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Celebrates 100 years of Bang & Olufsen craftsmanship
Monarch features sculpted Santos Palisander rosewood.
At what point does a speaker stop being a piece of technology and start becoming a piece of art?
Bang & Olufsen has spent much of its 100-year history blurring that line, but the new Beolab 90 Monarch and Zenith Editions take the idea somewhere altogether more extravagant. The Beolab 90 was hardly an understated starting point either; Bang & Olufsen already describes its flagship as a “sculpture of sound,” with the standard pair sitting at the very top of the company’s loudspeaker range.
These latest creations come through Bang & Olufsen Atelier, the Danish brand’s playground for experimenting with unusual materials, colours and finishes beyond what you’ll find in its regular catalogue. And this time, simply changing the colour was never going to be enough. The Monarch Edition wraps the Beolab 90 in sculpted rosewood lamellas and contrasting aluminum, drawing heavily on Denmark’s furniture-making tradition, while the Zenith Edition takes the more theatrical route with thousands of pearl-like aluminum spheres and mother-of-pearl detailing. Underneath all of that craftsmanship remains the formidable acoustic engineering that made the Beolab 90 such an extraordinary speaker in the first place.
More importantly, Monarch and Zenith are part of Bang & Olufsen’s five-part Beolab 90 Atelier centenary collection, concluding the 100th-anniversary celebration after Titan, Shadow, and Mirage editions. These designs showcase what happens when designers treat loudspeakers as canvases rather than just audio equipment, and they haven’t held back.
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 Monarch Edition | Image: Bang & Olufsen
A Centennial Journey of Atelier Craftsmanship
For a company that has spent 100 years treating sound and design as equally important, simply giving the Beolab 90 a celebratory colourway was never going to feel ambitious enough. To mark its centenary, Bang & Olufsen turned to its Atelier division and reimagined the flagship loudspeaker across five limited editions, each exploring a different combination of materials, textures and finishes while preserving the acoustic foundation underneath.
The result is less a conventional anniversary collection and more a demonstration of what can happen when designers and engineers are given room to experiment with a product that was already extraordinary.
The journey began with the Titan Edition, which stripped the Beolab 90 back to raw cast aluminum and exposed the craftsmanship normally hidden beneath its exterior. It was followed by the darker Shadow Edition, where traditional fabric covers gave way to black-coated stainless-steel mesh, and the far more colourful Mirage Edition, whose hand-applied gradient anodization shifts between blue and magenta as you move around it.
Now, with Monarch and Zenith, Bang & Olufsen is bringing that five-part journey to a close by turning its attention to two very different expressions of craftsmanship: one rooted in the warmth and tradition of wood, and the other built around the precision, reflection and almost jewellery-like quality of polished aluminum.
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 Monarch Edition | Image: Bang & Olufsen
The Monarch Edition
The Monarch Edition of the Beolab 90 introduces a warmer, Danish feel with Santos Palisander rosewood styled into angled, curved slats that follow the speaker’s complex design in a 360-degree pattern. Each piece, uniquely patterned and coated to preserve warmth, resembles classic Danish furniture design rather than just wooden decoration, highlighting Bang & Olufsen’s advanced craftsmanship.
Six wooden knots connect the slats, with a subtle lit stripe on the front shining through the wood. A solid rosewood ring tops the speaker, and the slat pattern continues downward. Ochre-finished aluminum offers a warmer contrast, while semi-transparent fabric reveals parts of the sound equipment underneath, maintaining a balance between natural and manufactured materials. The wood provides texture and uniqueness, while the aluminum highlights the serious sound technology beneath the craftsmanship.
Our favorite detail is the story behind the wood. Bang & Olufsen has worked with the same Danish wood supplier since 1949. Making the Monarch’s larger Palisander wooden slats was challenging because each piece needs to follow the cabinet’s curves and angles. When assembled, these pieces form an almost wave-like surface around the speaker, creating a sense of movement even when silent. Covering the futuristic Beolab 90 with a traditional material and craft, dating back decades, might seem unusual, but this contrast makes the Monarch Edition unique.
