The Swiss luxury watch maison, ZENITH, has revealed the latest addition to its DEFY Skyline constellation at Watches & Wonders in Geneva this week.
In the notes which accompanied the announcement, the house described the timepiece as a “ natural continuation and expansion of ZENITH’s edgy, all-occasions line”, adding that the new watch offered “a new vessel for the Manufacture’s latest iteration of the El Primero automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre, endowed with a 1/10th of a second chronograph function.”
Architectural, geometric and intricately faceted, the DEFY Skyline’s 42mm steel case offers an up-to-date take on the earliest DEFY’s octagonal case with a multi-sided bezel. Retaining the same DNA of robustness and durability as its predecessors while bringing an edgier and more contemporary aesthetic and proportions. In the DEFY Skyline Chronograph, the pushers follow the sharply drawn lines of the case, while the screw-down crown emblazoned with the star emblem helps ensure a water resistance of 100 metres (10ATM).
Available in metallic black, blue or silver, the DEFY Skyline Chronograph’s dial pairs the collection’s signature starry sky-patterned dial featuring engraved four-pointed stars with the traditional El Primero dial configuration. Three slightly oversized and overlapping counters show the elapsed seconds and minutes of the chronograph, as well as the constant running seconds. The date window – matching the colour of the dial – is positioned at 4:30, another El Primero signature. The flange ring with the 1/10th of a second scale has twelve facets, the form of the dodecagonal bezel and serves as extensions of the hour markers.
Just like in the DEFY Skyline automatic model and its skeleton counterpart, ZENITH continues to offer the 1/10th of a second function found, now in the form of a1/10th of a second chronograph in the DEFY Skyline Chronograph. This mechanical feat is the result of the El Primero 3600 calibre’s high-frequency rate of 5Hz (36’000 vibrations per hour), visible through the display back. Its open star-shaped oscillating weight with bidirectional winding efficiently provides a power reserve of 60 hours.
Another key highlight of the DEFY Skyline is its quick strap-change mechanism integrated directly into the case, allowing for effortless versatility without requiring any tools. With the simple push of a button, the three-link steel bracelet can be swapped with the supplied star-patterned rubber strap with a steel folding buckle.
The DEFY Skyline Chronograph is available from all ZENITH boutiques and authorized sellers.
