Credits: Article and images by Tim Mosso @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/10/07/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-vs-zenith-chronomaster-sport-head-to-head-2/
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Compliments from watch folks come fast and furious, and the Chronomaster Sport’s controversial origins make it a rare attention magnet from low-profile Zenith. Everyone wants to see it, try it, and judge it for themselves.
All due regard to the danger of small sample sizes, but most collectors who encountered the Chronomaster Sport came away impressed and convinced that the watch is more of a Daytona rival than a Daytona knockoff. This Zenith charms on merit.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (left) and Zenith Chronomaster Sport
A larger watch brand or a more direct market rival to Rolex probably wouldn’t have risked a watch like the Chronomaster Sport. But Zenith isn’t Omega, and the Chronomaster Sport won’t cost Rolex a single Daytona sale. Instead, we have a watch-nerd brand looking to find a fashion footing in a world where its celebrated movements often struggle for aesthetic identity.
The bottom line: price
Pricing also matters. As of October 2021, the steel Rolex Daytona retails for $13,150, and the Zenith Chronomaster Sport retails for $9,500 on a strap or $10,000 on a bracelet.
Reality bites in the form of years-long dealer waiting lists for the Rolex and markups approaching $40,000 to buy the watch immediately preowned. The Zenith, by comparison, is available both new and used for approximately its retail price. And, no, the Rolex isn’t four times better than the Zenith.
From its January launch, the Chronomaster Sport’s appearance has drawn immediate comparisons to the Rolex Daytona.
With the benefit of wrist time, head-to-head comparison, and reflection, a more balanced view of the Zenith puts the contentious watch in perspective. The Chronomaster Sport is Swiss engineering’s equivalent of present-day Lynyrd Skynyrd: neither a cover act nor all original blood, but still a blast.
For more information, please visit www.zenith-watches.com/int/chronomaster-sport
Quick Facts Zenith Chronomaster Sport 03.3100.3600/21.M3100
Case: 41 x 13.8 mm, stainless steel, 100-meter water resistance with push-down crown
Movement: automatic El Primero Caliber 3600 with lateral clutch column wheel chronograph, 60-hour power reserve, 36,000 vph/5 Hz frequency, silicon escapement, flat hairspring, 10-second foudroyant
Functions: hours, minutes, hacking seconds; date, foudroyant chronograph
Retail price: $11,800
Quick Facts Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona 116500LN-0001
Case: 40 x 12.3 mm, stainless steel, 100-meter water resistance with screw-down crown
Movement: automatic Caliber 4130 with column wheel and vertical clutch chronograph, 72-hour power reserve, C.O.S.C. official Swiss chronometer certification, 28,800 vph/4 Hz frequency, full balance bridge and free-sprung balance, overcoil hairspring,
Functions: hours, minutes, hacking seconds; chronograph
Retail price: $15,600
Tim Mosso is the media director and watch specialist at The 1916 Company. You can check out their very comprehensive YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@the1916company.
* This post was first published on November 28, 2021 at Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Vs. Zenith Chronomaster Sport: Head To Head.
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Credits: Article and images by Tim Mosso @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/10/07/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-vs-zenith-chronomaster-sport-head-to-head-2/