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 Monarch Edition | Image: Bang & Olufsen
The Zenith Edition
Now, the Beolab 90 Zenith is where Bang & Olufsen lets its imagination run wild. Six curved panels, each with 289 anodized aluminum spheres in seven pearl-inspired finishes, create a surface that shifts and shimmers as the light changes throughout the day. A dark-grey, pearl-blasted aluminum facemask draws inspiration from the texture of an oyster shell, while a circular mother-of-pearl inlay crowns the speaker, completing what feels more like a piece of jewellery than conventional hi-fi.
The real achievement is making all that decoration work without interfering with the sound. Bang & Olufsen had to experiment with different sphere sizes and develop a specialized mounting system to keep every piece completely stable as the powerful woofers move air behind the panels, avoiding unwanted vibration or noise. The six covers require an extremely time-consuming manual assembly process, yet beneath all that polished aluminium and pearl detailing lies the acoustic engineering of the Beolab 90. It’s extravagant, slightly outrageous, and impossible to ignore—which, for something called the Zenith Edition, feels entirely appropriate.
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 Monarch Edition | Image: Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 Monarch Edition | Image: Bang & Olufsen
The Monarch Edition & Zenith Edition Specifcations
For all the attention given to their extraordinary materials and craftsmanship, the Monarch and Zenith remain Beolab 90s at heart, meaning Bang & Olufsen hasn’t sacrificed the serious acoustic engineering underneath. Both retain the flagship speaker’s 18-driver architecture and advanced beam-forming technology, while their exclusivity goes far beyond the finishes, with production limited to just 10 pairs of each edition.
Here’s a quick look at the key specifications and details behind the two Atelier creations:
Model: Beolab 90 (Atelier Editions)
Editions: Monarch & Zenith
Series: Five-Part Atelier Centenary Collection
Drivers: 18 bespoke drivers
Technology: Beam-forming & Active Room Compensation
Elias Albay is the Founder and Director of Many Men Magazine, a Toronto-based digital publication dedicated to promoting modern masculinity through style, culture, and self-improvement. What started as a personal turning point became a purposeful platform. — born from Elias’ desire to create something meaningful after completing his studies and finding no career path that truly matched his ambitions. With a background in Civil Engineering from York University and experience in Commercial Flight Operations at CAE, he applied skills, and resilience from both fields to forge a new path.
Our team of editors and experts thoughtfully chooses each product. If you decide to buy through one of our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more. Want to know how we test products? Click here for more details.
Following its 160th anniversary celebrations in 2025, Zenith could easily have taken a quieter approach to Watches and Wonders 2026, but the Le Locle manufacture arrived in Geneva with seven new watches spread across two very different collections. The Chronomaster Sport supplied the modern, high-frequency performance, while the G.F.J. brought classical proportions, rare materials and one of the most important chronometer movements in Zenith’s history.
The biggest news was the arrival of the first fully skeletonized Chronomaster Sport, offered in four distinct executions. Two stainless-steel models pair their openworked displays with either black or green ceramic bezels, while an 18K rose-gold version adds a black ceramic bezel and rubber strap. Sitting at the top is an extravagant rose-gold edition with 50 baguette-cut diamonds around the bezel, limited to only 10 pieces. Zenith also introduced a separate two-tone Chronomaster Sport combining stainless steel, rose gold and a mother-of-pearl dial, with production restricted to 50 examples.
For the more traditionally minded collector, Zenith expanded the G.F.J. family with two striking interpretations powered by the revived hand-wound Calibre 135. One combines an 18K yellow-gold case with a naturally patterned bloodstone dial and is limited to 161 pieces, while the considerably rarer tantalum edition features a black onyx centre, diamond hour markers and a production run of just 20 watches.
Now that we have the introduction out of the way, let’s take a closer look at every watch Zenith unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2026, from the openworked Chronomaster Sport models to the two precious-stone G.F.J. releases.
Zenith Releases at Watches & Wonders 2026 Overview:
Zenith’s 2026 line-up moves between open-worked high-frequency chronographs, precious materials and traditional observatory chronometry. While the Chronomaster Sport Skeleton brings visible mechanics and modern engineering to the foreground, the latest G.F.J. models offer a quieter expression of the manufacture’s history. These five releases stood out most for their design, technical character and collectability.
