Zenith completes Defy Skyline constellation

Zenith introduces the long-awaited Defy Skyline Chronograph to its Defy Skyline collection. A natural continuation and expansion of Zenith’s edgy, all-occasions line, the new Defy Skyline Chronograph offers 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

The Defy Skyline’s 42mm steel case is a modernised take on the earliest Defy’s octagonal case with a multi-sided bezel. 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. Available in metallic black, blue, or silver, the watch’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 serving as extensions of the hour markers.

Zenith continues to offer the 1/10th of a second function found now in the form of a 1/10th 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. The Defy Skyline’s quick strap-change mechanism is integrated directly into the case; 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.