Two new Defy Skyline Skeleton models, unveiled during LVMH Watch Week 2026, further expand Zenith’s Defy line, a collection conceived as a playground for technical experimentation, contemporary materials and openworked construction.
The first is the Defy Skyline Skeleton Black Ceramic, ref. 49.9300.3620/07.I001, an openworked model that joins the 2023 stainless steel version and the 2024 white ceramic interpretation.
This edition features a black ceramic case and bracelet with brushed and polished surfaces that highlight the sculptural lines of the watch, along with the distinctive dodecagonal bezel.
Measuring 41 mm in diameter, the case is water-resistant to 100 metres / 330 feet.
Protected by a sapphire crystal, the gold-coloured openworked dial reveals many components of the high-frequency automatic El Primero calibre 3620 SK, built with an architecture similar to that of the El Primero 3600 1/10th of a second chronograph.
The 1/10th of a second hand is driven directly by the escapement, which beats at 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations per hour).
Applied baton hour markers and the central hour and minute hands are filled with Super-LumiNova SLN C1 to ensure legibility in low-light conditions.
The movement is also visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, where the bi-directional rotor with a star motif delivers a power reserve of approximately 55 hours.
The integrated black ceramic bracelet is equipped with a double folding clasp and can be exchanged for the supplied black rubber strap thanks to the intuitive quick strap-change mechanism.
The Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton Black Ceramic, ref. 49.9300.3620/07.I001, has a suggested retail price of CHF 16,900 / €19,100 / US$18,900.
The second model marks a new chapter for the collection as the first tourbillon skeleton within the Defy Skyline line.
The Defy Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton, ref. 18.9300.3630/78.I001, is presented in a 41 mm rose gold case paired with a solid rose gold bracelet secured by a double folding clasp.
Without a traditional dial, the movement is fully revealed, framed only by a peripheral flange that anchors the hour markers.
The Zenith signature appears on the sapphire crystal, while the iconic star is set directly onto the skeletonised mainplate.
The automatic El Primero 3630 SK calibre is finished in an intense, luminous blue. Its skeletonised architecture is centred around the tourbillon aperture, with the Zenith star expanded into a structural motif.
The visual depth is enhanced by two architectural bridges positioned at 10 and 2 o’clock.
The bridges and mainplate are treated with blue PVD and selectively polished to reveal rhodium-plated chamfers.
The one-minute tourbillon oscillates at 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations per hour), while the skeletonised barrel offers a direct view of the mainspring as it unwinds across the 50-hour power reserve.
Delivered with a complementary blue rubber strap and a solid gold folding clasp, the Zenith Defy Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton, ref. 18.9300.3630/78.I001, is a limited edition of 50 pieces, priced at CHF 91,900 / €102,800 / US$103,700. zenith-watches.com
