The Rolex Daytona’s Closest Rival Just Threw Down The Gauntlet

The high-end chronograph takes a page out of The Crown’s book — for less money.

Close-up of a luxury zenith chronograph watch with a textured silver dial, three subdials, a date window, and a black bezel with white markings. The watch has a stainless steel case and bracelet, with a blue background.

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Published August 26, 2025

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As the world’s most desirable chronograph, the Rolex Daytona is squarely in the sights of every one of its rivals. And there is arguably no closer competitor to the Daytona than Zenith’s Chronomaster Sport.

Not only does the ceramic-bezeled sports watch resemble Rolex’s chronograph, but an earlier version of its iconic El Primero automatic movement also powered a prior generation of the Daytona for over a decade.

One of the coolest and most sought-after versions of the Daytona currently offered by Rolex is the reference 126519LN, which features a gray meteorite dial. Now, Zenith has introduced a meteorite dial to the Chronomaster Sport, and it can be had for considerably less money than the Daytona.

Stainless steel Zenith chronograph wristwatch with a textured silver dial, three subdials, black bezel with white markings, and a polished and brushed metal bracelet. The watch face features bold hour markers and red-tipped hands. — Zenith made the Chronomaster Sport even more awesome with the addition of a meteorite dial.

El Primero in space

The new Chronomaster Sport Meteorite features a gray meteorite dial that’s been hand-finished to preserve the lines of the material’s signature Widmanstätten pattern.

I’ve always been a fan of the unique texture provided by meteorite dials, and I think it looks especially good here as it’s paired with a gray version of the El Primero’s classic tricolor subdials. The registers in silver, light gray and anthracite provide the perfect monochromatic complement to the exotic space-born dial.

Zenith El Primero chronograph watch with a textured silver dial, three subdials in white, gray, and silver, black and silver bezel marked for 1/10th of a second, and a black rubber strap. The watch features silver hour markers and hands with red accents on the chronograph seconds hand and subdial hands. — The watch makes for a compelling alternative to the meteorite Rolex Daytona, especially on the included black rubber strap.

Adding just a hint of color are red tips for the three chronograph hands, another smart aesthetic choice that also adds practicality by visually separating the chronograph from the watch’s main timekeeping components. The ceramic bezel is black, and the baton hands and applied indices all feature unique black accents for even more visual cohesion.

Aesthetically, Zenith’s Chronomaster Sport Meteorite is a pretty close match to the meteorite Daytona, with its gray dial, black ceramic bezel and fitted black rubber strap. But there are some pretty key differences, as well.

Close-up of a Zenith El Primero wristwatch with a textured silver dial featuring three subdials in silver and dark gray, black and white hour markers, and silver hands with white accents. The bezel is black with white markings, and the date window is positioned between 4 and 5 o'clock. The watch face includes the text "ZENITH EL PRIMERO 36,000 VpH." — The dial combines meteorite with a gray version of the iconic El Primero tricolor subdials.

For starters, the 41mm case of the Zenith is in stainless steel, which keeps the retail price of the watch well under half the SRP of the $43,750 Daytona, which is in white gold. Next, in addition to the aforementioned rubber strap, the Zenith also comes with a matching steel bracelet, which is not an option on the meteorite Rolex. There’s also the matter of the Zenith’s bezel, which you may have noticed, does not feature a Daytona-esque tachymeter scale but rather a 1/10th-second counter.

This feature is carried over from all Chronomaster Sports and basically amounts to Zenith showing off. The El Primero 3600 movement powering the watch is a high-beat chronograph that ticks ten times per second, and the central-mounted chronograph hand completes a revolution around the dial once every 10 seconds rather than 60 to accentuate this rare feature. The movement is also visible through a sapphire caseback, per usual.

Back view of a Zenith Chronomaster wristwatch showcasing its intricate mechanical movement. The transparent case back reveals gears, screws, and jewels, with inscriptions including "CHRONOMASTER," "35 JEWELS," "EL PRIMERO ZENITH MANUFACTURE SWISS MADE," and the model number "03.3120.3600." The watch has a stainless steel case and bracelet, with visible pushers and crown on the side. — As always with the Chronomaster Sport, the legendary El Primero movement is visible behind a sapphire caseback.

Pricing and availability

Although the Chronomaster Sport Meteorite is a lot more affordable than the meteorite Daytona, it’s still far from a cheap watch. This is a more exclusive and luxurious version of an already exclusive and luxurious watch, and it has the price tag to prove it: $17,500.

The watch was previously a Japan exclusive, but as of today, Zenith has made the Chronomaster Sport Meteorite available worldwide at its authorized retailers and boutiques, including online.

Stainless steel Zenith El Primero chronograph watch with a textured silver dial, black and silver subdials, black bezel marked with white numerals, and a matching stainless steel bracelet. The dial features three subdials, a date window at 4:30, and luminous hour markers and hands.

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Meteorite

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Zenith Cal. El Primero 3600 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

$17,500 at Zenith

About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.