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Image: Zenith / Supplied
Zenith Chronomaster Sport
First up, we have the Chronomaster Sport that usually never struggles to grab attention once it’s spotted, but for Watches and Wonders 2026, Zenith has given its high-frequency chronograph a noticeably more polished personality. It still frames the familiar sporting proportions of the collection while introducing stainless steel, 18K rose gold and mother-of-pearl in a limited edition of just 50 pieces.
The 41mm stainless-steel case is framed by a rose-gold bezel, crown and chronograph pushers, creating a warmer appearance without distancing the watch from its performance-focused roots. Light moves naturally across the mother-of-pearl dial, revealing subtle changes in colour around the overlapping blue, anthracite and light-grey counters, while gold-plated hands and hour markers coated with Super-LumiNova maintain clarity. The date remains tucked between 4 and 5 o’clock, and water resistance is rated at 100 metres.
Behind the dial sits the automatic El Primero 3600, which runs at 36,000 vibrations per hour and measures elapsed time to one-tenth of a second. Its central chronograph hand completes a full trip around the dial every 10 seconds, accompanied by a 60-second counter at 3 o’clock and a 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock. The movement provides approximately 60 hours of power reserve and can be viewed through the sapphire caseback, where its column wheel, horizontal clutch and star-shaped openworked rotor are placed on display.
The two-tone bracelet carries the same mixture of steel and rose gold across the wrist, with alternating brushed and polished surfaces lending the design greater depth, while an additional black rubber strap offers a more casual alternative.
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Ref. 51.3102.3600/01.M3100 | Image: Zenith / Supplied
Brand: Zenith
Model: Chronomaster Sport
Reference: 51.3102.3600/01.M3100
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 13.6 mm
Material: Stainless steel & 18K rose gold
Dial: Mother-of-pearl with three different-coloured counters
Calibre: El Primero 3600
Power Reserve: 60 Hours
Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
Price: USD $20,100 (Limited Edition – 50 Pieces)
Zenith G.F.J. In Tantalum | Image: Zenith
Zenith G.F.J. In Tantalum
The G.F.J. in tantalum is Zenith’s most exclusive interpretation of the collection to date, with production limited to only 20 pieces. Its 39.15mm case retains the stepped bezel and sculpted lugs associated with the G.F.J., although tantalum’s natural blue-grey colour and considerable density give the watch a darker, weightier presence. Highly resistant to corrosion yet notoriously difficult to machine and finish, the unusual metal brings a distinctly modern edge to the otherwise classical design.
A polished black onyx centre provides the dial with an almost liquid appearance, while an oversized grey mother-of-pearl small-seconds counter introduces a softer contrast at 6 o’clock. The surrounding brick-pattern guilloché draws inspiration from the façade of Zenith’s historic Le Locle manufacture, with 11 trapeze-cut diamond hour markers and faceted 18K white-gold hands adding a restrained touch of brilliance.
Inside is the hand-wound Calibre 135, a modern revival of Zenith’s celebrated observatory chronometer movement, equipped with a Breguet overcoil, stop-seconds mechanism and 72-hour power reserve. The COSC-certified movement is regulated to within ±2 seconds per day, while its ruthenium-treated bridges and Côtes de Genève can be viewed through the sapphire caseback. Supplied with blue nubuck alligator, black alligator and grey calfskin straps, the 50-metre water-resistant watch is priced at US$83,400.
