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Live from WWG25: highlights from the new releases of Zenith
Our hands on session with Zenith. Here are our picks and highlights from what we saw, touched. Here are our impressions of the novelties.
Results for Zenith Chronomaster
1,698 articles · 139 videos found · page 11 of 62
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Fratello
Catching The Blues With A New Trio Of Zenith Blue Ceramic Chronographs
If you are on the hunt for a humble, under-the-radar, slow-release charmer of a watch, feel free to skip this article. Zenith gets all up in our faces at this year’s Watches and Wonders with a 160th-anniversary trio of blue ceramic chronographs. Subtle blue? Nope, not quite. Say what you will, but at least this […] Visit Catching The Blues With A New Trio Of Zenith Blue Ceramic Chronographs to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Introducing the Zenith G.F.J., a Chronometry Focused Tribute to the Brand’s Founder
Last year, I had the privilege of sitting down with Benoit de Clerck to talk about all things Zenith. At the time, Benoit was just a few short months into his tenure as CEO of Zenith, and Watches & Wonders was only barely in the rearview, but de Clerck made it very clear that he was already looking ahead, not just generally, but towards something very specific, and very exciting. “I’m working hard on something new next year, which - obviously - I like, because it’s very unique, and we’re producing very small quantities and all that. And, I can’t tell you much more, but next year we’re celebrating our 160th year and we will come up with something that the collectors will be very, very, very happy with.” Well, now, nearly a year later, we know what that “something new” is, and de Clerck was absolutely right - because it is something to be very, very happy with. I’m talking, of course, about the new Zenith G.F.J. G.F.J., in this case, stands for Georges Favre-Jacot, the name of the man who founded Zenith some 160 years ago, but it might as well stand for ‘Great F***ing Job’ because Zenith has knocked it out of the park with this one. At the heart of the G.F.J. is a revived version of the calibre 135, a historically significant and long-dormant movement, designed by Ephrem Jobin in the years after World War II and produced from 1949 to 1962. The Calibre 135 was widely used by Zenith at that time, but especially prized is the 135-O variant created...
Time+Tide
Has the Zenith G.F.J. actually achieved perfection? Maybe, and the Calibre 135 certainly helps.
The prolific observatory chronometer calibre is back.The post Has the Zenith G.F.J. actually achieved perfection? Maybe, and the Calibre 135 certainly helps. appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Zenith Celebrates Its 160th Anniversary In Style With The New G.F.J.
For a long time, Zenith kept us guessing about what its celebratory 160th-anniversary release would be. But if you know something about Zenith, the social media posts hinted at something special related to the brand’s rich history in observatory chronometer competitions. With the release of the Zenith G.F.J., the watchmaker from Le Locle brings its […] Visit Zenith Celebrates Its 160th Anniversary In Style With The New G.F.J. to read the full article.
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Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman - modular bezels, iconic dial
Worn & Wound
Hands-On: the Zenith Blue Ceramic Chronograph Trilogy
Few watch brands can resist the siren song of a major anniversary as an excuse to release a cool limited edition (or two, or…more). Zenith, of course, is no exception, and this year marks a big milestone: 160 years. We expect that there will be many celebratory watches beyond what’s unveiled this week in Geneva, but out of the gate Zenith is focusing attention on a segment of the catalog that has loomed large for much of their recent history, the chronograph. “El Primero” and “Zenith” are terms that are nearly interchangeable to some, so it makes sense that they’d spend some time leaning into the complication most associated with the brand. The new Blue Ceramic Chronograph Trilogy is made up of, you guessed it, blue ceramic versions of Zenith’s most important modern chronographs: the Chronomaster Sport, the Defy Skyline Chronograph, and the Pilot Chronograph. Together, these three watches cover much of the ground Zenith has worked in over the past few years, a period of real expansion for the brand where we’ve seen them decisively into watches that feel very contemporary and of the current moment. Zenith has also quietly been one of the great innovators in the subset of ceramic watchmaking, with many colorful and sometimes unexpected ceramic references dotting their entire collection. Blue ceramic was chosen for this release because of the color’s close association with the brand and its history. According to Zenith, it all stems from Zenith founder...
