We first wrote about the Zenith Defy Skyline back in 2022 (you can see that here), and then covered the very summery ceramic version in July (seen here). I’ve been curious about this watch (and it’s El Primero movement) since it was launched in ’22. As they say, good things come to those who wait, and we recently spent some time with a loaner of the Zenith Defy Skyline.
Zenith Defy Skyline: what it is
If you heard about a watch that had an El Primero movement in it, you’d undoubtedly be picturing a chronograph. And, to be fair, that’s really what that name was attached to, until the Zenith Defy Skyline came along. The movement inside is not just a stripped down chronograph, either. They took their time, reimagined what they could do with that high-frequency movement, and came up with this three hander. While the chronograph versions were able to hit 1/10th of a second accuracy, this version has the running “seconds” hand spinning around, making a full turn every 10 seconds.
Why we like it
For starters, the Zenith Defy Skyline is just a really well-sorted steel sports watch. You’ve got everything you need (time and date) and nothing else. Then, of course, you have the high-speed small seconds hand going there, set over a deeply textured dial.
Pair this with all of the bevels, angles, and alternating finishes, and you’ve got quite a visually interesting watch, for it being “just” a three-hander. It also has a rather interesting quick-change strap system. You can see in the photos below how the strap (and bracelet) have small hooks that go into the lugs. On the underside of the lug, you have a button you press, and out pops the strap, and you can swap in the new one. It felt super sturdy, and did make the changes quick. My one concern here is that if anything goes wrong inside the lug (or you snap a hook off of the strap), you’re sending this back to Switzerland for repair.
Wearing the Zenith Defy Skyline
At first, I felt hesitant to put a watch with this sort of price tag on my wrist. Once I had it on, though, it quickly became just another watch, and it quickly fit into my day-to-day for the week or so we had it in. It fit quite comfortably, and I left it on the bracelet most of the time. Given how the hands stand out from the dial, reading the time at a glance was a cinch, and I never felt like the watch was overly showy or ostentatious when it poked out from under a cuff.
Wrapping things up
As you can guess from that prior section, the Zenith Defy Skyline is not a watch that falls into our normal range of decidedly affordable watches. This is a watch that is definitely aspirational for most of us, with a price tag of $9,200. Still, if you’re looking for a watch to mark off a milestone, and one that can go the distance with you (and not being the same diver that all your friends want), this would be quite an excellent way to go. And with all that, you’ve got a storied name attached to that movement inside that’s keeping things quite accurate. You can check it out, and the variants, over at zenith-watches.com.
Zenith Defy Skyline Tech Specs
- Movement
- El Primero
- Components: 219
- Frequency: 36,000 VpH (5 Hz)
- Power reserve: approx. 60 hours
- Functions
- Hours and minutes in the centre
- 1/10th of a second indication at 9 o’clock
- Date indication at 3 o’clock
- Case
- Material: Stainless steel
- Diameter: 41.00
- Water resistance: 10 ATM
- Dial: Blue-toned sunray-patterned
- Strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Interchangable Strap: DEFY SKYLINE – NIGHT BLUE
