The best-selling Skyline finally gets its chronograph
Looking back at the legacy of the Zenith Defy collection of wristwatches, there’s a long and enduring tradition of El Primero chronographs within the line from as far back as the early 1970s. A modernistic vessel for a groundbreaking calibre, the Defy has always been perfectly suited for the El Primero automatic chronograph, whose high-frequency rate allows it to provide unwavering precision – even in highly animated and dynamic situations. With the same penchant for movement and performance in a wide range of settings, the new Defy Skyline Chronograph is the culmination of over 50 years in elevating the chronograph to new heights. In essence, it is the Defy chronograph of the 21st century — and it shows.
Architectural, geometric and intricately faceted, the Defy Skyline’s 42mm steel case is a modernized take on the earliest Defy octagonal case with a multi-sided bezel. Retaining the same DNA of robustness and durability as its predecessors while bringing an edgier and more contemporary aesthetic and proportions. 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 meters (10ATM).
Like its three-hand variant, the Defy Skyline Chronograph’s dial pairs the collection’s signature starry sky-patterned dial featuring engraved four-pointed stars with the traditional tri-register 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 color 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. In an ever-faster moving world, every fraction of a second counts. Just like in the Defy Skyline automatic model, 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.