Monochrome
First Look – The Zenith G.F.J. Revives the Legendary Calibre 135 (Incl. Video)
On the occasion of its 160th anniversary, Zenith celebrates its legacy in the field of precision watchmaking, bringing back to life the venerable calibre 135, the most awarded movement from the golden age of observatory chronometer competitions. In 2022, Zenith released an exclusive limited edition of 10 watches, powered by vintage 135-O movements, restored and […]
Fratello
In Between Sizes? Spending Time With The Zenith Defy Skyline 36
It is no secret to regular readers that I like the Zenith Defy line of watches. These are some of the very few integrated-bracelet sports watches with a clear identity. They do not take the design-first approach of, say, a Royal Oak, nor do they strive for elegance like a Laureato. Zenith, instead, pushes into […] Visit In Between Sizes? Spending Time With The Zenith Defy Skyline 36 to read the full article.
Fratello
Hands-On With The Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton
What would happen if you started working out in 1969? How would you look today? Well, if you were a watch, you would probably look like the 42mm Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton. When the athletic Defy A3642 came to life 56 years ago, the watch, with its muscular octagonal case and chiseled tetradecagonal (14-sided) […] Visit Hands-On With The Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton to read the full article.
Fratello
Fratello’s Top 5 Vintage Zenith Models
Another Friday, another list! This week, we’ll take a look at five great vintage Zenith watches. As I explained in last week’s list, that one and today’s are a little homage to Zenith. The brand from Le Locle is one of my favorite watchmakers. By releasing a seemingly never-ending stream of exciting and often surprising […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Vintage Zenith Models to read the full article.
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Zenith Defy Revival A3648 | A Week On The Wrist
Fratello
Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Zenith Models
Another Friday, another list! This week and next, I will be putting the spotlight on Zenith. To be a bit more specific, for this week, I picked my top five modern Zenith watches. Next week, I will put the spotlight on some of the brand’s best vintage models. These are somewhat self-indulgent lists because I […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Zenith Models to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Hands-On: the Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton
There’s no sports watch that I have a stronger connection to than the Zenith Defy. I’ve long told anyone who would listen that the Defy is, bar none, my favorite sports watch collection. From its inception, the Defy has been a watch associated with pushing both design and watchmaking boundaries, through the use of uncommon materials, avant-garde designs, and over-the-top specs. For whatever sports watch from a major Swiss brand you can name, I could probably think of a Defy that matches it in terms of what it can do, and eclipses it in terms of the always hard to quantify cool factor. Yes, of course this is subjective. But, I mean, is it really? Now that we’ve established that I love the Defy potentially all out of proportion, we can consider the latest entry in the growing collection, the Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton. This is a combination of words that were always meant to meet in the form of a Defy – the writing has been on the wall since the intro of the first Defy Skyline, or least since the introduction of the Skyline Chronograph. One of the nice things about the Defy, as a collection, is that it truly offers a different flavor of the core watch for every taste, with dials that are skeletonized, or not, cases that are made from steel, or ceramic, and now chronographs offering some of those same decision points. My feelings on the Defy Skyline collection oscillate quite a bit. Whenever I put one on, I can’t help but compare it in my mind to the Defy...
Worn & Wound
Zenith and Revolution Team Up for a Third Limited Edition “Cover Girl” in Carbon Fiber
The period between LVMH Watch Week and Watches & Wonders is usually pretty quiet on the watch release front, but Zenith teamed up with Revolution to drop a new edition of their ongoing series of “Cover Girl” reissues that is almost certainly the most radical rethinking of the concept yet. We’ve covered both of the previous Zenith x Revolution collaborations that sought to resurface one of the most famous references in Zenith’s vast archive. The first, introduced in 2020, was a fairly straightforward recreation of the vintage reference. The second was a titanium version, and just a little more esoteric. The third, though, is a real departure, crafted from carbon fiber for a dramatically different look and wearing experience. The headline here is the weight. On a hook and loop strap, the Cover Girl Carbon weighs just 55 grams, significantly lighter than even the titanium version released a few years ago. It’s a little more if you opt for the full carbon fiber bracelet, but more on that in a minute. The case is in the classic A384, tonneau shape, which measures 37mm in diameter and 12.5mm tall. According to Zenith and Revolution, the carbon fiber used here is of the high modulus variety, similar to what’s seen in high end bicycles and sports cars. The dial is also made from carbon fiber, which creates a coherent and aggressive look for the entire piece. It’s matte black and features the same “shark tooth” outer register that is common to the other Cover ...
