Zenith Shoots for the Rainbow

Long lauded by in-the-know collectors for its technical achievements, the storied Swiss maker is aiming to go pop with an audacious new timepiece.

- By CAM WOLF

ZENITH'S UNDERSTATED Chronomaster Sport is the type of watch I typically find at industry events, worn by insiders who want to signal superior taste. For them, other iconic chronographs, like the Omega Speedmaster or TAG Heuer Carrera, feel too mainstream. The Chronomaster, on the other hand, which features Zenith's historic El Primero movement (the first-ever automatic integrated chronograph), is perfect watch-guy bait as it reveals its wearer as a true enthusiast.

But with a single new watch set with a rainbow of sapphires, Zenith is making good on its strategy to become higher-end, more exclusive, and generally much shinier. Its Chronomaster Sport Rainbow indicates not just a new direction for the watchmaker but also the changing winds of an industry less interested in technical ingenuity than highest-order glamour.