Zenith added the Skyline to its Defy series in early 2022, replacing the Defy Classic as its three-hand sports watch offering. While the Skyline’s shape hints at the Defy’s 1969 origin, the Defy Revival is the brand’s faithful reissue of that watch. The Defy Skyline is a thoroughly modern-looking watch. With these two Watches and Wonders 2023 new releases, Zenith has taken the Skyline a few steps further toward modernity, rendering its sharp edges and facets, as well as its integrated bracelet, in black ceramic.
Specifications:
Brand: Zenith
Model: Defy Skyline and Defy Skyline Skeleton Black Ceramic
Dimensions: 41mm
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Case Material: Ceramic
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire crystal
Movement: El Primero 3620
Frequency: 5Hz
Power Reserve: 60 hours
Strap/Bracelet: Black Ceramic bracelet and black rubber strap with stainless steel buckle
Price & Availability: $15,000 (standard dial)/$17,000 (skeleton)
The Defy’s angular case shape looks striking when rendered in all-black, giving the watch a more menacing look. Zenith uses diamond-tipped tools to cut the sharp lines and apply brushed finishing to some of the flat surfaces. While it’s more challenging to finish, ceramic’s hardness becomes a benefit once the watch is finished. It means that sharp-edged bezels and intricate bracelets will hold up to mild abuse better than their metallic counterparts.
In addition to the ceramic H-link bracelet with folding clasp, Defy Skyline Black Ceramic models also include a sporty black rubber strap. A molded-in starry sky pattern gives it visual interest and a quick-release system makes it easy to swap between either option. The deployant buckle is made from stainless steel but is PVD coated in black to match.
One of the signature traits of the Defy Skyline is the dial, whether closed, or skeletonized. As with the steel Skyline, the Black Ceramic’s dial features a geometric pattern consisting of Zenith four-pointed stars repeated across the dial. On the Black Ceramic version, this pattern is combined with a black galvanic dial with a sunray finish. It’s guaranteed to create interesting visual appeal while light hits it at different angles. Zenith says that it evokes the starry night sky.
If visual appeal is what you’re after, however, you might consider the Skeleton version of the Defy Skyline Black Ceramic. Its open dial features a blackened large central four-pointed star element, revealing the skeleton movement with black bridges and mainplate. The escapement is visible, beating away at 5hz, and constructed from purple silicon.
Both versions feature faceted, polished, and rhodium-plated hands and indices filled with white Super-LumiNova C1. This provides a bit of brightwork to the otherwise stark dials and should prove to be supremely legible, day or night.
Zenith’s in-house El Primero 3620 movement powers both versions of the Black Ceramic Defy Skyline, as well as steel versions. The specs are the same, however, the Skeleton version has its second hand moved from 9 o’clock to 6 o’clock. An interesting move, but in my opinion, it’s the better location aesthetically in both cases. As with previous watches with this movement, the small hand makes a full rotation every 10 seconds, rather than 60. It will do this for 60 hours on a full wind, and since it’s an El Primero, all while ticking away 10 times per second (36,000 vph).
After seeing this watch revealed, I feel that black ceramic is a natural fit for the Defy Skyline. It looks like a very different watch than the steel version and provides a very interesting alternative. Zenith has its MSRP set at $15,000 USD for the standard dial version and $17,000 USD for the skeleton. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
