Whereas I’ve simply currently been discovering myself affected by collaboration fatigue, I’m actually an enormous fan of the thought on a primary stage, and when carried out accurately, a well-considered collaboration may make the acquainted actually really feel unfamiliar, whereas concurrently current in two separate worlds. For its latest launch of 2024, Zenith has teamed up with the boutique retailer Collective Horology to create a limited-edition mannequin of the Defy Skyline, and considerably than merely being a thematic colorway of an current model, the Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model for Collective is an accurate re-working of the Swiss mannequin’s fashionable built-in bracelet watch.
The model new Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model for Collective (ref. 06.9300.3620/63.I001) is based upon the core foundation of the standard full-size Defy Skyline, which signifies that it comprises a 41mm case crafted from stainless-steel, and it is furnished with flat sapphire crystal, a screw-on present caseback, and a screw-down crown that provides it with 100 meters of water resistance. Nonetheless, considerably than having brushed and polished surfaces identical to the standard-production fashions, the Defy Skyline C.X Model receives a very matte sandblasted finish, and the one polished components on the watch are the facet of its dodecagonal (twelve-sided) bezel and the rim of its present caseback. Whereas the angular case profile of the Defy Skyline fashions presents an intrinsically stylish complete look, the sandblasted surfaces on the model new C.X Model extra lean into its fashionable styling whereas concurrently providing the watch with a barely further utilitarian complete spirit.
Similar to its case ending, the dial fitted to the Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model moreover takes the basic thought of the standard-production fashions and reimagines it with an ultra-clean and pared-back aesthetic. The matte silver/gray dial choices small orange highlights with the Defy Skyline’s signature four-pointed star pattern all through its flooring. Nonetheless, the star motif has been rendered in a three-dimensional technique with a radial gradient impression that is achieved by having the celebs throughout the center of the dial engraved deeper than these located within the route of the periphery. Furthermore, whereas the standard Defy Skyline fashions attribute a date window at 3 o’clock with a shortly transferring 1/tenth of a second sub-dial located reverse it on the 9 o’clock place, the Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model opts for a simplified time-only present, and it relocates the 1/tenth of a second indicator to the 6 o’clock location to achieve a splendidly symmetrical format.
Just like the standard full-size Defy Skyline fashions, the Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model for Collective is powered by considered one of many Swiss producer’s high-frequency automated actions, which is based upon the underlying construction of its well-known El Primero chronograph. Nonetheless, ensuing from its time-only present and the 6 o’clock location of its 1/tenth of a second sub-dial, the Defy Skyline C.X Model receives a novel caliber than its time-and-date counterparts, and it is as a substitute powered by the El Primero 3620 SK, which is similar movement that Zenith makes use of to vitality its Defy Skyline Skeleton fashions. Working at a cost of 36,000vph (5 Hz) with an affect reserve of roughly 55 hours, the extreme frequency of the El Primero 3620 SK is what permits it to have its signature 1/tenth of a second indicator, which makes one full rotation throughout the sub-dial in merely ten seconds, considerably than taking a full minute like an ordinary seconds hand.
The Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model comes with the gathering’s regular H-link built-in bracelet, although its stainless-steel components showcase solely matte sandblasted surfaces to match the ending on the watch’s case. Furthermore, included with the Defy Skyline C.X Model is an orange textured rubber strap that extra leans into the small orange accents on its dial, and the strap is completed by a stainless-steel folding clasp, which is on a regular basis a welcome contact as compared with the a lot much less premium technique of an everyday tang-style buckle. Furthermore, whereas Zenith’s Defy Skyline fashions attribute an built-in lug design, they embrace an built-in quick-release system, and homeowners of the Defy Skyline C.X Model can merely swap between the included strap and bracelet decisions by merely pressing the two buttons which is likely to be located on the underside flooring of its lugs.
The Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model For Collective (ref: 06.9300.3620/63.I001) will in all probability be produced as a restricted model of 200 examples, and it will have an official retail price of $12,300 USDwhich makes it pretty a bit costlier than the standard stainless-steel Defy Skyline fashions. With that in ideas, the Defy Skyline C.X Model moreover represents a significant departure from the standard-production fashions, as a result of it shares a movement with the Defy Skyline Skeleton and choices fairly just a few particulars ranging from its dial format to its ending, which make it solely distinctive amongst Zenith’s higher Defy Skyline lineup. Whereas the model new C.X Model principally appears like a member of the Defy Skyline assortment, the whole thing about it has been reimagined in a way or one different, and the cumulative outcomes create a novel however extraordinarily cohesive expression of this inherently stylish Zenith design. For further data on the Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Model for Collective, please go to each the Zenith web page or the Collective Horology web page.