Keep It Light: A Closer Look at The New Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton in White Ceramic

Have you ever felt like it’s too hot to wear a watch?

The mere thought of an extra few ounces added to your wrist making you collapse with exhaustion?

Or, has the high humidity made the idea of straps and bracelets sweaty and gross?

Well, Zenith has a watch for you: the DEFY Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic.

We’re in the dog days of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. The long, hot, swampy days leave us feeling listless. These are the sort of days when searching the internet to research the origin of the “dog days” phrase easily preoccupies the mind instead of doing actual work writing about watches.

As it turns out, real work was being done, after all, because the expression “the dog days of summer” refers to the astrological period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the “Dog Star”). Timing-wise, this astrological event coincides with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck.
 

Do you know what else is associated with stars? Zenith! Stars are literally in the brand’s logo. And Zenith’s motto is “Follow Your Star.” (Ha, circle complete!)

The way we see it, the Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic is the perfect timepiece for beating the heat for so many reasons, but let’s start with the materials.

The new Zenith DEFY Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic is the first-ever DEFY Skyline model to come in white ceramic. Moreover, because the 41mm case is super light, it wears like a fine linen suit on a sultry summer day. That is to say, it feels fresh and airy on the wrist.

The integrated bracelet is also ceramic, but for versatility’s sake, it also comes with a bright white patterned rubber strap. Both can be swapped out easily using Zenith’s tool-free quick strap-change mechanism.
 

Ceramic is not only feather-light, but the materials are also hard-wearing (it will look bright and new no matter how many summertime shenanigans you put it through).

Conceptually, the DEFY Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic just feels light, with the contrast of the white ceramic and the blue skeletonized movement/dial creating the perfect mix of cooling colors.

The openworked dial is also a metaphor for a breezeway, allowing the aesthetic air to flow throughout the architecture of the movement. Meanwhile, the pattern of the skeletonization on the dial side forms Zenith’s famous four-pointed star from 1969.
 

The caseback reveals an El Primero 3620 automatic movement that is decorated in the maison’s signature blue hue, thus conjuring up images of a refreshing night after a scorching, sunny day.

Zenith is a top-flight maison, so you can expect the DEFY Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic to operate as good as it looks. The three-hander also offers a 1/10th of a second sub-dial at 6 o’clock.

Meanwhile, this piece’s premium features include a silicon escape wheel and lever, a screwed-in crown, and a power reserve of approximately 55 hours. Moreover, its case and screwed-in crown offer a water resistance of 10 ATM, ensuring that you’ll be ready to make a big splash whenever, wherever.
 

These are our arguments for nominating the DEFY Skyline Skeleton in White Ceramic as the ideal summer watch. But we’d wear it all year round.

Forget any rules about wearing white after Labor Day!

After all, white and blue pair perfectly with pumpkin tones. And while ceramic is pleasantly cool on the wrist in the summer months, it won’t freeze against the skin in the winter. Open work dials feel fresh in the spring.