WatchAdvice
REVIEW: What We Love About The New Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton
For LVMH Watch Week, Zenith adds to their Defy Skyline collection, taking their Defy Skyline Chronograph and giving it the skeleton treatment. And it’s good! What We Love The skeleton dial looks stunning, especially in blue It has a great wrist presence Quick change strap and bracelet makes it easy to change looks What We Don’t No date! But I can maybe overlook that. Bracelet has no micro-adjust, so a perfect fit isn’t as easy to achieve The lume could be brighter on the hands and indices Overall Score: 8.9 / 10 Value for Money: 9/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 For those of you who are familiar with Zenith’s Defy Skyline range the new Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton will be a watch that has come as no surprise to you. It’s the natural evolution of the Defy Skyline range as we saw last year with the Defy Skyline Skeleton coming out and then the Defy Skyline Chronograph. This new model does justice to both of those models in a fusion that works wonderfully well. RELATED READING: Hands On Review With The Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph So when I heard that the Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph was getting a makeover and the skeleton treatment, I was a little excited to see how these would look, and more importantly, how they looked on the wrist in daylight. If I cast my mind back to the middle of last year when I had the trio of Skyline Chronographs at my disposal, I recall that they all looked great and felt great on the wrist. I ended ...
Time+Tide
Zenith’s new Defy Skyline Chronograph takes away most of the dial and the date window
Zenith strips back its Defy Skyline Chronograph, removing much of its dial and its date window, for LVMH Watch Week 2025.The post Zenith’s new Defy Skyline Chronograph takes away most of the dial and the date window appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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A Hands-On Look At The Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton
Worn & Wound
Zenith Expands the Defy Collection with the New Skyline Chronograph Skeleton
I’m long on the record as being an unabashed fan of the Zenith Defy. If you search this website or listen to old podcasts, you’ll find plenty of instances of me saying that the Defy is my all time favorite line of sports watches, period. For as long as the Defy has existed, it’s been a showcase for Zenith at their most adventurous, both technically and aesthetically, and a reflection of the larger watch landscape at the current moment, whatever that happens to be. I’ve often framed my discussions of the Defy around wishing for a resurgence of the collection, which through the years has too often been ignored in favor of other objectively more popular Zenith collections, but with the release of the new Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton, it occurs to me that we really do, finally, have a fully fleshed out Defy collection, and Zenith is doing anything but ignoring it. The Defy Skyline effectively replaced the Defy Classic, a much loved (by enthusiasts) line of medium sized and quite thin sports watches that were available in both steel and ceramic cases. Running on Zenith’s Elite movements, they were design oriented pieces, and the skeletonized versions in particular really spoke to me. Zenith introduced a skeletonized version of the Skyline in 2023 (also at LVMH Watch Week), and now we have the chrono version, something that wouldn’t have been possible in the Elite-based Defy Classic. Part of the appeal of the Skyline, even in the non-chronograph variants, is the...
Monochrome
First Look – The new Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton (incl. Video)
The Defy Skyline is Zenith’s answer to the trend of elegant sports watches with integrated bracelets. Introduced in 2022, it has become one of the pillars of the brand’s collections. With its octagonal case and dodecagonal bezel, its design is a modern nod to the 1969 Defy. The Defy Skyline chronograph joined the lineup in […]
Fratello
Introducing: The Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton
Some watches are so perfectly on-brand that you have to look twice to see if they’re actually new. I had this experience with this Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton. Between the regular Defy Skyline Chronograph and several Defy Extreme and Defy skeleton versions, this looks comfortably familiar. Still, this watch is indeed new. So let’s […] Visit Introducing: The Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton to read the full article.
Fratello
Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Reissues - Featuring Vacheron Constantin, Omega, Zenith, And More
Another Friday, another list! Attentive readers will notice that this is our second list article this week. On Wednesday, we put the spotlight on regulator watches, an often-forgotten style that deserves more attention. Today, we’ll continue our regular Friday series of lists with our picks for the best modern reissues of great classics. The watch […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Modern Reissues - Featuring Vacheron Constantin, Omega, Zenith, And More to read the full article.