Zenith G.F.J. In Tantalum Ref. 98.1865.0135/21.C212 | Image: Zenith
Brand: Zenith
Model: G.F.J. In Tantalum
Reference: 98.1865.0135/21.C212
Diameter: 39.15 mm
Thickness: 10.5 mm
Material: Stainless steel & 18K rose gold
Dial: Signature brick-pattern guilloché outer ring with onyx centre & mother-of-pearl small-seconds counter
Calibre: Calibre 135
Power Reserve: 72 Hours
Water-Resistance: 5 Bar (50 metres, 165 feet)
Price: USD $83,400 (Limited Edition – 20 Pieces)
Zenith G.F.J. – The Ongoing Legacy Of The Calibre 135 | Image: Zenith
Zenith G.F.J. — The Ongoing Legacy Of The Calibre 135
The G.F.J. returns for 2026 with a warmer and more expressive take on Zenith’s modern precision watch. Named after founder Georges Favre-Jacot, the collection was created as a lasting home for the revived Calibre 135, rather than a one-time historical tribute. This approach was recognized when the first model won the Chronometry Prize at the 2025 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The new version comes in 18K yellow gold with a bloodstone dial, limited to 161 pieces.
Precision has been key to Zenith since the late 19th century, with the company winning a record 2,333 prizes in observatory timing competitions. Made between 1949 and 1962, the original Calibre 135 was designed especially for these tough tests, while its competition-level 135-O version won 235 awards and took first place five years in a row at the Neuchâtel Observatory from 1950 to 1954.
Instead of just copying the old movement, Zenith has updated its design for today while keeping its 30mm size, off-center wheel, large balance, and 18,000 vibrations per hour speed. The hand-wound movement now runs for 72 hours without needing a rewind. Improvements like a new gear system, adjustment screws, a special hairspring, double-arrow regulator, and stop-seconds feature help each COSC-certified movement keep time within ±2 seconds per day.
This mechanical heritage is housed in a slim 39.15mm yellow-gold case with a stepped bezel, curved lugs, and water resistance up to 50 metres. Under the sapphire crystal, naturally patterned bloodstone fills the center of the dial, alongside a mother-of-pearl small-seconds dial and an outer guilloché ring inspired by the brick wall of Zenith’s Le Locle factory. The movement is visible through the sapphire caseback, showing wide Côtes de Genève stripes, hand-finished edges, dark ruthenium surfaces, and gold-colored engravings. The watch comes with beige nubuck alligator, green alligator, and black calfskin straps, with a matching yellow-gold bracelet sold separately.
Zenith G.F.J. – The Ongoing Legacy Of The Calibre 135 Ref. 30.1865.0135/56.C216 | Image: Zenith
Brand: Zenith
Model: G.F.J. – The Ongoing Legacy Of The Calibre 135
Reference: 30.1865.0135/56.C216
Diameter: 39.15 mm
Thickness: 10.5 mm
Material: 18K – Yellow gold
Dial: Signature brick guilloché on the outer ring with a jasper “bloodstone” centre and a mother-of-pearl small-seconds counter.
Calibre: Calibre 135
Power Reserve: 72 Hours
Water-Resistance: 5 Bar (50 metres, 165 feet)
Price: USD $51,900 (Limited Edition – 161 Pieces)
Zenith Skeletonized Chronomaster Sport | Image: Zenith
Zenith Skeletonized Chronomaster Sport
Zenith’s relationship with high-frequency chronographs stretches back to 1969, when the manufacture introduced the El Primero as the world’s first automatic, integrated high-frequency chronograph movement. Its 5Hz frequency, equal to 36,000 vibrations per hour, made it possible to measure one-tenth of a second and established the technical foundation upon which the modern Chronomaster collection would eventually be built. At Watches and Wonders 2026, that long-running story enters a more transparent phase with the first Chronomaster Sport Skeleton.
Its smoked sapphire dial changes gradually from black at the perimeter to almost completely transparent at the centre, exposing the openworked El Primero 3600 SK without abandoning the Chronomaster’s visual identity. Overlapping counters in grey, anthracite and blue recall the original El Primero, while Super-LumiNova-coated hands and markers prevent the mechanical background from overwhelming the time display. The 41mm case combines brushed and polished surfaces with pump-style pushers, a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel and 100 metres of water resistance.
Beneath the dial, the El Primero 3600 SK continues to operate at 5Hz, driving its central chronograph hand around the dial once every 10 seconds so each tenth can be read directly from the graduated bezel. The open construction reveals its blue column wheel, horizontal clutch and silicon escape wheel, while the addition of a stop-seconds mechanism allows the time to be set more precisely. An openworked Zenith-star rotor maintains the view from the sapphire caseback, with the automatic movement providing approximately 60 hours of power reserve.
