Hands-On Review of the Zenith Defy Skyline 36mm With Diamond Bezel
While building out the list for the Best Women’s Watches, we had the opportunity to review the Defy Skyline. The Zenith Defy was first introduced in 1969, the same year Zenith introduced their most popular collection, the El Primero. More so than other vintage watches of the era, the Zenith Defy encompassed a style that was more full-bodied and angular with its 14-sided bezel, octagonal case, and 300 meters of water resistance. At the time it was even featured in ads promoting the robust style of the piece, deemed, “the time-safe,” in one ad playing on both its construction and function. Zenith prided themselves on the precision of their self-winding movement.
When looking at the new Defy Skyline, inevitably, people will make comparisons to the Audemars Piquet Royal Oak. But since the original Defy was released in 1969, the watch has enough of its own heritage to stand on its own. And with the new Defy Skyline you get some of this vintage influence with the precision of their modern in-house Elite 670 caliber automatic movement (which has 50-hours of power reserve and beats at high-frequency of 28,800 VpH (4 Hz)). The watch also features a screw-down crown, meaning that it has a respectable 100 meters of water resistance.
It wasn’t until more recently that Zenith brought the Defy models back to their collections starting in 2017 and on. These new watches embodied much more of the original look of the initial Defy or at least took a more minimal approach to the collection, drawing in customers. Dials featured solid colors or more detailed open worked ones. In 2022 the new Defy Skyline was introduced into the collection. The Defy Skyline collection is a perfect blend of the original aesthetics of the Defy from the 60s and the more modern newer Defy Classic models
I got the chance to wear one of the Zenith Defy Skyline pieces for about a week. I had the choice between the pink colorway or the blue or green colorways with diamond bezels. As someone who does not wear much jewelry, I thought the diamonds would be a nice touch and something different for me. I had recently reviewed the Tissot PRX 35mm in a light blue dial, which has a close style to the Defy Skyline so, this time I went with the lighter minty green colorway and am so happy with my decision. I had a lot of fun wearing this watch!
The model I tested out’s case is 36mm in diameter, perfect for my petite wrists, and although the stainless steel case and movement had some weight to it, both the integrated bracelet and additional rubber strap were light around the wrist (and comes with a nice deployant clasp). The smaller lug size make the watch not wear too bulky on the wrist, which is definitely a plus for those of us with smaller wrists. I had both options of straps and interchanged between them throughout the week. The green rubber strap is the same minty green colorway as the dial, therefore, creates a seamless look when worn together. The dial flows right into the strap and creates a burst of light fun color, perfect for wrapping up the summer. It also adds a sportier touch. I enjoyed the option of being able to play into the bright colorway and have that extra pop of color, but I did receive many more compliments on the piece when I wore it with the stainless steel bracelet.
The straps were very easy to switch out, so I lost no time or effort in making the switch as I moved from day to night, or dressy to sporty depending on where I was going or what I was wearing. I did notice that the bracelet was a more comfortable wear for my wrist size. It never felt too tight or too loose and was light. As much as I loved the colorway of the rubber strap, its soft texture, and the secure construction, due to my small wrist I had to wear it on the smallest size and at times this caused the metal closure to poke into my wrist. It was fine when wearing for an hour or two, but a full day wear had some discomfort. I do not think this would happen if my wrists were a little wider, so for those with very small wrists, the rubber strap may not be the most practical option, though the bracelet would likely get the most play anyway I feel. But luckily, the interchangeable steel bracelet is easily swapped out through the press of the button if you ever want to change it up.
My favorite parts of this piece were certainly the dial, bezel, and case. The engraved four-pointed star pattern of the dial enhanced the color and gave it an extra shine, truly like a starry night sky (and the stick applied hour markers don’t take away from the dial pattern). The date window at 3 o’clock is colored the same green as the dial, showing that Zenith is really paying attention to the details. And the 52 diamonds around the bezel only enhance the dial’s look and works well with the starry sky pattern. Yet, it wasn’t too blingy, which I especially loved. The 12-sided faceted bezel adds curves and pays homage to the original octagonal look of its predecessor adding more character and charm to the watch. The color was one of my favorites. The shade of green Zenith chose is the perfect one for summer and looked great with a variety of outfits and accessories. I had no trouble matching it to my looks.
Of course, the watch has a sapphire crystal and sapphire display caseback. The open caseback was an additional touch of luxury as it displays the oscillating weight in the shape of a large star. I have never worn an open caseback watch before or many luxury watches in fact, and the Zenith was a great introduction to this world.
I do wish I was able to experience it for longer than a week to see if longer wear would change anything, though I doubt I would tire of it, and with both the bracelet and strap options, the watch fits a lot of molds, including as an every day sports watch. It’s certainly a piece that I would add to my growing collection. It has great value in that it’s a unisex timepiece, making it versatile in wear and function. There’s a dial colorway for all depending on preference, but if I had to choose one for purchase, I would still go for the light green with or without the diamond bezel.
So How much is the Zenith Defy Skyline 36?
Price for the watch is $12,000 USD.
You can read more about this watch on the brand's website.