Fratello
Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2024 - Jorg’s Picks From Rexhep Rexhepi, Zenith, Tudor, And More
Lists - don’t you love ‘em? Well, I do. Unlike Lex, our resident Grinch, I love a good list. That should come as no surprise, though, as I am Fratello’s in-house list fanatic. It was interesting to read that Lex likes to look forward to what’s to come rather than looking back at what has […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2024 - Jorg’s Picks From Rexhep Rexhepi, Zenith, Tudor, And More to read the full article.
Video
QUICK LOOK: Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph Skeleton (LVMH Watch Week News!)
WatchAdvice
The Zenith PILOT Big Date Flyback Porter Is A Watch That Will Turn Heads
Where aviation heritage meets contemporary design, the Zenith x Porter PILOT Big Date Flyback Chronograph delivers bold style and functionality! What We Love The khaki green colour for the case and dial Orange accents stand out beautifully The case isn’t big, even for slimmer wrists What We Don’t The black crown and chronograph pushers seem out of place with the rest of the watch’s colour scheme. Different font are used throughout the dial Velcro strap won’t suit everyone, especially with slim wrists. Overall Score: 8.6 / 10 Value for Money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 The Zenith X Porter Pilot Big Date Flyback Porter stands out as a shining example of thoughtful design and craftsmanship in a world where collaborations feel like the norm. This collaboration was a bit unexpected; however, it is a great way to end 2024 with one of the best-looking timepieces released as a dual project. The latest collaboration between Zenith & Porter by Yoshida & Company results in a beautiful khaki green PILOT Big Date Flyback Chronograph This watch, as expected, revolves around the theme of travel. Porter is a Japanese bag brand that has a variety of styles for travel bags. For this collaboration, Porter by Yoshida & Company has supplied the velcro straps for the timepeices. They are also throwing in a specially developed bag that has been made with Zenith’s input, in Porter’s signature khaki-green colour. Zenith, on the other hand, has a long ...
Fratello
Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified Vs. Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback
Welcome to our last Sunday Morning Showdown of the year. Next week, Jorg will share this year’s Sunday Morning Showdown highlights, so let’s go out with a bang. Today, we put the new Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified up against the Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback. The leaks of the Speedmaster Pilot for US military […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified Vs. Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Zenith’s 1/100th Second Chronograph Inlaid with Tiger’s Eye
Zenith has given its 1/100th-of-a-second El Primero 21 an unusual attire – pusher protectors and a dodecagonal bezel in tiger’s eye mineral stone. Matched with a dial featuring tiger stripes and green accents, the Defy Extreme Jungle retains the trademark double balance wheels of the model. The movement features a conventional timekeeping balance operating at 36,000 beats per hour (5 Hz), and a smaller regulator for the chronograph that beats 10 times as fast, 360,000 beats per hour or 50 Hz, enabling the chronograph to record times with a resolution of up to to 1/100th of a second. Initial thoughts I have long thought that the Defy Extreme was too similar to other, more famous oversized sports chronographs, that is, until I actually got to try on the Defy Extreme Jungle in person. The new Defy still evokes other designs, but it is finely executed, with the minerals stone inlay being notably well done. At the same time, the tiger’s eye elements add some originality to the design, so this easily stands out as the most interesting model in the Defy line. The tiger’s eye components, especially since they are prominently positioned, are likely more fragile than the same on the equivalent titanium model, but they add texture and colour so are arguably worth the sacrifice of practicality. At US$26,900, the Defy Extreme Jungle is pricier than the average Zenith chronograph, but still a reasonable proposition given the exotic material and 1/100th of a second movement. Tige...
Time+Tide
New releases from Parmigiani Fleurier, MB&F;, Zenith and more
This week saw a whole host of releases from every corner of the industry as we enter the final month of the year and gift buying starts to ramp up.The post New releases from Parmigiani Fleurier, MB&F;, Zenith and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
New: Zenith DEFY Extreme Jungle
The Zenith DEFY Extreme Jungle is a limited edition timepiece that draws inspiration from the untamed energy and captivating mystery of the jungle. As the final installment in Zenith's series of watches inspired by extreme environments, this model follows the Desert and Glacier editions. Limited to just 50 pieces, the DEFY Extreme Jungle combines innovative design with high-performance features, making it a notable addition to Zenith's DEFY collection.
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