Four versions make up the collection, including stainless-steel models with either black or green ceramic bezels, both supplied on three-link bracelets with additional matching rubber straps. An 18K rose-gold model pairs a black ceramic bezel with a black rubber strap, while a 10-piece limited edition adds a rose-gold bracelet and a bezel set with 50 baguette-cut diamonds. The steel editions also introduce the patented ZENCLASP, a 41-component folding clasp developed over three years and tested through more than 600,000 opening and closing cycles. Its tool-free system adjusts in 2.5mm increments across a 10mm range, while ceramic locking components and a lift-up safety cover help maintain a secure fit.
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Skeleton Ref. 03.3130.3600:01.M3130 | Image: Zenith
Chronomaster Sport Skeleton — Black Ceramic Bezel
Brand: Zenith
Model: Chronomaster Sport Skeleton
Reference: 03.3130.3600:01.M3130
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 13.6 mm
Material: Stainless steel with black ceramic bezel
Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with the new micro-adjustable folding clasp. Additional black rubber strap included.
Dial: Open-worked, tinted sapphire with three different-coloured counters
Calibre: El Primero 3600 SK
Power Reserve: 60 Hours
Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
Price: USD $16,700
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Skeleton Ref. 03.3131.3600:01.M3130 | Image: Zenith
Chronomaster Sport Skeleton — Green Ceramic Bezel
Brand: Zenith
Model: Chronomaster Sport Skeleton
Reference: 03.3131.3600:01.M3130
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 13.6 mm
Material: Stainless steel with green ceramic bezel
Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with the new micro-adjustable folding clasp. Additional black rubber strap included.
Dial: Open-worked, tinted sapphire with three different-coloured counters
Calibre: El Primero 3600 SK
Power Reserve: 60 Hours
Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
Price: USD $16,700
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Skeleton Ref. 18.3130.3600:01.R951 | Image: Zenith
Chronomaster Sport Skeleton — Rose Gold Black Ceramic bezel
Brand: Zenith
Model: Chronomaster Sport Skeleton
Reference: 18.3130.3600:01.R951
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 13.6 mm
Material: 18K Rose gold
Dial: Open-worked, tinted sapphire with three different-coloured counters
Calibre: El Primero 3600 SK
Power Reserve: 60 Hours
Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
Price: USD $31,500
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Skeleton Ref. 22.3130.3600:01.M3100 | Image: Zenith
Chronomaster Sport Skeleton — Rose Gold & Diamonds
Brand: Zenith
Model: Chronomaster Sport Skeleton
Reference: 22.3130.3600:01.M3100
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 13.6 mm
Material: 18K Rose gold
Dial: Openworked, tinted sapphire with three different-coloured counters
Zenith’s 2026 collection feels focused, with the manufacture concentrating on two very different sides of its identity. The Chronomaster Sport Skeleton delivers the immediate excitement, placing the El Primero 3600 SK on display while introducing the genuinely useful ZENCLASP adjustment system. The G.F.J. models take a quieter approach, using tantalum, yellow gold and natural stone dials to prove that the revived Calibre 135 is becoming a permanent part of Zenith’s modern collection rather than remaining a one-off anniversary piece.
Our only reservation is that the line-up relies heavily on variations of two existing families, so anyone expecting an entirely new collection may find it slightly conservative. Even so, the individual watches have been thoughtfully executed, with the steel Chronomaster Sport Skeleton offering the strongest combination of performance and everyday wearability, while the tantalum G.F.J. stands out as the most technically and materially ambitious release.
Elias Albay is the Founder and Director of Many Men Magazine, a Toronto-based digital publication dedicated to promoting modern masculinity through style, culture, and self-improvement. What started as a personal turning point became a purposeful platform. — born from Elias’ desire to create something meaningful after completing his studies and finding no career path that truly matched his ambitions. With a background in Civil Engineering from York University and experience in Commercial Flight Operations at CAE, he applied skills, and resilience from both fields to forge a new path.
