Zenith Defy Skyline Review: High-Beat Sport Luxury Under $10K

While the El Primero movement architecture may serve as the face of the Zenith brand, it is the Defy collection that remains its soul. The Defy represents an historically significant ethos for Zenith, a creative foundation that is just as important to the Swiss brand’s past as it is to its future. Originally meant to be a showcase of innovation and ideas, the Defy collection serves dual purposes: to preserve and celebrate innovations of the past in the “Revival” subfamily, and to continue innovating for the future in the series’ other branches. In 2022, the brand took a big step toward the future of the collection with the release of the Zenith Defy Skyline, a watch that simultaneously looked to build on successful elements of the past and also to capitalize on the integrated-bracelet sport watch trend that had taken hold of the industry.

The Zenith Defy collection has roots in the 1960s and ‘70s, when many of the brand’s most iconic and exciting references were released (you can read a more in-depth history here). Many of these have been reborn in the form of modern Revival references, allowing a new generation of enthusiasts to discover them again, or for the first time. These designs weren’t afraid to take risks, from the shape of the case, to the bracelet integration, right into the dial colors and textures. The Defy name quickly came to signify a huge amount of character, and that’s on full display within the brand’s current stable. 

In finding a modern direction for the Defy, it would be vital for Zenith to find ways to retain this level of character, while still pushing forward in a meaningful way. It’s a tricky line to walk, but one that would unfold over the course of years as the collection has evolved. This has all been reliant on the strengths and weaknesses of the original Defy Skyline from 2022, and that’s the watch we’ll be looking at today. The Defy Skyline is burdened with creating a new link to the past in a manner that holds broad appeal to a modern audience. In some ways, Zenith has succeeded, but in others, inevitable compromises have been made. Setting aside the historical context here, there’s still plenty to appreciate with the Skyline, and that’s an important detail. 

With that, let’s take a closer look at the Defy Skyline, and the full collection that it has blossomed into. 

Case & Bracelet:

The Zenith Defy Skyline builds on the modern Defy identity in a big way. This is a visually striking design that immediately recalls the angular cases of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. A 12-sided bezel, with both polished and brushed surfaces, defines the overall shape at a glance. This sits atop an equally angular midcase whose eight sides have broad, flat surfaces, faceted together to form the overall design. There are loads of sharp edges and expansive surfaces to fit together here, with no real curvature in sight until you set your focus on the dial. 

The Skyline uses a three-link integrated-bracelet that fits to the case in Zenith’s proprietary quick-exchange system. Zenith makes additional straps for the system, such as rubber; however, you will be limited to this ecosystem for strap changes, as there is no traditional spring bar at work. Thankfully, the bracelet is quite nice, if a bit harsh thanks to the sharp edges. The bracelet is connected to the case with an articulating link at the center, which helps shape it straight away, and there is a healthy taper at work, so overall this is a comfortable, if not quite silky, experience on the wrist. 

The real story of this watch is the unique, angular design, which feels like an evolution of vintage Defy cases. It takes things a step further than its modern Defy predecessor (the Classic), and while that may create a more polarizing platform in total, it’s one that feels more confident in what it is and what it’s going for. In other words, it’s got that character that I referenced above. It just won’t be for everyone as a result, and I think that’s a very good place for a watch to be. 

Dial:

The dial of the Zenith Defy Skyline hosts just three hands and a date, but somehow manages to pack plenty of intrigue into the details. The base dial gets a pattern set into its satin surface which is composed of four pointed stars. This shape, when isolated, is a nod to the original Zenith star, and here it forms a dial texture unique to Zenith. Having a pattern such as this could be viewed as an ante to play when it comes to steel sport watches with an integrated bracelet.

What began with the Royal Oak and its Tapisserie dial in 1972 quickly took hold as a staple of the genre. When the trend started to get hot again around 2019, having your own unique dial pattern just came with the territory. (I promise that’s the only Royal Oak comparison that will appear in this review.)  Zenith has at least created something unique to its history, and it has implemented it in an interesting way as a point of contrast to the highly angular exterior. The two design components compliment each other nicely rather than competing with each other. 

The dial is asymmetric, with a subdial containing the running seconds placed at 9 o’clock, juxtaposed by the date aperture at 3 o’clock. What you can’t see in the pictures here is the pace at which that seconds hand is running, which makes it the true focal point of this watch, in hand and on wrist. Thanks to the high-beat, time-and-date El Primero movement inside, the Defy Skyline has a seconds hand that makes a full lap of the small subdial in just 10 seconds rather than 60. It’s a jarring sight at first, and makes viewing the watch something of a phrenetic experience, but it also makes it, well, fun. 

