Zach Brass
No, I’m not saying that the watch is electricity in that it uses electricity. It’s a 100% mechanical watch. But if you’re wondering if it’s been taking time to look back at watches and amazing novelty for four months now, it’s because you don’t feel that this Zenith has given you a good attention to the Skyline Chronograph 160th Anniversary Limited Edition amid the biggest fair turmoil in the watch industry. The Defy Skyline Chronograph is a well-known and respected design, but this design is worthy of such a big milestone and has featured it.
Ceramics are now much more common in watchmaking than in the past decades, but despite the substances that permeate more brand catalogs, colored ceramics beyond black and white are a skill set that only a handful of brands can truly claim. Certainly, Hublot is the industry leader. It first debuts a ceramic of a particular color, like orange, and has the broadest color spectrum in the material. So perhaps this LVMH brother urged Zenith to all go outside when it was time to celebrate its important 160th anniversary.
Blue was not chosen because it was a safe, fan-like colour. The blue used for the dial, case and bracelet – almost all components except for the bracelet pins, clasp, movement and applied dial elements – are Zenith’s historic and distinctive blue colours, derived from the brand and its name’s rich roots.
“Legend says Zenith’s name was inspired by a bright night sky full of stars,” explains Zenith. “This vision reached its founder, Georges Favre Jacot, symbolizing the high level of excellence he aspired to as a reference to the highest point reached by the heavenly bodies. Since then, the Maison has been driven by merciless pursuits in all aspects of watch art.
Because the sky is a muse, it becomes much clearer as to why the brand is foresightful to submit trademarks in 1888, and as a result, only Zenith is allowed to print the word “pilot” on the dial. It also explains why the brand’s logo is a star and why the star is a repetitive motif of the design. Even this collection is ultimately named Skyline.
Especially when you look at the watch on your hands, it becomes clear why this watch (or either the 160th Anniversary Blue Ceramic Limited Edition) is called electric. The blue colour really punches. It’s not your more basic or familiar navy blue. It’s the electric blue border. Achieving this colour with ceramics is by no means a simple task, and it became even more difficult when the brand was at length that produced the length of elements such as bracelets and pushers of materials.
The familiar facet case and bezel are all retained in this design, along with the familiar integrated quick Eckenge bracelet. Thanks to the inclined geometric lugs, we continue to measure lug-to-lugs with diameters of 42mm, thicknesses of 12.7mm and 47.4mm. It is also 100 meters water resistant with a screw-down crown. Therefore, between its dimensions, materials and specifications, daily wear is ripe despite its flashier and bolder colour. It promotes daily patient reliability if you want to switch appearance or wrist-hugging materials depending on the season.
Zenith is known for its signature tri-color register, but all elements of the dial, including the 4:30 date, have a consistent blue tint (except the applied index and hand of course). However, the color representation is dynamic and slightly different depending on the angle, as the primary dial and chronograph counters are decorated with a more standard concentric texture.
Inside, Zenith’s respected in-house automatic beat high-beat El Primaro 3600 caliber features a special “160” rotor with blue embedded for its text. The winding rotor is also very open, giving you a better view of the components racing at the caliber below it and at high frequencies. Despite being a high-beat move, it can still provide a 60-hour admirable power reserve.
It is worth pointing out that this skyline chronograph is the first and only model to use segments within a segment. So I can’t speak to premiums that could have been created by having a ceramic case and bracelet in more vibrant colours, or by being a limited edition. At the CHF 22,900, it’s certainly not within all budgets, but once again, over 160 people are happy to bring it into the collection. Looking at the wider market landscape, I think it’s fair to say Zenith has priced it quite a bit (as is the case with brands normally). It’s a lot to see the dollars and many colors on the wrist. And if you really love blue, Zenith is creating three Blue Ceramic 160th Anniversary Limited Editions, which can also be used as box sets.
Zenith Skyline Chronograph 160th Anniversary Edition Price and Availability
Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph 160th Anniversary Edition is available for inquiries. Price: CHF 22,900
The brand Zenith model is Skyline Chronograph 160th Anniversary Reference 49.9502.3600/51.I001 Case Dimensions 42mm (D) x 12.7mm (T) 47.4mm (LTL) Case Material Blue Ceramic Water Resistance 100m, Screw-in Crown Crystal Front and Back Dial Blue Sky. Double folding fastener
Blue rubber strap, steel folding clasp movement El Primaro 3600, in-house, automatic, high beat power reserve 60 hours functioning time, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph availability is limited to 160 pcs. Price: CHF 22,900
