The Defy Skyline collection by Zenith is no stranger to special editions, whether for artists, watch blogs, cities, causes, or boutiques. Now the range welcomes its newest special iteration, the Zenith Defy Skyline Americas limited edition watch, recently unveiled at the latest Salón Internacional Alta Relojería México (SIAR) watch show. Dressed in black ceramic and accessorized with green and gold accents, this Americas Defy Skyline is limited to 100 pieces, and is only available in North and South America.
In just a couple of years, the Defy Skyline — introduced in 2022 as a modern revival of the original Defy from 1969 — has expanded into a mainstay collection for Zenith, housing a generous assortment of models in various materials, colorways, and complications but always with its characteristic dodecagonal bezel and almost always powered by a high-frequency El Primero movement.
The Zenith Defy Skyline Americas sports a 41mm case, crafted in black ceramic and water resistant to 100 meters. The customary 12-sided bezel and integrated bracelet are also fashioned from black ceramic, creating a sleek and moody silhouette in images. Thanks to ceramic’s hardness, diamond-tipped tools are required to cut and decorate it. In true Defy Skyline form, the case’s sharp lines, facets, angles, and a mix of brushed and polished areas mean that there’s still plenty of light bouncing around on the otherwise dark surface.
Contrasting with the monotone exterior is the two-tone dial, with a sunray-finished deep metallic green backdrop punctuated with engraved rose gold-toned stars. Above that background sits a pair of rose gold plated hands at the center, a small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, a date window at 3 o’clock, and rose gold plated faceted hour markers. The rose gold framed date window includes a green disk, keeping things color-coordinated with the rest of the dial. In case you weren’t aware, the starry night pattern found across most Defy Skyline models is inspired by the “double Z” symbol on the casebacks of old-school Zenith Defy watches.
Like other time and date Defy Skyline models, the limited edition Zenith Defy Skyline Americas runs on the in-house 5 Hz El Primero 3620 movement, with 60 hours of power reserve, and a 1/10th of a second indicator whereby the speedy seconds hand on the subdial at 9 o’clock makes one full turn every 10 seconds. While no photographs of the movement were provided at the time of publishing, according to Zenith, its star-shaped rotor is blackened.
In addition to the black ceramic bracelet, the watch also comes with a second dark green rubber strap decorated with the same four-point stars found on the dial. The clasp is blackened stainless steel and the quick strap-change mechanism is integrated directly into the caseback, making it easy to switch between the two options.
Only 100 pieces of the Zenith Defy Skyline Americas watch (ref 49.9308.3620/56.I001) will be made, available exclusively from online boutiques and authorized retailers in North and South America. Interestingly, the America’s exclusive price tag of $15,500 USD is identical to the regular production, non-limited black ceramic Defy Skyline watch in Zenith’s current catalog. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
