Just before the biennial Dubai Watch Week begins, Zenith CEO Julien Tornare and Time+Tide Founder, Andrew McUtchen have come together to proudly unveil the second chapter of their highly sought-after collaboration – Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero.
After the DEFY Classic Skeleton Night Surfer limited edition of 100 pieces released in 2021, which captured the magnificence of the darkening night sky and the ocean in a microblasted titanium case paired with a liquid blue gradient dial, the Manufacture and Australian tastemakers present the DEFY Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero, a limited edition of 200 pieces.
An evolution of the DEFY Classic Skeleton, the DEFY Skyline Skeleton takes both the design and performance to new heights. Bolder, bluer, more geometric lines and the latest generation of the high-frequency automatic El Primero calibre, the DEFY Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero is both a sequel and evolution of the original. For Time+Tide, the objective was to retain all the elements that made the original Night Surfer so outstanding while incorporating all the improvements that the DEFY Skyline Skeleton offers.
A first for the DEFY Skyline Skeleton model, the entire angular 41mm case with its dodecagonal bezel and integrated bracelet are crafted in microblasted titanium, lending it a homogenous, subdued grey tone with minimal light reflection. The addition of a screw-down crown ensuring a water-resistance of 10 ATM (100 metres) makes this version more water sports-ready, as does the interchangeable strap system. A second textured blue rubber strap is included, which requires no tools to be swapped.
“These key upgrades to the Night Surfer Skeleton El Primero make it a totally different timepiece to both the first Night Surfer and the Skyline Skeleton collection in general,”Andrew McUtchen, founder of Time+Tide says. “But perhaps the most exciting new feature is the El Primero movement that drives it. The buttery smooth 1/10th of a second counter on the dial is the proof that you have a truly high performance machine on your wrist, wherever you take it; in the water, or out.”
The gradient night sky dial concept returns in the Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero, but takes on a new form and more dramatic execution. The open dial features a large central four-pointed star element, which is perfectly incorporated into the skeletonisation of the movement’s blue bridges and main plate. The dial’s metallic blue colour darkens from the bottom to the top, evoking the fading light on the horizon right after sunset. As a nod to the original Night Surfer, which featured the ZENITH applied star logo in Super-LumiNova, the entire four-pointed star on the dial is highlighted with luminescent lines that come to life in the dark, making the star that much more visible and brighter. Positioned at 6 o’clock, the dial features a unique feature among skeleton watches: a running 1/10th of a second indicator.
This highly animate feature in the DEFY Skyline Skyline Night Surfer El Primero is delivered by the El Primero 3620 automatic high-frequency manufacture movement, beating at the rate of 5Hz (36’000VpH). This rate allows for the 1/10th of a second indicator to be directly driven by the escapement. Its efficient automatic bi-directional winding mechanism with a blue star-shaped rotor delivers a power reserve of approximately 60 hours.
The DEFY Skyline Skyline Night Surfer El Primero is a limited edition of 200 pieces, available exclusively on Time+Tide’s online store and ZENITH’s online boutiques around the world.
Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero Technical Specifications
High frequency indication: 1/10th of a second subdial at 6 o’clock.
Silicon escape-wheel and lever.
Screwed-in crown.
Full Interchangeable strap system.
Movement
El Primero 3620 SK
Components: Blue main plate
Frequency: 36,000 VpH (5 Hz)
Power reserve: approx. 60 hours
Functions: Hours and minutes in the centre. 1/10th of a second counter at 6 o’clock.
Finishes: Special oscillating weight with satined finishings
Case & Dial
Material: Microblasted titanium
Water resistance: 10 ATM
Case: 41mm
Dial: Openworked with Gradient blue
Hour markers: Ruthenium-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova
Hands: Ruthenium-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova
Bracelet & Buckle
Microblasted titanium bracelet.
Comes with a night blue rubber strap with starry sky pattern and folding clasp.
ZENITH: TIME TO REACH YOUR STAR. ZENITH exists to inspire individuals to pursue their dreams and make them come true – against all odds. Since its establishment in 1865, ZENITH became the first vertically integrated Swiss watch manufacture, and its watches have accompanied extraordinary figures that dreamt big and strived to achieve the impossible – from Louis Blériot’s history-making flight across the English Channel to Felix Baumgartner’s record-setting stratospheric free-fall jump. Zenith is also highlighting visionary and trailblazing women by celebrating their accomplishments and creating the DREAMHERS platform where women share their experiences and inspire others to fulfil their dreams. With innovation as its guiding star, ZENITH exclusively features in-house developed and manufactured movements in all its watches. Since the creation of the El Primero in 1969, the world’s first automatic chronograph calibre, ZENITH has gone on to master high-frequency precision and offers time measurements in fractions of a second, including 1/10th of a second in the Chronomaster collection and 1/100th of a second in the DEFY collection. Because innovation is synonymous with responsibility, the ZENITH HORIZ-ON initiative affirms the brand’s commitments to inclusion & diversity, sustainability and employee wellbeing. ZENITH has been shaping the future of Swiss watchmaking since 1865, accompanying those who dare to challenge themselves and reach new heights. The time to reach your star is now.
