Highlights from Zenith at LVMH Watch Week 2022

01: Defy Skyline

Will the Defy Skyline be the new hot must-have steel sport-luxe watch of 2022? With its interesting USPs, it might well be.

Launched with a dial in silver, blue or black, the aesthetic of the range, most notably its 12-sided bezel, is inspired by the angular geometry of early Defy models from the ‘60s. Each dial is engraved with star motifs that pay tribute to a “double Z” logo used by Zenith in the ‘60s.

Another point of distinction: The speedy 1/10 of a second hand on the seconds subdial, which makes a full rotation in 10 seconds. This is made possible by the high 5 Hz frequency of the new El Primero 3620 automatic movement powering the 41mm watches.

02: Defy Extreme Carbon

Launched last year and equipped with a blazing 1/100 of a second chronograph, the 45mm Defy Extreme is, in Tornare’s words, designed to “push the limits of the Defy as far as we could in terms of design and size”. Released in titanium or titanium and rose gold last year, the Defy Extreme is now presented in a carbon fibre case with a titanium bezel.

The case material links the watch to Extreme E, the world’s first off-road electric rally racing championship, of which Zenith is the official timekeeper and founding partner. The colourful markers and chronograph counters are similarly inspired by the palettes adopted in Extreme E races.

03: Zenith x Nona Source

Sustainability has been a big buzzword in the watch industry, and Zenith’s latest initiative on that front is its partnership with Nona Source.

A startup incubated by LVMH’s DARE (Disrupt, Act and Risk to be an Entrepreneur) programme, Nona Source is an online resale platform that re-values deadstock fabrics from LVMH’s luxury fashion labels and makes them available to other designers and brands.

Some of these fabrics, including a sage-green washed crepe, have been used to create seven unique watch straps that fit on Zenith’s  36mm Defy Midnight women’s watches and can be easily switched around via the quick-change strap system.

This article was first published in The Peak.