By Kien Lee
Recalling the seemingly still night sky above a bustling city that never sleeps, the futuristic DEFY Skyline collection from ZENITH features a star-studded dial with a sunburst finish embellished with a perfectly aligned pattern consisting of engraved four-pointed stars - a modern re-imagining of the Zenith “double Z” logo of the 1960s. This same inspiration dovetails with the very naming of the Manufacture, for it was founder Georges-Favre Jacot, who fulfilled his dream of creating the most precise watch of the time and decided to name his manufacture after the highest point in the night sky, zenith.
The story goes back far, for in 1902, the original “DEFI” line consisted of rugged and precise pocket-watches, and this later was iterated into a line of wristwatches in 1969 named DEFY. The collection from the 1970s exuded an affirmed and resolutely modern aesthetic that complemented its hardy construction and reliable performance , earning it the nickname of coffre-fort, French for vault of safe.
Architectural, geometric and intricately faceted, the case of the DEFY Skyline is a modernized take on the earliest DEFY’s octagonal case with a multi-sided bezel. This refined aesthetic retains the same DNA of robustness and durability as its predecessors whilst making it contemporary and edgier.
The DEFY Skyline Chronograph is endowed with the famed El Primero 3600 calibre which beats at a high-frequency rate of 5Hz (36’000 vibrations per hour). As a result of this industry-leading movement, the DEFY Skyline timepieces offer a 1/10th of a second function, whilst the DEFY Skyline Chronograph boasts a 1/10th of a second chronograph.
Available in metallic black, blue or silver dials, the DEFY Skyline Chronograph feature the collection’s signature starry sky-pattern with engraved four-pointed stars and the traditional El Primero dial configuration.
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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 serving as extensions of the hour markers.
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).
The moment is visible through the display back, revealing an open star-shaped oscillating weight with bidirectional winding, efficiently providing a power reserve of 60 hours.
The DEFY Skyline collection also features an integrated 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 steel folding buckle.
The DEFY Skyline Chronograph is available from all ZENITH boutiques and authorized retailers.
