a white gold case and bracelet, baguette-cut sapphire indices and a gem-set bezel boasting 40 rainbow-colored sapphires and ten diamonds.