Zenith builds a modern city of watches

[SINGAPORE] Zenith arrived at LVMH Watch Week 2026 without a single statement piece designed to dominate headlines. Instead, it presented something arguably more ambitious: a vision of what modern Swiss watchmaking might look like when treated as architecture.

It is all there in the Defy collection, which has quietly evolved into the manufacturer’s creative platform for contemporary design.

Long defined by the legacy of the El Primero chronograph, Zenith now uses the Defy to explore how high-frequency mechanics, advanced materials and sharp geometry can coexist.

The intent is clear across the novelties introduced at LVMH Watch Week 2026, and most evident in the new Defy Skyline Skeleton, which has been reworked in black ceramic with a gold-toned movement.

Skeletonisation here is not just for aesthetics, but also for structural logic. The openworked dial follows the geometry of Zenith’s four-pointed star, while the El Primero 3620 SK calibre beneath it becomes the visual anchor.

Its most distinctive feature is a constant tenth-of-a-second indicator: a small seconds hand that completes a full rotation every 10 seconds, driven directly by the high-frequency escapement.

The black ceramic case and integrated bracelet reinforce the watch’s metropolitan character. Lightweight and scratch resistant, the material sharpens the Skyline’s facets while avoiding the visual aggression that often accompanies all-black sports watches.

That restraint carries over to the Defy Skyline Chronograph, now offered in an entirely black ceramic execution. Inside beats the El Primero 3600, whose central chronograph seconds hand sweeps around the dial every 10 seconds, allowing elapsed time to be read intuitively to one-tenth of a second.

The aesthetic is controlled: a gradient grey dial, engraved star motif and sculptural ceramic case all downplay the new watch’s technical prowess.

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At the opposite extreme sits the Defy Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton, a limited rose-gold edition that pushes the architectural idea to its logical conclusion.

Dispensing with a conventional dial, the El Primero 3630 SK movement rises from the centre like a mechanical skyline, skeletonised around an enlarged Zenith star that functions as both emblem and structure. Finished in blue PVD with rhodium chamfers, it is bold, expressive and unapologetically technical.

For something a bit more discreet, there is the Defy Skyline 36 with a refined silver dial. Compact and versatile, the mid-size 36-mm case retains the angular shape of the original while introducing more modest, unisex proportions.

And then there is the Defy Revival A3643, a faithful reissue of a 1969 original. With its octagonal case, 14-sided bezel and ladder bracelet by Gay Freres, it recalls a time when the Defy was conceived as a rugged, almost industrial object. Subtle modern updates include a sapphire caseback and improved water resistance.

Together, the new Defy collection suggests that modern watchmaking need not always choose between heritage and progress. Treated as architecture rather than ornament, it can still feel precise and purposeful – and quietly contemporary.