From sleek, skeletonised creations to a vintage-inspired tribute model, the Zenith Defy family takes centerstage at LVMH Watch Week 2026
As far as quiet siblings go, you can’t get any more reticent than the original Zenith Defy watch. Born in 1969, the same year that Zenith introduced its most important contribution to modern watchmaking—the El Primero, the world’s first high-frequency automatic chronograph—it is fair to say that the Defy had plenty to deal with when it came to sharing the stage.
Yet the Defy never lacked substance. The El Primero was rightfully hailed as epochal and technically accomplished. The Defy, on the other hand, was brimming with its own virtues: defined by an avant-garde spirit, bold design, and a robust, sporty character that anticipated the rise of luxury steel sports watches almost a decade later.
If the watch appeared ahead of its time back in 1969 in its unusual octagonal case, 14-sided bezel, and special ladder-style bracelet, the Defy watches of today continue to challenge aesthetic and technical norms. At LVMH Watch Week 2026, Zenith shows just how this is done through five distinct expressions that run the gamut from urbane dress watches to sculptural and highly technical skeletonised models.
Past To Present
The Defy Revival A3643 takes us back to where it all began. Zenith previously released tribute editions that pay homage to vintage pieces such as the Defy Revival A3642 in 2022 and the Defy Revival A3691 in 2023, which tipped their hats to models from 1969 and 1971, respectively.
This year’s Defy Revival A3643 in stainless steel, while powered by the modern Elite 670 automatic movement, once again pushes all the right retro buttons. It retains a compact 37 mm case, the signature ladder bracelet, and a silver-toned dial with applied indexes, recreated using a high-precision scan of the original. The result is convincingly vintage, and intentionally so.
As a contemporary counterpoint, the Defy Skyline 36 adopts a similarly restrained disposition through a modern lens. Also in stainless steel and driven by the Elite 670, its 36mm case, minimalist profile, and optional diamond-set execution place it firmly in dress-sport territory. A subtly faceted 14-sided bezel, integrated bracelet, and a silver-toned dial patterned with fine star motifs give the watch a quiet gravitas suited to daily wear.
However, if you belong to the camp of Zenith enthusiasts who cannot do without an El Primero engine in your watch, the Defy Skyline Chronograph offers the best of both worlds. The watch’s armour of choice is black ceramic, a material that is both hardy and hypoallergenic. Complemented by a sexy black gradient dial, the watch’s chic and showy style almost belies its mechanical prowess.
That aside, the Defy Skyline Chronograph’s biggest draw, in our books, remains the formidable El Primero 3600 calibre. Introduced in 2021, it is the contemporary evolution of Zenith’s famed high-frequency chronograph movement—beating at 36,000 vibrations per hours and storing up to 60 hours of power reserve while displaying chronograph time that its accurate to 1/10th of a second.
Skeleton statements
The most striking releases, however, are the two skeletonised models: the Defy Skyline Skeleton and the Defy Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton. Both reveal the architecture of their movements in full, turning mechanics into visual theatre.
The Defy Skyline Skeleton wastes little time in drawing your attention to its inner workings—with this particular engine being the 3630 SK calibre, a three-hand automatic movement that beats at 36,000 vph. The openworked dial is sculpted into star motif and, along with the skeletonised movement components, are sheathed in a luxurious golden tone. The gleaming shades of gold offer a stark contrast against the raven sheen of the black ceramic case and bracelet—a brazen execution designed for the unapologetically ostentatious Zenith collector, for sure.
Taking the skeletonised aesthetic and technical refinement up several notches, the Defy Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton, is the most exclusive roll-out of this series. Limited to 50 pieces, the watch is clad entirely in rose gold—one can certainly feel the weight of the piece—and, powered by the 3630 SK calibre, rocks a tourbillon complication for good measure.
Not for the faint of heart, the Defy Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton gleams with forthright presence, as its weighty and shiny rose gold case and bracelet command attention on the wrist. The precious metal sets the tone for the dial, which comes openworked and decorated in a royal blue colour to complement the lustrous gold sheen. At 6 o’clock, the tourbillon carriage rotates theatrically, making one turn every minute and cradling Zenith’s famed high-frequency balance wheel that oscillates at 36,000 vph.
Technically assured and visually assertive, these latest Defy models—tribute edition aside— may sit far from their 1969 predecessor in form, and may not be as quiet as before. Yet they remain true to the collection’s founding ethos: a dogged refusal to accept convention.
