I Got My Hands On The Very Green Zenith Chronomaster Sport Watch This Monday Morning

What happens when you leave a Rolex Submariner “Hulk” and a Daytona in a room overnight? You get the Zenith Chronomaster Sport in its very green attire. Did I offend any Rolex and/or Zenith fans? It was my initial thought when I saw the press pictures of the Chronomaster Sport on a bracelet (ref. 03.3119.3600/56.M3100) and the one on a matching rubber strap (ref. 03.3119.3600/56.R952). From the very start, the Chronomaster Sport gave off strong Daytona vibes, and by adding a green dial and green ceramic bezel, it also ventured into “Sub” territory. That sounds like an irreversible bad first impression, but judging a watch by looking at it on a screen should always be temporary. A judgment can only be final after experiencing the watch in the metal. And besides passing judgment on this green chrono, I will also try to find an appropriate nickname for it.

One nickname we can’t bestow upon the green Zenith Chronomaster Sport is “Green Bay Packer.” Zenith already made the Chronomaster Sport  “Aaron Rodgers” Limited Edition, a very green watch limited to 250 pieces. It’s the watch worn by the Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers legendary quarterback, who was traded to the New York Jets last year. Both the limited and the unlimited watches are quite alike. They both come in a steel case and feature a green dial and bezel. But the “Aaron Rodgers” has Arabic numerals mimicking those on the “QB’s” jersey, and the three sub-dials are different. The limited edition shows overlapping sub-dials in three different gray hues. The unlimited edition of the Chronomaster Sport displays two gray sub-dials in different shades of gray and a blue sub-dial at 3 o’clock.

Can we call the green Zenith Chronomaster Sport “Ol’ Blue Eyes?”

It’s the standout blue sub-dial that makes me think of “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” one of Frank Sinatra’s nicknames. But this Zenith only has one “blue eye,” and the green Chronomaster Sport isn’t the only watch with that color sub-dial. On top of that, Frank Sinatra is an untouchable icon, which makes me doubt it’s a suitable nickname.

Maybe before continuing my quest for a nickname, let’s focus on the tangible aspects of the watch itself. When I saw a render of the watch on my screen, I felt the urge to turn my head away. When I saw it in the metal, I couldn’t wait to get it out of the box. The shade of green in reality is nowhere near as harsh as it is on the screen. The green that Zenith chose to use is clear, bright, and natural like the leaves of a tree in springtime. It also helps that when seeing a watch in real life, you see its actual size, not a 200% enlargement. The proportions of the 41mm stainless steel case, which is 13.8mm thick and 47mm from lug to lug, are pretty much spot on for me. On the wrist, the watch feels and looks neither too big nor too small and not too thick either.

Clasp of sorrow

The Chronomaster Sport’s case, with its polished sides and brushed top, also flaunts a refined, polished bevel flowing graciously around the case. The seamless, light-reflecting line also ties the small lugs together. These delicate little lugs make the watch so very wearable. But regarding wearability, the clasp of the three-row bracelet will rain on your parade after wearing the watch with great pleasure. Opening the clasp can be downright painful and cost you a nail. In looks, the clasp is nearly a spitting image of the Daytona’s Oysterlock safety clasp. Unfortunately, looks are all the two clasps have in common. The little crown on the Oysterlock helps you open it easily, and the clasp itself feels very solid, well built, and luxurious. Zenith’s clasp doesn’t feel like that at all and, frankly speaking, has no place on an €11,800 / US$11,300 watch.

Blue in green

Not taking off the watch is an unrealistic solution to the problem with the clasp. Maybe over time, the safety clasp will loosen a bit — not too much, though, or it won’t be safe any longer — but new out of the box, the clasp might extract a few swear words from your mouth. Once on the wrist, though, the green watch will evoke feelings of abundance and a sense of refreshment, peace, rest, and security. This watch made me realize that the science of color is real and not hocus-pocus.

Okay, I might have exaggerated a bit, but the green Chronomaster Sport sure feels good on the wrist. Understandably, you may deem the Chronomaster Sport too green to combine with anything you normally wear. But that’s not the case. Yes, the watch is very, very green, but when worn with denim, the green creates a nice contrast, and the blue sub-dial ties the outfit together. Yes, the watch is colorful, but it doesn’t clash with what you’re wearing. If it works with blue jeans, it will work with almost everything else; you’re not wearing bright yellow suits or all-purple outfits regularly, now, are you?

The green Chronomaster Sport might be a bit too much if it’s your only watch, but this chronograph most surely won’t be. This is a watch that attracts watch enthusiasts and connoisseurs who appreciate the presence of the 5Hz El Primero caliber that allows the central counter of the chronograph to make one full sweep in 10 seconds. This watch is most surely an addition to a collection that contains black, white, and blue dials.

Finding the right nickname for the Chronomaster Sport on the bottom of a glass

Talking about colors leads us back to finding a nickname for the green Chronomaster Sport. Names like Green Lantern, Swamp Thing, and Green Hornet come to mind. But maybe we should step away from superheroes (and frogs, for that matter) and look somewhere else. What about “Green Fairy”? It’s the nickname for absinthe, the drink often “portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen.” Drinking large quantities of the stuff, with ingredients like wormwood oil, fennel, hyssop, anise, and an alcohol content of 45–74%, was deemed very dangerous. The drink was linked to Vincent van Gogh’s famous ear-lobbing incident, for instance.

“L’Heure Verte” or “Green Fairy”?

Interestingly, absinthe was first created by French doctor Pierre Ordinaire, who lived and worked in the canton of Neuchâtel. Zenith is from the town of Le Locle, which is also in the canton of Neuchâtel. What’s also interesting is that besides Green Fairy, absinthe was also called l’heure verte, French for “the green hour.” By the 1860s, the drink had become so popular in France that both 5:00 PM and the strong drink went by that nickname. The link with time is nice for a watch, but a French nickname probably isn’t international enough.

The more universal nickname “Green Fairy” seems to be just right. There’s a bit of mystery and danger in the name (absinthe was banned in the US and most of Europe in the early 20th century, though there never was any irrefutable proof that the drink was more dangerous than other spirits), and both the drink and the watch are an acquired taste.

Tell me, is the Chronomaster Sport “Green Fairy” to your taste? Is it having a pleasant hallucinogenic effect on you, or does it want to cut off your ear?

P.S. — If you’re looking for all the facts and figures, please go to Jorg’s introduction article, which features an elaborate spec list.