Launched in 2024 as an extension of the Defy collection, inspired by Zenith’s family of 1969 tough sports watches named after the Defi collection of pocketwatches, the Defy Skyline Skeleton is one of Zenith’s most impressive offerings yet. Boasting a twelve-sided bezel and an angular white ceramic case, the Defy Skyline Skeleton’s sporty aesthetic undersells the amount of artisanal craftsmanship required to create its skeletonized dial and movement. Powered by the automatic El Primero cal. 3630 high-frequency manufacture movement, the Defy Skyline Skeleton is one of Zenith’s finest modern watches. Beating at an impressive 5Hz, the El Primero cal. 3630 boasts an impressive 55-hour power reserve and displays some elaborate finishings throughout. Featuring an openworked star-shaped winding rotor that sits atop brushed blue bridges decorated with Côtes de Genève stripes, he movement echoes the aesthetic achieved by the Defy Skyline’s stunning blue dial, which also features the same blue color thanks to its use of the movement architecture to create its display. An impressive example of Zenith’s abilities as a watchmaker, it is timepieces like the Defy Skyline Skeleton that showcase why the brand has been a supplier of movements to other brands for years.

An example of Zenith's impressive capabilities as a watchmaker, the Defy Skyline Skeleton highlights how brands who might be known for something else, chronographs in Zenith's case, are more than capable of excelling in something else.