It’s no secret to regular readers that I like to ignore Zenith on the watch. These are some of the very few integrated bracelet sports watches with clear identities. They do not take the design-first approach of, for example, Royal Oak, nor strive for the elegance of the winners. Instead, Zenith pushes into more technical and modern realms. But my complaints have always been the size. The models I tried were a little too big for my taste and style and bulky.
So when Zenith released the 36mm version, it piqued my interest. Is this one? I spent time and looked into the blue Zenith ignoring Skyline 36.
Zenith ignores Skyline 36
However, let’s start with the basics. Here is a 36mm x 40.6mm stainless steel sports watch with a thickness of 10.4mm case. Comes with an integrated stainless steel bracelet with a very good quick release mechanism. This allows you to easily switch to the included blue elastic strap. At the top, there is a flat sapphire crystal with mirrors lined with mirrors on the second one in the display caseback. Zenith specifies the water resistance of the watch at 100 meters.
Inside, check the automatic Zenith Elite Caliber 670 at a typical 28,800VPH frequency. There are no high-beat shenanagans here, but the true in-house caliber should still be interested in you. Zenith promises a fulfilling 50 hours of autonomy. The caliber has a profile of just 3.88mm. This makes you wonder why the watch didn’t become slimmer. Thin movement should allow a thickness of 10mm while maintaining a depth rating of 100m. This will return to the important reason later.
The dial is probably that Zenith ignores the most eye-catching element of the Skyline 36. Its blue surface features both a sunray effect and an intricate motif of four indented stars. The cutouts are a little deeper than most patterned dials, which causes the pattern to pop out. The applied Zenith star is above the brand’s signature. The facet indexes filled with Super Luminova are all of the same size and shape. Since there is only one at 3 o’clock, head to the dial matching blue dating wheel.
Wear Zenith and handle Skyline 36
So let’s move on to my experience with Zenith’s defy skyline 36 so that bookkeeping doesn’t get in the way. As you can see from the photos, I received a commonly used example. I actually liked this because we usually get a creakable, clean and perfect sample. This battered specimen took care of several years of intensive wear, allowing us to experience the watch. I have to say, it wears that scar well!
Another thing that quickly popped up at me was the redistribution of proportions. The 36mm Zenith Defy feels a bit compressed. This may sound strange, but I think I could have discovered that this is a shrinking version of a large clock, even if I didn’t know. Part of this is due to a thickness of 10.4mm. I know it sounds like a very thin clock, but this somehow feels a bit of a tabby. As mentioned above, I think if Zenith engineers tried honestly, they might have shaved near full millimeters.
I quickly realized that this wasn’t the version for me when I thrust my hands and landed the clock on my left wrist. I love a good 36mm watch, but this feels a bit strange on a 17.5cm wrist, ignoring the Skyline percentage. The lug-to-rug is a little too short for the bracelet to take a natural angle to match the case. As a result, the watch was standing too upright in the middle of my wrist, just as an integrated bracelet sports watch should.
So, who is Zenith going to ignore Skyline 36 for?
I think Zenith knows this. Zenith ignores Skyline 36, but is officially classified as unisex, but all marketing is focused entirely on female customers. All models showing the watch are female. This dark blue version is probably the most neutral, but many other versions are performed in a way typical of how watch brands target women (pastel colors and diamonds).
As a 1.91m/6’3″ guy, this looks a bit int to me. I don’t mind this with a more classic and elegant watch. However, as mentioned before, Zenith rebels against the Skyline, but looks technical and modern. This somehow clashes and decides a slightly larger size.
Does that mean I don’t think this is a unisex watch? Well, it’s not accurate. If your wrists are thin, I think this looks very good if you want the bracelet to naturally drape from the short length of the case. That includes men and women. But if you’re a bigger guy who prefers the size of a more classic watch, I don’t think this is for you.
Close thoughts
I often find myself in between these days sizes. More and more watch companies offer multiple sizes of the same watch, and I praise it. But in many cases, it means that they make things bigger and smaller than just the right ones. I think the 38-39mm version (and preferably thinner) will be spot-on. It may soon deny the need for a second size, even unisex.
So I will not add a 36mm version to my collection, but I certainly can see why others do that. The quality is certainly there, and Defy Skyline exudes a distinct style of its own. But in addition to size, there is the second problem: price. At 9,100 euros, this is much more expensive than, say, the Rolex Explorer or the Omega Aqua Terra, both are already very expensive. I can’t talk about manufacturing costs or markup, but I can say I haven’t experienced that gap when working with watches.
Overall, Zenith recommends ignore Skyline 36, but only for very specific buyers with specific requests. It’s a very good watch, but I feel like it’s more compromised than ever before, compared to its larger siblings.
What do you think about Zenith ignoring Skyline 36? Let us know in the comments section below!