Movement:

This special feature of the Zenith Defy Skyline dial comes courtesy of the El Primero Caliber 3620 that beats at a frequency of 5Hz, or 36,000 vph. It’s easiest to think of the seconds hand in the same way you would the chronograph-timing seconds hand of a Chronomaster Sport: it’s just on all the time, and not really timing anything in particular. This element will also be quite polarizing, but it might take some time on the wrist to come to terms with it for prospective buyers. 

This is an automatic movement, and it is visible through an exhibition back. It does get 60 hours of reserve, and uses a silicon escape wheel and lever, each of which are an iridescent blue if you can spot them. As neat as it is to see the movement at all, the finishing here isn’t anything to write home about, but it is commensurate with other watches in this price range, so it’s hard to complain too much about the lack of hand finishing. Thankfully, the five-pointed star designed into the oscillating weight takes up much of the view anyway. 

Wearability:

The Zenith Defy Skyline is a watch with plenty of presence (in many ways), and that includes the overall wearability. At 41mm, it doesn’t exactly wear small, but thanks to the integrated design the effective “lug-to-lug” distance is quite short, so the footprint is contained a bit easier than you might imagine. That said, the case itself doesn’t do it any favors in curving around the wrist. It’s quite blunt and sharp in this regard, but at the same time, not necessarily uncomfortable. As stated, it just doesn’t have that silky quality that will make you forget you're wearing it over the course of a day. 

The rubber and synthetic strap options actually offer the most comfortable options, and thankfully, a rubber strap is included with the watch. This changes up the look and personality of the watch, but it’s a nice option to have on the go. 

The other element worth discussing with this watch is actually using it to tell the time. The Defy Skyline is perfectly legible, so there’s no real issue there, but that seconds hand whipping around the dial at breakneck speed could get old and or distracting over time. It’s a quirky feature that doesn’t really serve any utilitarian purpose, so you might be inclined to eventually view it as a distraction. That said, it’s also a big part of what makes this watch so interesting in the first place. I’m glad it’s there, but I’m not sure how well it will age, exactly. 

Full Zenith Defy Skyline Collection 

=This Skyline was the first to launch the collection in early 2022, but it has since gone on to spawn a full stable of interesting references. This is a platform that has now been rendered in different styles, complications, and materials, showing a truly impressive breadth of versatility in the process. Here are a few standouts worth considering. 

First, there is a Skyline Skeleton that opens up the dial, and places the running seconds down at 6 o’clock. Because of this design and orientation, the hyper seconds hand doesn’t stand out as much, and it fits in with the surroundings to provide an overall more cohesive experience. The Skyline Skeleton also picks up where the Defy Classic left off from a visual perspective, though it moves to a four-pointed star at its core. On the downside, it doesn’t share the svelte dimensions as the Classic, but that just leaves room for future iterations. 

Next is the Skyline Chronograph, a configuration that you knew was coming. This can be had with both a closed or an open dial, each within a 42mm case that echoes the time and date reference discussed here. Each of these variations can be had with a variety of dial colors, including navy blue, black, and silver. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is the Skyline 36, which sizes the design down to a more manageable 36mm in diameter. This collection can be had with a range of dial colors, as well as a gem-set case, and it’s worth noting here that this example moves the seconds hand to the hand stack, where it makes a full rotation of the dial in the standard 60 seconds that you’d expect. This watch uses the Zenith Elite movement, and cuts the total thickness to just 10.4mm. If you like the idea of the Skyline model, and would want to wear it everyday, this size might be your best option. 

Final Thoughts

The Zenith Defy Skyline continues a hugely important tradition for Zenith, and pushes the brand’s innovative chops into modern territory. This doesn’t feel like an end point, however. In fact, the Skyline as seen here feels more like a new foundation from which the brand can build. We’ve already seen it happen, and I think there’s plenty more room for refinement and creativity to be unleashed. The Skyline isn’t quite funky, like its forebears, but it does have plenty of personality without losing sight of its origins. 

The Skyline is unexpected, and exciting. While it does buy into some of the current trends, it manages to do so in its own way, and while still feeling distinctly Zenith in nature. The Zenith Defy Skyline comes with both the rubber strap and steel bracelet priced at $9,200. You can learn more about the collection at zenithwatches.com