For 157 years since 1865, Zenith has accompanied those who dare to challenge themselves and reach new heights. “Time to Reach Your Star”, the creed of Zenith instilled by founder Georges Favre-Jacot creed has been the manufacture’s guiding principle, and one that current CEO Julien Tornare is a bastion of. This never ending pursuit sees Zenith lay down the gauntlet once again in 2023 and for the 158th year running as its novelty lineup seeks to inspire.
The Zenith DEFY Skyline collection debuted last year to much fanfare as the manufacture looks deep within its archives for inspiration. Now that the Zenith DEFY Skyline collection reaches its sophomore year, it is joined by this year’s headlining act, the Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton. The tale of the Zenith DEFY Skyline collection mirrors our fast paced lives where fractions of a second can prove pivotal. A foudroyante or flashing seconds hand complication anchors this notion, constantly running at 1/10th of a second in fixed increments, completing one revolution every 10 seconds. This year’s edition sees the complication shifted to the six o’clock position from nine o’clock for a symmetrical dial arrangement. One major update as the watch’s namesake suggests is the skeletonisation of the dial to reveal the innerworks of the Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton.
Instead of opting for a classical skeletonisation style that follows traditional watchmaking, Zenith takes a more contemporary approach with its star-shaped open dial in either black or blue colour. It takes the form of a four-pointed star which was first used as a repeating dial motif on the 2022 Zenith DEFY Skyline and as a historical reference to Zenith’s “double Z” logo of the 1960s. Peeking beneath the dial cutouts is the automatic El Primero 3620 SK calibre, turbocharged to operate at 36,000 vph (vibrations per hour) instead of 28,800 vph that most other calibres do. The rapid pallet fork and escapement motion seen at the 11 o’clock position is a testament to the high frequency movement within that enables the watch to record 1/10th of a second. In case you are wondering, dividing 36,000 vph by 3600 (number of seconds in an hour) gives the number of vibrations per second that determines the fractions of time the watch is capable of recording, which is 10 or 1/10 in this instance. A hacking mechanism in the calibre offers precise time-setting down the second and is afforded 60-hours power reserve which is very uncommon amongst high frequency movements.
Given the performance-laden nature of the calibre, Zenith offers the same level of performance to the watch case. An architectural aesthetic is matched by a robust case construction — the 12 sided bezel is an homage to the geometrical faceted bezel from early DEFY models, reimagined to align with the 12 hour indexes on the dial. An integrated case to steel bracelet construction continues the angular guise of the watch, each plane chamfered and polished to match the urban landscapes the watch is inspired by. A complimentary rubber strap offers a lightweight alternative to the metal bracelet.
Zenith’s other talking point this LVMH Watch Week was the Zenith DEFY Extreme Glacier. The manufacture’s technicity and expertise in chronograph making is proudly on display as Zenith’s famed El Primero calibre is tested to the limits to take on the extremities of nature. Few watch manufactures share a relationship with a watch movement that Zenith and the El Primero calibre have — symbiotic and inextricably linked after experiencing skyrocketing success and tiptoeing extinction. The relationship began in 1969 when the first fully integrated, high frequency automatic movement was released. Several iterations soon followed over the decades to come, right up to the El Primero 9004 calibre seen in the Zenith DEFY Extreme Glacier.
It is worth noting that the El Primero 9004 calibre is not new (it was released in 2017 in the DEFY 21 collection), but what it represents is the future of Zenith. The manufacture’s pride and obsession in precision sees it release a high frequency chronograph that hits frenetic heights with a stopwatch capable of recording elapsed time down to 1/100th of a second. Considering that this is a mechanical timepiece, it is a highly commendable effort from the manufacture hailing from Le Locle.
The Zenith DEFY Extreme Glacier is the latest incarnation befitting the highly technical El Primero 9004 calibre. Released as part of a special edition that highlights extreme environments and to integrate natural stones as part of the watch construction, the Zenith DEFY Extreme Glacier is the second of such installation after the Zenith DEFY Extreme Desert.
At first glance, the watch follows the formula of the Zenith DEFY Extreme — a tough as nails chronograph with a bold and imposing presence to handle all elements thrown at it. A subtle glint of pale blue as seen in the bezel ring and chronograph pusher protectors is what sets this edition apart. Crafted from chalcedony, Zenith picked the semi-translucent crystalline stone to mimic the glacier landscapes with its blue hues. Each piece is meticulously cut and polished by hand before finding a new home in the watch. Though only 50 pieces of the Zenith DEFY Extreme Glacier is created, no two chalcedony components are the same because of its subtle colour differences and fibrous structure.
The icy look is matched by other subtle hints of blue seen on the transparent sapphire crystal discs with a frosted finish set against the power reserve indicator and sub-registers. Beneath the dial lies the aforementioned El Primero 9004 calibre, dormant and ready to unleash its pent up restlessness. At the heart of the calibre are two regulating organs — one each for timekeeping and the chronograph. The former operates at a de facto 36,000 vph while the latter at a mind boggling 360,000 vph. Using the same division formula from before, the Zenith DEFY Extreme Glacier records elapsed time down to 1/100th of a second. Actuating the chronograph is satisfying and snappy thanks to the column wheel that offers little to no lag time between actuation and operation. The central chronograph hand whizzes along at a frenetic pace to complete one revolution in one second.
Once you’re done with this story on Zenith LVMH Watch Week 2023 novelties, click here to catch up with our February 2023 issue.
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