The new Zenith Watches 2023 at the LVMH Watch Week

The Zenith Defy Skyline collection has dramatically upgraded the contemporary Defy collection. Whether you like its design or not, which always is subjective, we can’t deny that the Defy Skyline has extended the high-frequency El Primero offering to a three-hander. It grows the product from a technical standpoint, making it one of the few competitors in the high-frequency product offering below the 10,000 Euro threshold, alongside brands like Grand Seiko and no others.

The Zenith designers also applied their signature Skeleton treatment to the new Defy Skyline, turning this Zenith sports watch into the only high-frequency skeleton watch capable of displaying a 1/10 of a second reading on the dial.

In its Skyline edition, the Defy Skeleton also grows from an aesthetic and a technical perspective; the designers came out with a well-proportioned and grown-up product offering from any angle. The star-shaped dial is a Zenith hallmark and completes a flawless execution.

Skeletonization adds sophistication but is easy to read, a challenge any designer must face when sketching a timepiece this intricate; it instead opens up the dial compared to the base model. The new layout comes with smaller applied indexes on top of the outer ring compared to the standard Defy Skyline, and the whole dial offers enhanced symmetry thanks to the 1/10 of a second display moved to the six o’clock position.

Zenith has launched the Defy Skyline Skeleton in two options: the first comes with a black dial and is a call to action for traditionalists looking for a sober, more classic execution. The blue dial version is more Zenith than anywhere else; this colour scheme is quintessentially Zenith and makes the watch sportier. According to the specs sheet, they both measure 41 mm across.

They offer a 100-meter water resistance and a quick replacement device to help change the (beautiful) steel bracelet with an equally attractive rubber strap paired with a refined deployment clasp and pin buckle. The new Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton retails for 11,800 Euros, an attractive price point for a sophisticated mechanical watch with remarkable build quality.

(Photo credit: Zenith)

Editorial team @Horbiter®